Mechanical User's Guide

ANSYS, Inc. Release 2020 R1

Southpointe January 2020
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[email protected] ANSYS Europe,
Ltd. are UL
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Table of Contents
Overview ................................................................................................................................................ xxxv
The ANSYS Product Improvement Program ............................................................................................... 1
Application Interface .................................................................................................................................. 5
Interface Overview ................................................................................................................................. 6
Ribbon ................................................................................................................................................... 6
File Tab ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Home Tab ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Context Tabs ................................................................................................................................... 13
Display Tab ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Selection Tab .................................................................................................................................. 42
Automation Tab .............................................................................................................................. 46
Graphics Toolbar ................................................................................................................................... 49
Clipboard Menu .............................................................................................................................. 55
Outline ................................................................................................................................................. 56
Understanding the Tree Outline ...................................................................................................... 58
Correlating Tree Outline Objects with Model Characteristics ............................................................ 60
Suppressing Objects ....................................................................................................................... 63
Filtering the Tree ............................................................................................................................. 63
Searching the Tree .......................................................................................................................... 67
Details View .......................................................................................................................................... 67
Parameterizing a Variable ................................................................................................................ 76
Geometry Window ............................................................................................................................... 76
Status Bar ............................................................................................................................................. 80
Quick Launch ....................................................................................................................................... 83
Help Menu ........................................................................................................................................... 85
Ribbon Customization Options ............................................................................................................. 86
Creating User-Defined Buttons .............................................................................................................. 90
Engineering Data Material Window ....................................................................................................... 92
Windows Management ....................................................................................................................... 103
Preference Migration .......................................................................................................................... 103
Print Preview ...................................................................................................................................... 104
Report Preview ................................................................................................................................... 105
Publishing the Report ................................................................................................................... 107
Sending the Report ....................................................................................................................... 107
Comparing Databases ................................................................................................................... 108
Customizing Report Content ......................................................................................................... 108
Full Screen Mode ................................................................................................................................ 109
Contextual Windows ........................................................................................................................... 111
Selection Information Window ...................................................................................................... 111
Activating the Selection Information Window .......................................................................... 112
Understanding the Selection Modes ....................................................................................... 112
Using the Selection Information Window ................................................................................ 117
Selecting, Exporting, and Sorting Data ..................................................................................... 121
Worksheet Window ....................................................................................................................... 122
Graph and Tabular Data Windows ................................................................................................. 124
Messages Window ........................................................................................................................ 128
Graphics Annotations Window ...................................................................................................... 130
Section Planes Window ................................................................................................................. 133
Mechanical Wizard Window .......................................................................................................... 133
Group Tree Objects ............................................................................................................................. 133

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Interface Behavior Based on License Levels .......................................................................................... 137

Environment Filtering ......................................................................................................................... 137
Application Preferences and Default Behaviors .................................................................................... 138
Specifying Application Defaults and Preferences ........................................................................... 138
Setting Variables ........................................................................................................................... 158
Using Macros ...................................................................................................................................... 159
Data Export ........................................................................................................................................ 159
Keyframe Animation ........................................................................................................................... 166
Graphical Selection and Display .......................................................................................................... 168
Selecting Geometry ...................................................................................................................... 169
Selecting Nodes ............................................................................................................................ 179
Creating a Coordinate System by Direct Node Selection .......................................................... 184
Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection ........................................................... 185
Selecting Elements and Element Faces .......................................................................................... 185
Selecting Nodes and Elements by ID ............................................................................................. 189
Manipulating the Model in the Geometry Window ........................................................................ 190
Defining Direction ........................................................................................................................ 193
Using Viewports ........................................................................................................................... 194
Controlling Graphs and Charts ...................................................................................................... 195
Managing Graphical View Settings ................................................................................................ 195
Creating a View ....................................................................................................................... 196
Applying a View ...................................................................................................................... 196
Renaming a View .................................................................................................................... 196
Deleting a View ...................................................................................................................... 196
Replacing a Saved View ........................................................................................................... 197
Exporting a Saved View List ..................................................................................................... 197
Importing a Saved View List .................................................................................................... 197
Copying a View to Mechanical APDL ....................................................................................... 197
Creating Section Planes ................................................................................................................ 198
Understanding Section Plane Display Differences .................................................................... 202
Working with Section Plane Results ......................................................................................... 203
Viewing Annotations .................................................................................................................... 204
Specifying Annotation Preferences .......................................................................................... 208
Controlling Lighting ...................................................................................................................... 210
Inserting Comments, Images, and Figures ...................................................................................... 210
Key Assignments ................................................................................................................................ 212
Wizards .............................................................................................................................................. 214
Mechanical Wizard ........................................................................................................................ 215
Steps for Using the Application .............................................................................................................. 217
Create Analysis System ....................................................................................................................... 217
Define Engineering Data ..................................................................................................................... 218
Attach Geometry/Mesh ....................................................................................................................... 220
Define Part Behavior ........................................................................................................................... 224
Create a Simulation Template .............................................................................................................. 227
Create a Geometry in Mechanical ........................................................................................................ 228
Define Substructures .......................................................................................................................... 229
Define Connections ............................................................................................................................ 229
Apply Mesh Controls and Preview Mesh .............................................................................................. 229
Establish Analysis Settings .................................................................................................................. 230
Define Initial Conditions ...................................................................................................................... 233
Apply Pre-Stress Effects for Implicit Analysis ........................................................................................ 236
Apply Loads and Supports .................................................................................................................. 238

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 Mechanical User's Guide

Perform Solution ................................................................................................................................ 239

Review Results .................................................................................................................................... 240
Create Report (optional) ..................................................................................................................... 241
Analysis Types ......................................................................................................................................... 243
Coupled Field Analysis Types ............................................................................................................... 243
Coupled Field Static Analysis ......................................................................................................... 244
Coupled Field Transient Analysis ................................................................................................... 246
Limitations ................................................................................................................................... 248
Application Examples and Background ......................................................................................... 249
Design Assessment Analysis ................................................................................................................ 250
Electric Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 253
Explicit Dynamics Analysis .................................................................................................................. 256
Linear Dynamic Analysis Types ............................................................................................................ 257
Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis ........................................................................................................ 257
Harmonic Response Analysis ......................................................................................................... 266
Amplitude Calculation in Harmonic Analysis ............................................................................ 275
Harmonic Response (Full) Analysis Using Pre-Stressed Structural System ........................................ 277
Harmonic Response Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System ................................................. 279
Modal Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 283
Random Vibration Analysis ........................................................................................................... 291
Response Spectrum Analysis ......................................................................................................... 298
Acoustics Analysis Types ..................................................................................................................... 303
Modal Acoustics Analysis .............................................................................................................. 304
Harmonic Acoustics Analysis ......................................................................................................... 313
One-way Acoustic Coupling Analysis ....................................................................................... 321
Static Acoustics Analysis ............................................................................................................... 325
Harmonic Acoustics Analysis Using Prestressed Structural System .................................................. 332
Magnetostatic Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 335
Rigid Dynamics Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 340
Preparing a Rigid Dynamics Analysis ............................................................................................. 340
Command Reference for Rigid Dynamics Systems .......................................................................... 350
IronPython References ............................................................................................................ 351
The Rigid Dynamics Object Model ........................................................................................... 351
Rigid Dynamics Command Objects Library .............................................................................. 352
Command Use Examples ........................................................................................................ 380
Constraint Equation .......................................................................................................... 380
Joint Condition: Initial Velocity .......................................................................................... 382
Joint Condition: Control Using Linear Feedback ................................................................. 383
Non-Linear Spring Damper ............................................................................................... 384
Spherical Stop .................................................................................................................. 385
Export of Joint Forces ........................................................................................................ 387
Breakable Joint ................................................................................................................. 389
Debugging RBD Commands with Visual Studio ....................................................................... 389
Using RBD commands with Excel ............................................................................................ 392
Using RBD Commands from the IronPython Console ............................................................... 393
Using the Rigid Dynamics Variable Load Extension ........................................................................ 394
How to Load the Extension ..................................................................................................... 395
Creating Measures .................................................................................................................. 395
Body Measures ................................................................................................................. 396
Joint Measures .................................................................................................................. 397
Derived Measures ............................................................................................................. 398
Defining Joint Loads Dependent on one or more Measures ..................................................... 399

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Defining Force Loads Dependent on one or more Measures .................................................... 403

Known Issues and Limitations ................................................................................................. 404
Using the Rigid Dynamics Motion Loads Extension ........................................................................ 404
How to Load the Extension ..................................................................................................... 404
Setting up the Motion Loads Transfer ...................................................................................... 405
Transferring the Motion Loads ................................................................................................ 406
Multibody Dynamics Theory Guide ............................................................................................... 406
Rigid Degrees of freedom ....................................................................................................... 407
Rigid Shape Functions ............................................................................................................ 412
Flexible Shape Functions ......................................................................................................... 414
Equations of Motion ............................................................................................................... 415
Time Integration with Explicit Runge-Kutta .............................................................................. 420
Implicit Generalized-α Method ............................................................................................... 421
Stabilized Implicit Generalized-α Method ................................................................................ 423
Moreau-Jean Method ............................................................................................................. 424
Geometric Correction ............................................................................................................. 425
Contact and Stops .................................................................................................................. 427
References .............................................................................................................................. 434
Static Structural Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 434
Steady-State Thermal Analysis ............................................................................................................. 439
Thermal-Electric Analysis .................................................................................................................... 443
Topology Optimization Analysis .......................................................................................................... 447
Preparing the Topology Optimization Analysis ............................................................................... 451
Optimization Region ............................................................................................................... 457
Objective ................................................................................................................................ 460
Response Constraint ............................................................................................................... 464
Manufacturing Constraint ....................................................................................................... 472
AM Overhang Constraint ........................................................................................................ 477
Topology Optimization Solution Methodology ........................................................................ 478
Topology Density .................................................................................................................... 482
Topology Elemental Density .................................................................................................... 486
Performing Solution and Review Results ....................................................................................... 488
Performing Design Validation ........................................................................................................ 491
Topology Optimization - Density Based Limitations ...................................................................... 496
Lattice Optimization Analysis ........................................................................................................ 498
Level-Set Based Topology Optimization ......................................................................................... 502
Transient Structural Analysis ............................................................................................................... 507
Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System ....................................................... 517
Transient Thermal Analysis .................................................................................................................. 521
Special Analysis Topics ........................................................................................................................ 525
Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation ................................................................................... 526
Electromagnetics (EM) - Mechanical Data Transfer ......................................................................... 526
Importing Data into Thermal or Structural (Static or Transient) Analyses ................................... 527
Importing Data into Harmonic Response Analyses ................................................................... 530
Importing Forces and Moments ........................................................................................ 531
Importing Surface Force Density ....................................................................................... 533
Exporting Results from Thermal or Structural Analyses ............................................................. 535
Electric Machines NVH Analyses (with Waterfall Diagram) ........................................................ 537
External Data Import ..................................................................................................................... 552
External Data Export ..................................................................................................................... 560
External Study Import ................................................................................................................... 560
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) ..................................................................................................... 562

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 Mechanical User's Guide

One-Way Transfer FSI .............................................................................................................. 563

Two-Way Transfer FSI .............................................................................................................. 564
Using Imported Loads for One-Way FSI .................................................................................... 564
Face Forces at Fluid-Structure Interface ............................................................................. 568
Face Temperatures and Convections at Fluid-Structure Interface ........................................ 568
Volumetric Temperature Transfer ....................................................................................... 569
CFD Results Mapping ........................................................................................................ 569
Icepak to Mechanical Data Transfer ............................................................................................... 569
Mechanical-Electronics Interaction (Mechatronics) Data Transfer .................................................... 571
Overall Workflow for Mechatronics Analysis ............................................................................. 571
Set up the Mechanical Application for Export to Twin Builder ................................................... 572
Polyflow to Mechanical Data Transfer ............................................................................................ 573
Twin Builder/Rigid Dynamics Co-Simulation .................................................................................. 575
Co-Simulation Pins .................................................................................................................. 576
Static Analysis From Rigid Dynamics Analysis ................................................................................ 577
Submodeling ................................................................................................................................ 578
Structural Submodeling Workflow ........................................................................................... 580
Beam-to-Solid/Shell Submodels ........................................................................................ 584
Thermal Submodeling Workflow ............................................................................................. 586
Shell-to-Solid Submodels ........................................................................................................ 589
System Coupling .......................................................................................................................... 590
Supported Capabilities and Limitations ................................................................................... 591
Variables Available for System Coupling .................................................................................. 593
System Coupling Related Settings in Mechanical ..................................................................... 594
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) - One-Way Transfers Using System Coupling ............................ 596
Thermal-Fluid-Structural Analyses using System Coupling ....................................................... 597
Coupling with Wall/Wall-Shadow Pairs or Thin Surfaces ............................................................ 599
Restarting Structural Mechanical Analyses as Part of System Coupling ..................................... 600
Generating Mechanical Restart Files .................................................................................. 601
Specifying a Restart Point in Mechanical ............................................................................ 601
Making Changes in Mechanical Before Restarting .............................................................. 601
Recovering the Mechanical Restart Point after a Workbench Crash ..................................... 602
Restarting a Thermal-Structural Coupled Analysis .............................................................. 603
Running Mechanical as a Coupling Participant in System Coupling's GUI or CLI ........................ 603
Troubleshooting Two-Way Coupling Analysis Problems ........................................................... 604
Product Licensing Considerations when using System Coupling .............................................. 604
Thermal-Stress Analysis ................................................................................................................. 605
Rotordynamics Analysis ................................................................................................................ 610
Composite Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 611
ECAD Analysis using Trace Mapping .............................................................................................. 611
Trace Mapping in Mechanical .................................................................................................. 614
Transferring Hydrodynamic Loads to a Structural System ............................................................... 620
Inverse Solving for Nonlinear Static Structural Analyses ................................................................. 621
Specifying Geometry .............................................................................................................................. 627
Geometry Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 627
Parts and Bodies ........................................................................................................................... 627
Multibody Behavior and Associativity ............................................................................................ 629
Geometry Conditions and Requirements ....................................................................................... 630
Stiffness Behavior ......................................................................................................................... 630
Flexible Bodies ........................................................................................................................ 631
Rigid Bodies ........................................................................................................................... 631
Gasket Bodies ......................................................................................................................... 632

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Stiff Beam ............................................................................................................................... 635

Integration Schemes ..................................................................................................................... 636
Common Geometry Display Features ............................................................................................ 636
Solid Bodies ........................................................................................................................................ 639
Surface Bodies .................................................................................................................................... 639
Assemblies of Surface Bodies ........................................................................................................ 639
Thickness Mode ............................................................................................................................ 640
Importing Surface Body Models .................................................................................................... 640
Importing Surface Body Thickness ................................................................................................ 640
Surface Body Shell Offsets ............................................................................................................. 641
Specifying Surface Body Thickness ................................................................................................ 643
Specifying Surface Body Layered Sections ..................................................................................... 645
Defining and Applying a Layered Section ................................................................................ 646
Viewing Individual Layers ........................................................................................................ 647
Layered Section Properties ...................................................................................................... 647
Notes on Layered Section Behavior ......................................................................................... 648
Faces With Multiple Thicknesses and Layers Specified .................................................................... 649
Line Bodies ......................................................................................................................................... 650
Simulation without Geometry ............................................................................................................. 654
2D Analyses ........................................................................................................................................ 655
Using Generalized Plane Strain ...................................................................................................... 657
Point Mass .......................................................................................................................................... 658
Distributed Mass ................................................................................................................................. 660
Surface Coating .................................................................................................................................. 661
Thermal Point Mass ............................................................................................................................. 662
Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies .......................................................................... 665
Importing Mesh-Based Geometry ................................................................................................. 665
Importing Mesh-Based Databases ........................................................................................... 673
Accessing Imported Mesh-Based Databases through ACT .................................................. 678
Imported Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions .............................................. 684
Imported Boundary Conditions ......................................................................................... 686
Imported Composite Plies ................................................................................................. 691
Imported Constraint Equations or Coupling ....................................................................... 693
Imported Contacts ............................................................................................................ 695
Imported Coordinate Systems ........................................................................................... 696
Imported Element Orientations ......................................................................................... 699
Imported Flexible Remote Connectors .............................................................................. 702
Imported Named Selections .............................................................................................. 704
Imported Nodal Orientations ............................................................................................ 704
Imported Point Mass ......................................................................................................... 705
Imported Rigid Remote Connectors .................................................................................. 707
Imported Shell Thicknesses ............................................................................................... 708
Imported Spring Connectors ............................................................................................. 710
Imported Initial Stresses .................................................................................................... 712
External Model Supported Element Types ............................................................................... 713
External Model CDB Commands .............................................................................................. 717
External Model NASTRAN Commands ..................................................................................... 720
External Model ABAQUS Commands ....................................................................................... 720
External Model FE Commands Repository ............................................................................... 721
Assembling External Models and Mechanical Models .................................................................... 721
Assembly Examples ................................................................................................................ 722
Model Assembly Specification ................................................................................................. 723

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 Mechanical User's Guide

Model Alignment .................................................................................................................... 727

Object Renaming .................................................................................................................... 731
Associativity of Properties ....................................................................................................... 732
Contact Detection .................................................................................................................. 733
Mesh Modification .................................................................................................................. 735
Using Legacy Databases ......................................................................................................... 736
Limitations and Restrictions for Model Assembly ..................................................................... 737
Element Orientation ........................................................................................................................... 739
Geometry from Deformation Results ................................................................................................... 744
Geometry From Rigid Body Dynamics Results ...................................................................................... 748
Specifying Materials ............................................................................................................................... 753
Material Assignment ........................................................................................................................... 753
Material Plot ....................................................................................................................................... 754
Material Combination ......................................................................................................................... 755
Imported Material Fields ..................................................................................................................... 758
Specifying Named Selections ................................................................................................................. 761
Create a Named Selection Object ........................................................................................................ 761
Defining Named Selections ................................................................................................................. 763
Specifying Named Selections by Geometry Type ........................................................................... 764
Specifying Named Selections using Worksheet Criteria .................................................................. 764
Specifying Criteria for Geometry-Based Named Selections ................................................................... 773
Understanding the Named Selections Worksheet ................................................................................ 775
Promoting Scoped Objects to a Named Selection ................................................................................ 776
Displaying Named Selections .............................................................................................................. 777
Displaying Interior Mesh Faces ............................................................................................................ 781
Applying Named Selections ................................................................................................................ 781
Applying Named Selections via the Ribbon ................................................................................... 782
Scoping Analysis Objects to Named Selections .............................................................................. 784
Sending Named Selections to the Solver ....................................................................................... 784
Protecting Named Selections ........................................................................................................ 784
Including Named Selections in Program Controlled Inflation .......................................................... 785
Importing Named Selections ......................................................................................................... 785
Exporting Named Selections ......................................................................................................... 785
Merging Named Selections ................................................................................................................. 786
Converting Named Selection Groups to Mechanical APDL Application Components ............................ 786
Remote Points ......................................................................................................................................... 789
Remote Point Application ................................................................................................................... 790
Geometry Behaviors ........................................................................................................................... 795
Support Specifications ........................................................................................................................ 796
Remote Point Features ........................................................................................................................ 797
Defining Symmetry ................................................................................................................................. 801
Types of Regions ................................................................................................................................. 802
Symmetry Region Overview .......................................................................................................... 802
Periodic Region Overview ............................................................................................................. 805
Electromagnetic Periodic Symmetry ........................................................................................ 806
Periodicity Example .......................................................................................................... 807
Cyclic Region Overview ................................................................................................................. 808
Pre-Meshed Cyclic Symmetry .................................................................................................. 811
Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics Analysis ............................................ 818
Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics
Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 818
Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics Analysis ..... 819

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Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic Acoustics Analysis .......................... 821
Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic
Acoustics Analysis ............................................................................................................. 822
Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic Acoustics
Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 823
Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis .................................................... 825
Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analys-
is ...................................................................................................................................... 825
Analysis Settings for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal Analysis .................................................. 826
Analysis Settings for Cyclic Symmetry in a FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis ............................. 826
Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis ............. 826
Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis ..................................................................................... 831
Applying Loads for Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis ................................................. 831
Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis ............................................. 832
General Axisymmetric Overview ................................................................................................... 832
Symmetry Workflow in DesignModeler ................................................................................................ 843
Symmetry Workflow in Mechanical ...................................................................................................... 844
General Axisymmetric Workflow in Mechanical .................................................................................... 850
Specifying Mesh Numbering .................................................................................................................. 853
Specifying Part Transformations ............................................................................................................ 857
Specifying Construction Geometry ........................................................................................................ 867
Path ................................................................................................................................................... 867
Surface ............................................................................................................................................... 872
Solid ................................................................................................................................................... 874
STL ..................................................................................................................................................... 876
Setting Up Coordinate Systems .............................................................................................................. 877
Creating Coordinate Systems .............................................................................................................. 877
Initial Creation and Definition ....................................................................................................... 878
Establishing Origin for Associative and Non-Associative Coordinate Systems .................................. 878
Setting Principal Axis and Orientation ........................................................................................... 880
Using Transformations .................................................................................................................. 880
Creating a Coordinate System Based on a Surface Normal .............................................................. 881
Importing Coordinate Systems ............................................................................................................ 882
Applying Coordinate Systems as Reference Locations .......................................................................... 882
Using Coordinate Systems to Specify Joint Locations ........................................................................... 883
Creating Coordinate-Based Section Planes .......................................................................................... 883
Transferring Coordinate Systems to the Mechanical APDL Application ................................................. 884
Setting Connections ............................................................................................................................... 885
Connections Folder ............................................................................................................................. 885
Connections Worksheet ...................................................................................................................... 886
Connection Group Folder .................................................................................................................... 889
Common Connections Folder Operations for Auto Generated Connections .......................................... 895
Contact .............................................................................................................................................. 898
Contact Overview ......................................................................................................................... 898
Contact Formulation Theory ......................................................................................................... 899
Contact Settings ........................................................................................................................... 902
Scope Settings ........................................................................................................................ 903
Definition Settings .................................................................................................................. 907
Advanced Settings .................................................................................................................. 912
Display ................................................................................................................................... 925
Geometric Modification .......................................................................................................... 926
Supported Contact Types .............................................................................................................. 933

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Setting Contact Conditions Manually ............................................................................................ 934

Contact Ease of Use Features ......................................................................................................... 935
Automatically Generate Objects Scoped to Contact Regions .................................................... 935
Controlling Transparency for Contact Regions ......................................................................... 936
Displaying Contact Bodies with Different Colors ...................................................................... 937
Displaying Contact Bodies in Separate Windows ...................................................................... 937
Hiding Bodies Not Scoped to a Contact Region ........................................................................ 938
Renaming Contact Regions Based on Geometry Names ........................................................... 938
Identifying Contact Regions for a Body .................................................................................... 939
Create Contact Debonding ..................................................................................................... 939
Flipping Contact and Target Scope Settings ............................................................................. 939
Merging Contact Regions That Share Geometry ....................................................................... 940
Saving or Loading Contact Region Settings ............................................................................. 940
Resetting Contact Regions to Default Settings ......................................................................... 941
Locating Bodies Without Contact ............................................................................................ 941
Locating Parts Without Contact ............................................................................................... 941
Contact in Rigid Dynamics ............................................................................................................ 941
Best Practices for Contact in Rigid Body Analyses ..................................................................... 944
Best Practices for Specifying Contact Conditions ............................................................................ 947
Contact Setup and Verification ................................................................................................ 947
Solver Preparation .................................................................................................................. 951
Addressing Non-Convergence ................................................................................................. 955
Joints ................................................................................................................................................. 958
Joint Characteristics ...................................................................................................................... 958
Joint Types ................................................................................................................................... 962
Fixed Joint .............................................................................................................................. 963
Revolute Joint ......................................................................................................................... 963
Cylindrical Joint ...................................................................................................................... 963
Translational Joint ................................................................................................................... 964
Slot Joint ................................................................................................................................ 965
Universal Joint ........................................................................................................................ 965
Spherical Joint ........................................................................................................................ 966
Planar Joint ............................................................................................................................ 966
Bushing Joint .......................................................................................................................... 967
Screw Joint ............................................................................................................................. 970
Constant Velocity Joint (Homokinetic Joint) ............................................................................. 971
Distance Joint ......................................................................................................................... 972
General Joint .......................................................................................................................... 973
Point on Curve Joint ................................................................................................................ 974
Imperfect Joint Types .............................................................................................................. 976
In-Plane Radial Gap ........................................................................................................... 976
Spherical Gap ................................................................................................................... 977
Radial Gap ........................................................................................................................ 977
Joint Properties ............................................................................................................................ 978
Joint Stiffness ............................................................................................................................... 988
Joint Friction ................................................................................................................................ 990
Joint Friction Definitions ......................................................................................................... 992
Joint Types ............................................................................................................................. 999
Joint Friction Type ................................................................................................................. 1001
Notes .................................................................................................................................... 1002
Manual Joint Creation ................................................................................................................. 1005
Example: Assembling Joints ........................................................................................................ 1007

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Example: Configuring Joints ........................................................................................................ 1015

Automatic Joint Creation ............................................................................................................ 1028
Joint Stops and Locks .................................................................................................................. 1029
Ease of Use Features .................................................................................................................... 1033
Detecting Overconstrained Conditions ........................................................................................ 1036
Springs ............................................................................................................................................. 1037
Beam Connections ............................................................................................................................ 1045
Spot Welds ....................................................................................................................................... 1047
End Releases ..................................................................................................................................... 1048
Bearings ........................................................................................................................................... 1051
Working with Substructures ................................................................................................................. 1057
Condensed Part Overview ................................................................................................................. 1058
Condensed Part Application .............................................................................................................. 1060
Condensed Part Worksheet ............................................................................................................... 1062
Expansion ......................................................................................................................................... 1063
Limitations ....................................................................................................................................... 1064
Best Practices .................................................................................................................................... 1066
Performing a Fracture Analysis ............................................................................................................ 1069
Fracture Analysis Workflows .............................................................................................................. 1069
Limitations of Fracture Analysis ......................................................................................................... 1074
Fracture Meshing .............................................................................................................................. 1075
Cracks ............................................................................................................................................... 1081
Crack Overview ........................................................................................................................... 1081
Defining a Semi-Elliptical Crack ................................................................................................... 1083
Defining an Arbitrary Crack ......................................................................................................... 1088
Special Handling of Named Selections for Crack Objects .............................................................. 1093
Defining a Pre-Meshed Crack ...................................................................................................... 1093
SMART Crack Growth ........................................................................................................................ 1095
SMART Crack Growth Application ................................................................................................ 1095
SMART Crack-Growth Assumptions and Limitations ..................................................................... 1099
Interface Delamination and Contact Debonding ................................................................................ 1101
Interface Delamination Application ............................................................................................. 1102
Contact Debonding Application .................................................................................................. 1105
Interface Delamination and ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP) ..................................................... 1105
Multi-Point Constraint (MPC) Contact for Fracture .............................................................................. 1107
Configuring Analysis Settings .............................................................................................................. 1109
Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types ........................................................................................... 1109
Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses ............................................................................ 1110
Step Controls for Harmonic Analysis Types ................................................................................... 1115
Additive Manufacturing Controls ................................................................................................. 1116
Solver Controls ........................................................................................................................... 1117
Restart Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 1125
Restart Controls .......................................................................................................................... 1126
Nonlinear Adaptivity Remeshing Controls ................................................................................... 1128
Creep Controls ............................................................................................................................ 1131
Fracture Controls ........................................................................................................................ 1131
Cyclic Controls ............................................................................................................................ 1132
Radiosity Controls ....................................................................................................................... 1132
Options for Analyses ................................................................................................................... 1133
Scattering Controls ..................................................................................................................... 1141
Advanced ................................................................................................................................... 1142
Damping Controls ....................................................................................................................... 1143

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Nonlinear Controls ...................................................................................................................... 1147

Nonlinear Controls for Steady-State, Static, and Transient Analyses ......................................... 1147
Nonlinear Controls for Transient Thermal Analyses ................................................................. 1150
Nonlinear Controls for Rigid Dynamics Analyses .................................................................... 1150
Output Controls .......................................................................................................................... 1151
Analysis Data Management ......................................................................................................... 1160
Rotordynamics Controls .............................................................................................................. 1164
Visibility ...................................................................................................................................... 1165
Steps and Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses .................................................................. 1165
Role of Time in Tracking .............................................................................................................. 1165
Steps, Substeps, and Equilibrium Iterations .................................................................................. 1165
Automatic Time Stepping ............................................................................................................ 1167
Guidelines for Integration Step Size ............................................................................................. 1167
Setting Up Boundary Conditions .......................................................................................................... 1171
Boundary Condition Scoping Method ............................................................................................... 1171
Types of Boundary Conditions ........................................................................................................... 1174
Inertial Type Boundary Conditions ............................................................................................... 1174
Acceleration ......................................................................................................................... 1175
Standard Earth Gravity .......................................................................................................... 1181
Rotational Velocity ................................................................................................................ 1183
Rotational Acceleration ......................................................................................................... 1187
Load Type Boundary Conditions .................................................................................................. 1191
Pressure ................................................................................................................................ 1193
Pipe Pressure ........................................................................................................................ 1199
Pipe Temperature ................................................................................................................. 1202
Hydrostatic Pressure ............................................................................................................. 1204
Force .................................................................................................................................... 1210
Remote Force ....................................................................................................................... 1215
Bearing Load ........................................................................................................................ 1222
Bolt Pretension ..................................................................................................................... 1226
Moment ............................................................................................................................... 1232
Generalized Plane Strain ....................................................................................................... 1237
Line Pressure ........................................................................................................................ 1239
PSD Base Excitation ............................................................................................................... 1243
RS Base Excitation ................................................................................................................. 1244
Joint Load ............................................................................................................................. 1245
Thermal Condition ................................................................................................................ 1247
Temperature ......................................................................................................................... 1250
Convection ........................................................................................................................... 1253
Radiation .............................................................................................................................. 1258
Heat Flow ............................................................................................................................. 1262
Heat Flux .............................................................................................................................. 1265
Internal Heat Generation ....................................................................................................... 1267
Mass Flow Rate ..................................................................................................................... 1270
Voltage ................................................................................................................................. 1272
Current ................................................................................................................................. 1274
Electromagnetic Boundary Conditions and Excitations .......................................................... 1277
Magnetic Flux Boundary Conditions ................................................................................ 1278
Conductor ...................................................................................................................... 1279
Solid Source Conductor Body .................................................................................... 1280
Voltage Excitation for Solid Source Conductors .......................................................... 1282
Current Excitation for Solid Source Conductors .......................................................... 1283

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Stranded Source Conductor Body .............................................................................. 1284

Current Excitation for Stranded Source Conductors ................................................... 1285
Motion Load ......................................................................................................................... 1287
Fluid Solid Interface .............................................................................................................. 1290
System Coupling Region ....................................................................................................... 1293
Rotating Force ...................................................................................................................... 1296
Mass Source .......................................................................................................................... 1301
Surface Velocity .................................................................................................................... 1303
Diffuse Sound Field ............................................................................................................... 1306
Incident Wave Source ............................................................................................................ 1308
Port In Duct .......................................................................................................................... 1311
Temperature ......................................................................................................................... 1313
Impedance Sheet .................................................................................................................. 1315
Static Pressure ...................................................................................................................... 1317
Pressure ................................................................................................................................ 1319
Impedance Boundary ............................................................................................................ 1321
Absorption Surface ............................................................................................................... 1324
Radiation Boundary .............................................................................................................. 1326
Absorption Element .............................................................................................................. 1328
Free Surface .......................................................................................................................... 1330
Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary ............................................................................................... 1332
Rigid Wall ............................................................................................................................. 1334
Symmetry Plane .................................................................................................................... 1336
Port ...................................................................................................................................... 1337
Far-Field Radiation Surface .................................................................................................... 1340
Transfer Admittance Matrix ................................................................................................... 1342
Low Reduced Frequency Model ............................................................................................ 1344
Support Type Boundary Conditions ............................................................................................. 1346
Fixed Support ....................................................................................................................... 1346
Displacement ....................................................................................................................... 1348
Remote Displacement ........................................................................................................... 1356
Velocity ................................................................................................................................ 1360
Frictionless Support .............................................................................................................. 1362
Compression Only Support ................................................................................................... 1364
Cylindrical Support ............................................................................................................... 1368
Simply Supported ................................................................................................................. 1370
Fixed Rotation ...................................................................................................................... 1371
Elastic Support ...................................................................................................................... 1374
Conditions Type Boundary Conditions ......................................................................................... 1376
Coupling .............................................................................................................................. 1376
Constraint Equation .............................................................................................................. 1378
Pipe Idealization ................................................................................................................... 1380
Nonlinear Adaptive Region ................................................................................................... 1383
Element Birth and Death ....................................................................................................... 1391
Contact Step Control ............................................................................................................. 1395
Plastic Heating ...................................................................................................................... 1399
Viscoelastic Heating .............................................................................................................. 1400
Direct FE Type Boundary Conditions ............................................................................................ 1402
Nodal Orientation ................................................................................................................. 1403
Nodal Force .......................................................................................................................... 1404
Nodal Pressure ...................................................................................................................... 1406
Nodal Displacement ............................................................................................................. 1409

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Nodal Rotation ..................................................................................................................... 1411

EM (Electro-Mechanical) Transducer ...................................................................................... 1413
Remote Boundary Conditions ..................................................................................................... 1416
Imported Boundary Conditions ................................................................................................... 1417
Imported Body Force Density ................................................................................................ 1423
Imported Body Temperature ................................................................................................. 1424
Imported Boundary Remote Constraint ................................................................................. 1425
Imported Convection Coefficient ........................................................................................... 1426
Imported Cut Boundary Constraint ........................................................................................ 1427
Imported Cut Boundary Remote Force .............................................................................. 1427
Imported Displacement ........................................................................................................ 1427
Imported Force ..................................................................................................................... 1428
Imported Heat Flux ............................................................................................................... 1429
Imported Heat Generation .................................................................................................... 1429
Imported Initial Strain ........................................................................................................... 1430
Imported Initial Stress ........................................................................................................... 1431
Recommendations and Guidelines for Mapping of Initial Stress and Strain Data ............... 1432
Imported Pressure ................................................................................................................ 1433
Imported Remote Loads ........................................................................................................ 1434
Imported Surface Force Density ............................................................................................ 1434
Imported Temperature .......................................................................................................... 1434
Imported Velocity ................................................................................................................. 1435
Spatial Varying Loads and Displacements .......................................................................................... 1435
Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude .......................................................................................... 1437
Resolving Thermal Boundary Condition Conflicts ............................................................................... 1446
Using Results ......................................................................................................................................... 1447
Introduction to the Use of Results ...................................................................................................... 1447
Result Outputs .................................................................................................................................. 1448
Chart and Table ........................................................................................................................... 1449
Contour Results .......................................................................................................................... 1452
Coordinate Systems Results ......................................................................................................... 1452
Nodal Coordinate Systems Results ......................................................................................... 1452
Elemental Coordinate Systems Results ................................................................................... 1453
Rotational Order of Coordinate System Results ...................................................................... 1454
Path Results ................................................................................................................................ 1454
Surface Results ........................................................................................................................... 1460
Probes ........................................................................................................................................ 1462
Overview and Probe Types .................................................................................................... 1463
Probe Details View ................................................................................................................ 1466
Result Set Listing ........................................................................................................................ 1471
Interpolation .............................................................................................................................. 1472
Vector Plots ................................................................................................................................ 1473
Solution Summary Worksheet ..................................................................................................... 1473
Result Definitions .............................................................................................................................. 1479
Applying Results Based on Geometry .......................................................................................... 1480
Result Coordinate Systems .......................................................................................................... 1485
Solution Coordinate System .................................................................................................. 1486
Material Properties Used in Postprocessing ................................................................................. 1488
Clearing Results Data .................................................................................................................. 1488
Averaged vs. Unaveraged Contour Results ................................................................................... 1489
Multiple Result Sets .................................................................................................................... 1498
Surface Body Results (including Layered Shell Results) ................................................................. 1500

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Unconverged Results .................................................................................................................. 1501

Handling of Degenerate Elements ............................................................................................... 1502
Result Data Display Error Handling .............................................................................................. 1502
Result Scoping .................................................................................................................................. 1503
Geometry and Mesh ................................................................................................................... 1503
Path Construction Geometry ....................................................................................................... 1507
Surface Construction Geometry .................................................................................................. 1507
Result File Items .......................................................................................................................... 1507
Surface Coatings ......................................................................................................................... 1513
Structural Results .............................................................................................................................. 1514
Deformation ............................................................................................................................... 1516
Stress and Strain ......................................................................................................................... 1520
Equivalent (von Mises) .......................................................................................................... 1521
Maximum, Middle, and Minimum Principal ............................................................................ 1521
Maximum Shear .................................................................................................................... 1522
Intensity ............................................................................................................................... 1522
Vector Principals ................................................................................................................... 1523
Error (Structural) ................................................................................................................... 1523
Thermal Strain ...................................................................................................................... 1524
Equivalent Plastic Strain ........................................................................................................ 1525
Accumulated Equivalent Plastic Strain ................................................................................... 1526
Equivalent Creep Strain ......................................................................................................... 1527
Equivalent Total Strain ........................................................................................................... 1527
Membrane Stress .................................................................................................................. 1527
Bending Stress ...................................................................................................................... 1528
Stabilization Energy .................................................................................................................... 1529
Strain Energy .............................................................................................................................. 1530
Damage Results .......................................................................................................................... 1530
Linearized Stress ......................................................................................................................... 1533
Contact Results ........................................................................................................................... 1535
Frequency Response and Phase Response ................................................................................... 1538
Stress Tools ................................................................................................................................. 1547
Maximum Equivalent Stress Safety Tool ................................................................................. 1548
Maximum Shear Stress Safety Tool ......................................................................................... 1549
Mohr-Coulomb Stress Safety Tool .......................................................................................... 1551
Maximum Tensile Stress Safety Tool ....................................................................................... 1553
Fatigue (Fatigue Tool) .................................................................................................................. 1554
Fracture Results (Fracture Tool) .................................................................................................... 1554
Fracture Tool ......................................................................................................................... 1557
Defining a Fracture Result ..................................................................................................... 1558
Composite Failure Tool ................................................................................................................ 1560
Composite Sampling Point Tool ................................................................................................... 1564
Contact Tool ............................................................................................................................... 1565
Contact Tool Initial Information ............................................................................................. 1570
Bolt Tool ..................................................................................................................................... 1572
Beam Tool ................................................................................................................................... 1573
Beam Results .............................................................................................................................. 1574
Shear-Moment Diagram ........................................................................................................ 1574
Structural Probes ........................................................................................................................ 1576
Position ................................................................................................................................ 1587
Energy (Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, and Explicit Dynamics Analyses) ....................... 1590
Reactions: Forces and Moments ............................................................................................. 1591

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Joint Probes .......................................................................................................................... 1601

Response PSD Probe ............................................................................................................. 1603
Spring Probes ....................................................................................................................... 1604
Bearing Probes ..................................................................................................................... 1605
Beam Probes ......................................................................................................................... 1605
Bolt Pretension Probes .......................................................................................................... 1606
Generalized Plain Strain Probes ............................................................................................. 1606
Fracture Probes (Fracture Tool) .............................................................................................. 1606
Response PSD Tool ...................................................................................................................... 1608
Gasket Results ............................................................................................................................ 1609
Campbell Diagram Chart Results ................................................................................................. 1609
Equivalent Radiated Power and Equivalent Radiated Power Level Results ..................................... 1613
Volume Result ................................................................................................................................... 1615
Volume Probe ............................................................................................................................. 1616
Acoustic Results ................................................................................................................................ 1616
Acoustics Contour Results ........................................................................................................... 1617
Acoustic Far-field Results ............................................................................................................. 1617
Acoustic Frequency Response ..................................................................................................... 1620
Acoustic Power Loss Results ........................................................................................................ 1621
Acoustic Diffuse Sound Transmission Loss ................................................................................... 1622
Acoustic Waterfall Diagrams ........................................................................................................ 1622
Thermal Results ................................................................................................................................ 1622
Temperature ............................................................................................................................... 1623
Heat Flux .................................................................................................................................... 1623
Heat Reaction ............................................................................................................................. 1624
Error (Thermal) ........................................................................................................................... 1624
Thermal Flow Results .................................................................................................................. 1624
Thermal Probes ........................................................................................................................... 1625
Thermal Contact Results ............................................................................................................. 1626
Magnetostatic Results ....................................................................................................................... 1627
Electric Potential ......................................................................................................................... 1628
Total Magnetic Flux Density ........................................................................................................ 1628
Directional Magnetic Flux Density ............................................................................................... 1628
Total Magnetic Field Intensity ...................................................................................................... 1628
Directional Magnetic Field Intensity ............................................................................................ 1628
Total Force .................................................................................................................................. 1628
Directional Force ......................................................................................................................... 1628
Current Density .......................................................................................................................... 1629
Inductance ................................................................................................................................. 1629
Flux Linkage ............................................................................................................................... 1630
Error (Magnetic) .......................................................................................................................... 1630
Magnetostatic Probes ................................................................................................................. 1631
Electric Results .................................................................................................................................. 1632
Electric Probes ............................................................................................................................ 1633
Fatigue Results ................................................................................................................................. 1633
Fatigue Material Properties ......................................................................................................... 1634
Fatigue Stress Life versus Strain Life ............................................................................................. 1635
Frequency-Based Fatigue ............................................................................................................ 1637
Fatigue Material Properties for Random Vibration (Spectral) Fatigue ....................................... 1637
Fatigue Result Methods for Random Vibration (Spectral) Fatigue ............................................ 1640
Fatigue Result Methods for Harmonic Fatigue ........................................................................ 1643
Fatigue Analysis Application ........................................................................................................ 1643

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Fatigue Results ........................................................................................................................... 1648

Fatigue Combination .................................................................................................................. 1652
User Defined Results ......................................................................................................................... 1656
Overview .................................................................................................................................... 1656
Characteristics ............................................................................................................................ 1657
Application ................................................................................................................................. 1658
Node-Based Scoping ................................................................................................................... 1660
User Defined Result Expressions .................................................................................................. 1660
User Defined Result Identifier ...................................................................................................... 1663
Unit Description ......................................................................................................................... 1665
User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL Solver ................................................................... 1666
User Defined Criteria ......................................................................................................................... 1673
Result Utilities ................................................................................................................................... 1675
Automatic Result Creation for All Result Sets ................................................................................ 1676
Adaptive Convergence ................................................................................................................ 1677
Animation .................................................................................................................................. 1677
Capped Isosurfaces ..................................................................................................................... 1683
Dynamic Legend ......................................................................................................................... 1686
Exporting Results ........................................................................................................................ 1688
Generating Reports ..................................................................................................................... 1689
Local Minimum and Maximum Probes ......................................................................................... 1689
Renaming Results Based on Definition ........................................................................................ 1692
Results Legend ........................................................................................................................... 1692
Results Tab .................................................................................................................................. 1696
Waterfall Diagram Display Features ............................................................................................. 1696
Solution Combinations ............................................................................................................... 1699
Solution Combination Process Requirements and Conditions ................................................ 1708
Understanding Solving ......................................................................................................................... 1711
Solve Modes and Recommended Usage ............................................................................................ 1715
Using Solve Process Settings ............................................................................................................. 1716
Memory Tuning the Samcef Solver .............................................................................................. 1723
Memory Tuning the ABAQUS Solver ............................................................................................ 1724
Solution Restarts ............................................................................................................................... 1724
Solving Scenarios .............................................................................................................................. 1733
Solution Information Object .............................................................................................................. 1735
Postprocessing During Solve ............................................................................................................. 1744
Result Trackers .................................................................................................................................. 1745
Structural Result Trackers ............................................................................................................ 1747
Thermal Result Trackers ............................................................................................................... 1752
Adaptive Convergence ...................................................................................................................... 1752
File Management in the Mechanical Application ................................................................................ 1758
Solving Units .................................................................................................................................... 1759
Saving your Results in the Mechanical Application ............................................................................. 1809
Writing and Reading the Mechanical APDL Application Files .............................................................. 1810
Writing ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Files .................................................................................................. 1812
Writing NASTRAN Files ...................................................................................................................... 1812
NASTRAN Export Supported Features .......................................................................................... 1815
NASTRAN Export Limitations ....................................................................................................... 1817
Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechanical APDL Solver) ....................... 1819
Solving a Fracture Analysis ................................................................................................................ 1820
Commands Objects ............................................................................................................................... 1823
Commands (APDL) Object Properties ............................................................................................... 1826

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Commands (APDL) Object Post Processing Specifications ................................................................. 1827

Commands (APDL) Objects and the Mechanical APDL Solver ........................................................... 1830
Commands (APDL) Objects and the Rigid Dynamics Solver .............................................................. 1836
Setting Parameters ............................................................................................................................... 1837
Specifying Parameters ....................................................................................................................... 1837
CAD Parameters ................................................................................................................................ 1840
Using Design Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 1843
Predefined Assessment Types ............................................................................................................ 1845
Modifying the Predefined Assessment Types Menu ...................................................................... 1846
Using Advanced Combination Options with Design Assessment .................................................. 1847
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1847
Defining Results .................................................................................................................... 1847
Changing the Assessment Type or XML Definition File Contents ......................................................... 1849
Solution Selection ............................................................................................................................. 1850
The Solution Selection Table ....................................................................................................... 1850
Results Availability ...................................................................................................................... 1851
Solution Combination Behavior ................................................................................................... 1852
Using the Attribute Group Object ...................................................................................................... 1854
Developing and Debugging Design Assessment Scripts .................................................................... 1855
Using the DA Result Object ............................................................................................................... 1856
The Design Assessment XML Definition File ....................................................................................... 1857
Attributes Format ....................................................................................................................... 1858
Attribute Groups Format ............................................................................................................. 1861
Script Format .............................................................................................................................. 1862
Results Format ............................................................................................................................ 1865
Design Assessment API Reference ..................................................................................................... 1869
DesignAssessment class .............................................................................................................. 1876
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1877
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1878
Helper class ................................................................................................................................ 1878
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1879
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1879
Typical Solver Output ............................................................................................................ 1879
MeshData class ........................................................................................................................... 1880
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1880
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1881
DAElement class ......................................................................................................................... 1881
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1883
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1883
DANode class ............................................................................................................................. 1883
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1884
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1884
SectionData class ........................................................................................................................ 1885
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1885
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1886
AttributeGroup class ................................................................................................................... 1886
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1886
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1887
Attribute class ............................................................................................................................. 1887
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1888
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1888
SolutionSelection class ............................................................................................................... 1888

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Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1889

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1889
Solution class .............................................................................................................................. 1889
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1893
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1894
SolutionResult class .................................................................................................................... 1894
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1898
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1899
DAResult class ............................................................................................................................ 1900
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1901
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1902
DAResultSet class ........................................................................................................................ 1902
Example Usage ..................................................................................................................... 1904
Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output ................................................................................ 1904
Examples of Design Assessment Usage .............................................................................................. 1905
Using Design Assessment to Obtain Results from Mechanical APDL ............................................. 1905
Creating the XML Definition File ............................................................................................ 1906
Creating the Script to be Run on Solve, MAPDL_S.py ........................................................... 1908
Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate All Results, MAPDL_E.py ...................................... 1909
Expanding the Example ........................................................................................................ 1910
Using Design Assessment to Calculate Complex Results, such as Those Required by ASME ............ 1911
Creating the XML Definition File ............................................................................................ 1911
Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate .............................................................................. 1913
EvaluateAllResults ........................................................................................................... 1913
EvaluateDamage ............................................................................................................. 1914
EvaluateCulmativeDamage ............................................................................................. 1914
Plot ................................................................................................................................ 1914
Using Design Assessment to Perform Further Results Analysis for an Explicit Dynamics Analysis .... 1915
Creating the XML Definition File ............................................................................................ 1915
Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate .............................................................................. 1917
Expanding the Example ........................................................................................................ 1918
Using Design Assessment to Obtain Composite Results Using Mechanical APDL .......................... 1918
Creating the XML Definition File ............................................................................................ 1920
Creating the Script to be Run on Solve, SolveFailure.py ................................................ 1922
Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate All Results, EvaluateFailure.py ..................... 1922
Using a Dictionary to Avoid a Long if/elif/else Statement. ................................................. 1922
Writing the MAPDL .inp File from Within Design Assessment ........................................ 1923
Running Mechanical APDL Multiple Times ....................................................................... 1923
Expanding the Example ........................................................................................................ 1924
Using Design Assessment to Access and Present Multiple Step Results ......................................... 1924
Creating the XML Definition File ............................................................................................ 1924
Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate .............................................................................. 1925
Using Design Assessment to Perform an Explicit-to-Implicit Sequential Analysis ........................... 1926
Creating the XML Definition File ............................................................................................ 1926
Creating the Solve Script ....................................................................................................... 1927
Productivity Tools ................................................................................................................................. 1931
Generating Multiple Objects from a Template Object ......................................................................... 1931
Tagging Objects ................................................................................................................................ 1936
Creating Tags .............................................................................................................................. 1937
Applying Tags to Objects ............................................................................................................. 1937
Deleting a Tag ............................................................................................................................. 1937
Renaming a Tag .......................................................................................................................... 1937

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Highlighting Tagged Tree Objects ................................................................................................ 1938

Objects Reference ................................................................................................................................. 1939
Alert ................................................................................................................................................. 1944
AM Overhang Constraint ................................................................................................................... 1945
AM Process ....................................................................................................................................... 1946
Analysis Ply ....................................................................................................................................... 1948
Analysis Settings ............................................................................................................................... 1949
Angular Velocity ................................................................................................................................ 1950
Arbitrary Crack .................................................................................................................................. 1951
Beam ................................................................................................................................................ 1953
Beam Tool (Group) ............................................................................................................................ 1956
Bearing ............................................................................................................................................. 1957
Body ................................................................................................................................................. 1960
Body Interactions .............................................................................................................................. 1964
Body Interaction ............................................................................................................................... 1966
Bolt Tool (Group) ............................................................................................................................... 1967
Build Settings ................................................................................................................................... 1968
Chart ................................................................................................................................................ 1971
Commands (APDL) ............................................................................................................................ 1972
Comment ......................................................................................................................................... 1974
Composite Failure Criteria Definitions ................................................................................................ 1975
Composite Failure Tool (Group) ......................................................................................................... 1976
Composite Sampling Point Tool (Group) ............................................................................................ 1980
Composite Sampling Point ................................................................................................................ 1981
Condensed Geometry ....................................................................................................................... 1983
Condensed Part ................................................................................................................................ 1984
Connections ..................................................................................................................................... 1988
Connection Group ............................................................................................................................ 1990
Construction Geometry .................................................................................................................... 1992
Contact Debonding .......................................................................................................................... 1993
Contact Region ................................................................................................................................. 1994
Object Properties - Most Structural Analyses ................................................................................ 1996
Object Properties - Explicit Dynamics Analyses ............................................................................ 1998
Object Properties - Thermal and Electromagnetic Analyses .......................................................... 1998
Object Properties - Rigid Body Dynamics Analyses ....................................................................... 2000
Contact Tool (Group) ......................................................................................................................... 2000
Convergence .................................................................................................................................... 2002
Coordinate System ............................................................................................................................ 2002
Coordinate Systems (Group) .............................................................................................................. 2006
Cross Sections .................................................................................................................................. 2007
Cross Section Objects ....................................................................................................................... 2008
Distributed Mass ............................................................................................................................... 2010
Direct FE (Group) .............................................................................................................................. 2012
Drop Height ...................................................................................................................................... 2013
Element Orientation ......................................................................................................................... 2014
End Release ...................................................................................................................................... 2016
Environment (Group) ........................................................................................................................ 2017
Expansion Settings ........................................................................................................................... 2019
Fatigue Combination ........................................................................................................................ 2021
Fatigue Tool (Group) ......................................................................................................................... 2022
Figure ............................................................................................................................................... 2027
Fluid Surface ..................................................................................................................................... 2028

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Fracture ............................................................................................................................................ 2029

Fracture Tool (Group) ........................................................................................................................ 2030
Fracture Probes ................................................................................................................................. 2031
Gasket Mesh Control ......................................................................................................................... 2033
Gasket .............................................................................................................................................. 2034
General Axisymmetric ....................................................................................................................... 2035
Generated Support ........................................................................................................................... 2037
Geometry ......................................................................................................................................... 2040
Global Coordinate System ................................................................................................................. 2045
Image ............................................................................................................................................... 2046
Import Summary .............................................................................................................................. 2046
Imported: Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions .............................................................. 2047
Imported: Boundary Conditions ........................................................................................................ 2049
Imported: Composite Plies ................................................................................................................ 2054
Imported: Constraint Equations or Coupling ...................................................................................... 2057
Imported: Contacts ........................................................................................................................... 2059
Imported: Coordinate Systems .......................................................................................................... 2062
Imported: Element Orientations ........................................................................................................ 2063
Imported: Flexible Remote Connectors .............................................................................................. 2065
Imported: Nodal Orientations ............................................................................................................ 2068
Imported: Point Masses ..................................................................................................................... 2069
Imported: Rigid Remote Connectors .................................................................................................. 2072
Imported: Shell Thicknesses ............................................................................................................... 2073
Imported: Spring Connectors ............................................................................................................ 2075
Imported Plies .................................................................................................................................. 2078
Imported Load (Group) ..................................................................................................................... 2080
Imported Material Fields (Group) ....................................................................................................... 2083
Imported Material Field ..................................................................................................................... 2085
Imported Remote Loads .................................................................................................................... 2088
Imported Thickness .......................................................................................................................... 2090
Imported Thickness (Group) .............................................................................................................. 2092
Imported Trace (Group) ..................................................................................................................... 2094
Imported Trace ................................................................................................................................. 2095
Initial Conditions ............................................................................................................................... 2098
Initial Physics Options ....................................................................................................................... 2099
Initial Temperature ............................................................................................................................ 2100
Interface Delamination ..................................................................................................................... 2102
Joint ................................................................................................................................................. 2104
Layered Section ................................................................................................................................ 2105
Loads, Supports, and Conditions (Group) ........................................................................................... 2107
Manufacturing Constraint ................................................................................................................. 2109
Material ............................................................................................................................................ 2110
Material Assignment ......................................................................................................................... 2112
Material Combination ....................................................................................................................... 2114
Material Plot ..................................................................................................................................... 2116
Materials (Group) .............................................................................................................................. 2117
Mesh ................................................................................................................................................ 2120
Mesh Connection Group/Contact Match Group ................................................................................. 2125
Mesh Connection/Contact Match ...................................................................................................... 2129
Mesh Control Tools (Group) ............................................................................................................... 2131
Mesh Edit ......................................................................................................................................... 2133
Mesh Group (Group) ......................................................................................................................... 2134

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Mesh Grouping ................................................................................................................................. 2136

Mesh Numbering .............................................................................................................................. 2136
Modal ............................................................................................................................................... 2137
Model ............................................................................................................................................... 2139
Named Selections ............................................................................................................................. 2141
Node Merge Group ........................................................................................................................... 2145
Node Merge ..................................................................................................................................... 2147
Node Move ....................................................................................................................................... 2149
Numbering Control ........................................................................................................................... 2149
Objective .......................................................................................................................................... 2151
Optimization Region ......................................................................................................................... 2152
Part .................................................................................................................................................. 2154
Part Transform .................................................................................................................................. 2156
Path .................................................................................................................................................. 2158
Periodic/Cyclic Region/Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region .............................................................................. 2160
Physics Region .................................................................................................................................. 2162
Point Mass ........................................................................................................................................ 2166
Predefined Support .......................................................................................................................... 2169
Pre-Meshed Crack ............................................................................................................................. 2171
Pre-Stress ......................................................................................................................................... 2172
Probe ............................................................................................................................................... 2174
Project .............................................................................................................................................. 2175
Remote Point .................................................................................................................................... 2176
Remote Points .................................................................................................................................. 2179
Response Constraint ......................................................................................................................... 2180
Response PSD Tool (Group) ............................................................................................................... 2181
Result Tracker ................................................................................................................................... 2183
Result Plot Trackers ........................................................................................................................... 2184
Results and Result Tools (Group) ........................................................................................................ 2191
Semi-Elliptical Crack .......................................................................................................................... 2203
SMART Crack Growth ........................................................................................................................ 2205
Smoothing ....................................................................................................................................... 2208
Solid ................................................................................................................................................. 2210
Solution ............................................................................................................................................ 2211
Solution Combination ....................................................................................................................... 2215
Solution Information ......................................................................................................................... 2216
Spot Weld ......................................................................................................................................... 2217
Spring .............................................................................................................................................. 2218
STL ................................................................................................................................................... 2221
STL Support ...................................................................................................................................... 2223
Stress Tool (Group) ............................................................................................................................ 2225
Support Group ................................................................................................................................. 2227
Surface ............................................................................................................................................. 2228
Surface Coating ................................................................................................................................ 2229
Symmetry ......................................................................................................................................... 2232
Symmetry Region ............................................................................................................................. 2233
Thermal Point Mass ........................................................................................................................... 2234
Thickness .......................................................................................................................................... 2236
Transforms ........................................................................................................................................ 2238
Validation ......................................................................................................................................... 2239
Velocity ............................................................................................................................................ 2241
Virtual Body ...................................................................................................................................... 2243

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Virtual Body Group ........................................................................................................................... 2245

Virtual Cell ........................................................................................................................................ 2246
Virtual Hard Vertex ............................................................................................................................ 2247
Virtual Split Edge .............................................................................................................................. 2247
Virtual Split Face ............................................................................................................................... 2248
Virtual Topology ............................................................................................................................... 2249
CAD System Information ...................................................................................................................... 2251
General Information .......................................................................................................................... 2252
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................... 2253
General Product Limitations .............................................................................................................. 2253
Problem Situations ............................................................................................................................ 2253
A Linearized Stress Result Cannot Be Solved. ............................................................................... 2255
A Load Transfer Error Has Occurred. ............................................................................................. 2256
A Master Node is Missing from the Condensed Part ..................................................................... 2256
Although the Exported File Was Saved to Disk ............................................................................. 2256
Although the Solution Failed to Solve Completely at all Time Points. ............................................ 2256
An Error Occurred Inside the SOLVER Module: Invalid Material Properties ..................................... 2257
An Error Occurred While Solving Due To Insufficient Disk Space ................................................... 2258
An Error Occurred While Starting the Solver Module .................................................................... 2258
An Internal Solution Magnitude Limit Was Exceeded. ................................................................... 2259
An Iterative Solver Was Used for this Analysis ............................................................................... 2259
At Least One Body Has Been Found to Have Only 1 Element ......................................................... 2259
At Least One Spring Exists with Incorrectly Defined Nonlinear Stiffness ........................................ 2261
Animation Does not Export Correctly .......................................................................................... 2261
Application Not Closing as Expected ........................................................................................... 2261
Assemblies Missing Parts ............................................................................................................ 2261
Cannot Undo Node Move ............................................................................................................ 2261
CATIA V5 and IGES Surface Bodies ............................................................................................... 2261
Constraint Equations Were Not Properly Matched ........................................................................ 2262
Element n Located in Body (and maybe other elements) Has Become Highly Distorted ................. 2262
Error Inertia tensor is too large .................................................................................................... 2262
Equivalent Creep Strain Ratio has Exceeded the Specified Limit Value .......................................... 2262
Failed to Load Microsoft Office Application .................................................................................. 2263
Illogical Reaction Results ............................................................................................................. 2263
Large Deformation Effects are Active ........................................................................................... 2263
MPC equations were not built for one or more contact regions or remote boundary conditions .... 2264
One or More Contact Regions May Not Be In Initial Contact .......................................................... 2264
One or more MPC contact regions or remote boundary conditions may have conflicts ................. 2264
One or More Parts May Be Underconstrained ............................................................................... 2265
One or More Remote Boundary Conditions is Scoped to a Large Number of Elements .................. 2265
Problems Unique to Background (Asynchronous) Solutions ......................................................... 2266
Problems Using Solution ............................................................................................................. 2267
Remote Points with Overlapping Geometry Selections are not Recommended within a Condensed
Part ............................................................................................................................................ 2268
Running Norton AntiVirusTM Causes the Mechanical Application to Crash .................................... 2269
The Correctly Licensed Product Will Not Run ................................................................................ 2269
The Deformation is Large Compared to the Model Bounding Box ................................................. 2269
The Initial Time Increment May Be Too Large for This Problem ...................................................... 2269
The Joint Probe cannot Evaluate Results ...................................................................................... 2270
The License Manager Server Is Down ........................................................................................... 2270
Linux Platform - Localized Operating System ............................................................................... 2271
The Low/High Boundaries of Cyclic Symmetry ............................................................................. 2272

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The Remote Boundary Condition object is defined on the Cyclic Axis of Symmetry ....................... 2272
The Solution Combination Folder ................................................................................................ 2272
The Solver Engine was Unable to Converge ................................................................................. 2273
The Solver Has Found Conflicting DOF Constraints ...................................................................... 2273
Problem with RSM-Mechanical Connection ................................................................................. 2274
Unable to Find Requested Modes ................................................................................................ 2274
You Must Specify Joint Conditions to all Three Rotational DOFs .................................................... 2274
Fracture Meshing Problems ......................................................................................................... 2274
Lustre Parallel File Systems on Linux ............................................................................................ 2277
Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ 2278
A. Glossary of General Terms .................................................................................................................... 2279
B. Data Transfer Mapping and Validation .................................................................................................. 2283
Data Transfer Mesh Mapping ............................................................................................................. 2283
Mapping Validation ........................................................................................................................... 2303
C. Workbench Mechanical Wizard Advanced Programming Topics ............................................................ 2307
Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 2307
URI Address and Path Considerations ................................................................................................ 2308
Using Strings and Languages ............................................................................................................ 2309
Guidelines for Editing XML Files ......................................................................................................... 2310
About the TaskML Merge Process ...................................................................................................... 2310
Using the Integrated Wizard Development Kit (WDK) ......................................................................... 2311
Using IFRAME Elements .................................................................................................................... 2312
TaskML Reference ............................................................................................................................. 2312
Overview Map of TaskML ............................................................................................................. 2313
Document Element ..................................................................................................................... 2314
simulation-wizard ................................................................................................................. 2314
External References ..................................................................................................................... 2314
Merge ................................................................................................................................... 2314
Script .................................................................................................................................... 2315
Object Grouping ......................................................................................................................... 2315
object-group ........................................................................................................................ 2315
object-groups ....................................................................................................................... 2316
object-type ........................................................................................................................... 2316
Status Definitions ........................................................................................................................ 2317
status ................................................................................................................................... 2317
statuses ................................................................................................................................ 2318
Language and Text ...................................................................................................................... 2318
data ...................................................................................................................................... 2318
language .............................................................................................................................. 2319
string .................................................................................................................................... 2319
strings .................................................................................................................................. 2319
Tasks and Events ......................................................................................................................... 2320
activate-event ....................................................................................................................... 2320
task ...................................................................................................................................... 2321
tasks ..................................................................................................................................... 2321
update-event ........................................................................................................................ 2322
Wizard Content ........................................................................................................................... 2322
body ..................................................................................................................................... 2322
group ................................................................................................................................... 2323
iframe ................................................................................................................................... 2323
taskref .................................................................................................................................. 2324
Rules .......................................................................................................................................... 2324

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Statements ........................................................................................................................... 2325

and ................................................................................................................................. 2325
debug ............................................................................................................................ 2325
if then else stop .............................................................................................................. 2325
not ................................................................................................................................. 2326
or ................................................................................................................................... 2327
update ........................................................................................................................... 2327
Conditions ............................................................................................................................ 2327
assembly-geometry ........................................................................................................ 2328
changeable-length-unit .................................................................................................. 2328
geometry-includes-sheets ............................................................................................... 2328
level ............................................................................................................................... 2329
object ............................................................................................................................. 2329
zero-thickness-sheet ....................................................................................................... 2330
valid-emag-geometry ..................................................................................................... 2331
enclosure-exists .............................................................................................................. 2331
Actions ................................................................................................................................. 2331
click-button .................................................................................................................... 2332
display-details-callout ..................................................................................................... 2332
display-help-topic ........................................................................................................... 2333
display-outline-callout .................................................................................................... 2333
display-status-callout ...................................................................................................... 2334
display-tab-callout .......................................................................................................... 2334
display-task-callout ......................................................................................................... 2335
display-toolbar-callout .................................................................................................... 2335
open-url ......................................................................................................................... 2336
select-all-objects ............................................................................................................. 2337
select-field ...................................................................................................................... 2338
select-first-object ............................................................................................................ 2338
select-first-parameter-field .............................................................................................. 2339
select-first-undefined-field .............................................................................................. 2340
select-zero-thickness-sheets ........................................................................................... 2340
select-enclosures ............................................................................................................ 2340
send-mail ....................................................................................................................... 2341
set-caption ..................................................................................................................... 2341
set-icon .......................................................................................................................... 2342
set-status ........................................................................................................................ 2342
Scripting ..................................................................................................................................... 2343
eval ...................................................................................................................................... 2343
Standard Object Groups Reference .................................................................................................... 2344
Tutorials ........................................................................................................................................... 2347
Tutorial: Adding a Link ................................................................................................................. 2347
Tutorial: Creating a Custom Task .................................................................................................. 2349
Tutorial: Creating a Custom Wizard .............................................................................................. 2350
Tutorial: Adding a Web Search IFRAME ......................................................................................... 2351
Completed TaskML Files .............................................................................................................. 2353
Links.xml .............................................................................................................................. 2353
Insert100psi.xml ................................................................................................................... 2354
CustomWizard.xml ................................................................................................................ 2355
Search.htm ........................................................................................................................... 2355
CustomWizardSearch.xml ..................................................................................................... 2357
Wizard Development Kit (WDK) Groups ............................................................................................. 2357

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WDK: Tools Group ....................................................................................................................... 2358

WDK: Commands Group .............................................................................................................. 2358
WDK Tests: Actions ...................................................................................................................... 2359
WDK Tests: Flags (Conditions) ...................................................................................................... 2360
Index ...................................................................................................................................................... 2361

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List of Figures
1. Double Pendulum Model ....................................................................................................................... 408
2. Absolute Degrees of Freedom ................................................................................................................ 409
3. Relative Degrees of Freedom ................................................................................................................. 410
4. Closed Loop Model ................................................................................................................................ 410
5. Generalized Velocities of a Material Point ............................................................................................... 412
6. Contribution of the Parent Joint to the Generalized Velocities ................................................................. 413
7. Flexible Bodies Kinematics ..................................................................................................................... 415
8. Crankshaft Mechanism .......................................................................................................................... 418
9. Contact Between Two Convex Bodies ..................................................................................................... 427
10. Stops on a Translational Joint ............................................................................................................... 428
11. One Contact Point ............................................................................................................................... 428
12. Two Contact Points .............................................................................................................................. 429
13. Cylinder/Cylinder Contact .................................................................................................................... 429
14. Contact Requiring One Single Point ..................................................................................................... 430
15. 3D Solid Submodel Superimposed on Coarse Shell Model .................................................................... 589
16. Node rotations (a) before mapping command, (b) after mapping command .......................................... 590
17. Example of a search for element types in a ds.dat file ............................................................................ 598
18. Example of element types in multiple solid bodies ............................................................................... 599
19. Two Surfaces in Mechanical with the Correct Offset Parameter for Coupling with a Thin Surface ............ 600
20. Unexpanded One Sector Model Display: .............................................................................................. 820
21. Expanded Full Symmetry Model Display: .............................................................................................. 821
22. Initial Geometry ................................................................................................................................. 1007
23. Selecting a Face for a Body-Ground Fixed Connection ......................................................................... 1008
24. Creating the Reference Mobile System ............................................................................................... 1009
25. Creating the Reference Coordinate System ......................................................................................... 1010
26. Creating the Mobile Coordinate System ............................................................................................. 1011
27. Orienting the Pendulum Axis ............................................................................................................. 1012
28. Oriented Coordinate Systems ............................................................................................................. 1012
29. Scoping the Mobile Coordinate Systems ............................................................................................. 1013
30. Choose an Edge to Orient the PendulumAxis Geometry ...................................................................... 1014
31. Assembled Geometry ........................................................................................................................ 1015
32. Equivalent (von-Mises) stress .............................................................................................................. 1432
33. Equivalent (von-Mises) strain (elastic/plastic/equivalent plastic) .......................................................... 1432
34. Profile Preserving Mapping ................................................................................................................ 2285
35. Conservative Mapping ....................................................................................................................... 2285
36. Outside Nodes (Pink) with Mesh Overlay ............................................................................................ 2294
37. Maximum Distance set to 0.005 (m) .................................................................................................... 2295
38. Mapped Nodes .................................................................................................................................. 2295
39. Imported Data using Maximum Distance for Outside Nodes ............................................................... 2296
40. Shell-Solid Submodeling with Pinball Factor = 1.0 ............................................................................... 2297
41. Shell-Solid Submodeling with Pinball Factor = 1.2 ............................................................................... 2297
42. Shell-Solid Submodeling with Shell Thickness Factor = 0.6 .................................................................. 2298
43. Shell-Solid Submodeling with Shell Thickness Factor = 1.2 .................................................................. 2298

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List of Tables
1. Variables On Boundary Wall Regions ...................................................................................................... 593
2. Variables On Body System Coupling Regions .......................................................................................... 594
3. Licenses required for Mechanical as part of a System Coupling analysis ................................................... 605
4. Comparing Contact Formulations .......................................................................................................... 901
5. ANSYS Workbench Product Adaptivity Methods ................................................................................... 1756
6. Acceleration and RS Acceleration ......................................................................................................... 1760
7. Angle .................................................................................................................................................. 1761
8. Angular Acceleration ........................................................................................................................... 1761
9. Angular Velocity .................................................................................................................................. 1762
10. Area .................................................................................................................................................. 1763
11. Capacitance ....................................................................................................................................... 1763
12. Charge .............................................................................................................................................. 1764
13. Charge Density .................................................................................................................................. 1764
14. Conductivity ...................................................................................................................................... 1765
15. Current .............................................................................................................................................. 1765
16. Current Density ................................................................................................................................. 1766
17. Decay Constant ................................................................................................................................. 1766
18. Density .............................................................................................................................................. 1767
19. Displacement and RS Displacement ................................................................................................... 1767
20. Electric Conductance Per Unit Area .................................................................................................... 1768
21. Electric Conductivity .......................................................................................................................... 1768
22. Electric Field ...................................................................................................................................... 1769
23. Electric Flux Density ........................................................................................................................... 1769
24. Electric Resistivity .............................................................................................................................. 1770
25. Energy ............................................................................................................................................... 1770
26. Energy Density by Mass ..................................................................................................................... 1771
27. Energy Per Volume ............................................................................................................................. 1772
28. Film Coefficient .................................................................................................................................. 1772
29. Force ................................................................................................................................................. 1773
30. Force Intensity ................................................................................................................................... 1773
31. Force Per Angular Unit ....................................................................................................................... 1774
32. Fracture Energy (Energy Release Rate) ................................................................................................ 1774
33. Frequency ......................................................................................................................................... 1775
34. Gasket Stiffness ................................................................................................................................. 1775
35. Heat Flux ........................................................................................................................................... 1776
36. Heat Generation ................................................................................................................................ 1776
37. Heat Rate ........................................................................................................................................... 1777
38. Impulse ............................................................................................................................................. 1777
39. Impulse Per Angular Unit ................................................................................................................... 1778
40. Inductance ........................................................................................................................................ 1778
41. Inverse Angle ..................................................................................................................................... 1779
42. Inverse Length ................................................................................................................................... 1779
43. Inverse Stress ..................................................................................................................................... 1780
44. Length ............................................................................................................................................... 1780
45. Magnetic Field Intensity ..................................................................................................................... 1781
46. Magnetic Flux .................................................................................................................................... 1781
47. Magnetic Flux Density ........................................................................................................................ 1782
48. Mass .................................................................................................................................................. 1782
49. Material Impedance ........................................................................................................................... 1783
50. Moment ............................................................................................................................................ 1783

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51. Moment of Inertia of Area .................................................................................................................. 1784

52. Moment of Inertia of Mass ................................................................................................................. 1784
53. Normalized Value ............................................................................................................................... 1785
54. Permeability ...................................................................................................................................... 1786
55. Permittivity ........................................................................................................................................ 1786
56. Poisson's Ratio ................................................................................................................................... 1787
57. Power ................................................................................................................................................ 1787
58. Pressure ............................................................................................................................................. 1788
59. PSD Acceleration ............................................................................................................................... 1789
60. PSD Acceleration (G) .......................................................................................................................... 1789
61. PSD Displacement ............................................................................................................................. 1790
62. PSD Force .......................................................................................................................................... 1790
63. PSD Moment ..................................................................................................................................... 1791
64. PSD Pressure ...................................................................................................................................... 1791
65. PSD Strain .......................................................................................................................................... 1792
66. PSD Stress ......................................................................................................................................... 1792
67. PSD Velocity ...................................................................................................................................... 1793
68. Relative Permeability ......................................................................................................................... 1793
69. Relative Permittivity ........................................................................................................................... 1794
70. Rotational Damping ........................................................................................................................... 1794
71. Rotational Stiffness ............................................................................................................................ 1795
72. Seebeck Coefficient ........................................................................................................................... 1795
73. Section Modulus ................................................................................................................................ 1796
74. Shear Elastic Strain ............................................................................................................................. 1796
75. Shock Velocity ................................................................................................................................... 1797
76. Specific Heat ...................................................................................................................................... 1797
77. Specific Weight .................................................................................................................................. 1798
78. Square Root of Length ....................................................................................................................... 1799
79. Stiffness ............................................................................................................................................. 1799
80. Strain and RS Strain ............................................................................................................................ 1800
81. Strength ............................................................................................................................................ 1800
82. Stress and RS Stress ............................................................................................................................ 1801
83. Stress Intensity Factor ........................................................................................................................ 1802
84.Thermal Capacitance .......................................................................................................................... 1802
85. Thermal Conductance - 3D Face and 2D Edge ..................................................................................... 1803
86.Thermal Conductance - 3D Edges and Vertices .................................................................................... 1803
87. Thermal Expansion ............................................................................................................................ 1803
88. Temperature ...................................................................................................................................... 1804
89. Temperature Difference ..................................................................................................................... 1805
90. Temperature Gradient ........................................................................................................................ 1805
91. Time .................................................................................................................................................. 1806
92. Translational Damping ....................................................................................................................... 1806
93. Velocity and RS Velocity ..................................................................................................................... 1807
94. Voltage .............................................................................................................................................. 1808
95. Volume .............................................................................................................................................. 1808
96. Members ........................................................................................................................................... 1876
97. Members ........................................................................................................................................... 1878
98. Members ........................................................................................................................................... 1880
99. Members ........................................................................................................................................... 1881
100. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1883
101. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1885
102. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1886

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 Mechanical User's Guide

103. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1887

104. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1888
105. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1889
106. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1894
107. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1900
108. Members ......................................................................................................................................... 1903
109. Element Information ........................................................................................................................ 2314
110. Element Information ........................................................................................................................ 2315
111. Attributes ........................................................................................................................................ 2321
112. Element Information ........................................................................................................................ 2321
113. Element Information ........................................................................................................................ 2324

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Overview
ANSYS Mechanical is a Workbench application that can perform a variety of engineering simulations,
including stress, thermal, vibration, thermo-electric, and magnetostatic simulations.

A typical simulation consists of setting up the model and the loads applied to it, solving for the model's
response to the loads, then examining the details of the response with a variety of tools.

Mechanical has "objects" arranged in a tree structure that guide you through the different steps of a
simulation. By expanding the objects, you expose the details associated with the object, and you can
use the corresponding tools and specification tables to perform that part of the simulation. Objects are
used, for example, to define environmental conditions such as contact surfaces and loadings, and to
define the types of results you want to have available for review.

The following Help topics describe in detail how to use Mechanical to set up and run a simulation:

• Application Interface (p. 5)

• Steps for Using the Application (p. 217)

• Analysis Types (p. 243)

• Specifying Geometry (p. 627)

• Setting Up Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

• Setting Connections (p. 885)

• Configuring Analysis Settings (p. 1109)

• Setting Up Boundary Conditions (p. 1171)

• Using Results (p. 1447)

• Understanding Solving (p. 1711)

• Commands Objects (p. 1823)

• Setting Parameters (p. 1837)

After you become comfortable using Mechanical, you might want to write scripts that automate your
routine tasks. Eventually, you might even want to create extensions that customize and automate
Mechanical itself. You can accomplish all of this using ANSYS ACT and its powerful API (Application
Programming Interface).

• For an introduction to writing scripts and information on using the ACT API to access and manipulate
objects in the Mechanical tree, see the Scripting in Mechanical Guide.

• For descriptions of all ACT API objects, methods, and properties, see the ACT API Reference Guide.

• For information on how to use ACT to create apps (extensions) that customize and automate ANSYS
products, see the ACT Developer's Guide.

• For ACT usage, customization, and automation information specific to Mechanical, see the ACT Custom-
ization Guide for Mechanical.

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The ANSYS Product Improvement Program
This product is covered by the ANSYS Product Improvement Program, which enables ANSYS, Inc., to
collect and analyze anonymous usage data reported by our software without affecting your work or
product performance. Analyzing product usage data helps us to understand customer usage trends
and patterns, interests, and quality or performance issues. The data enable us to develop or enhance
product features that better address your needs.

How to Participate
The program is voluntary. To participate, select Yes when the Product Improvement Program dialog
appears. Only then will collection of data for this product begin.

How the Program Works

After you agree to participate, the product collects anonymous usage data during each session. When
you end the session, the collected data is sent to a secure server accessible only to authorized ANSYS
employees. After ANSYS receives the data, various statistical measures such as distributions, counts,
means, medians, modes, etc., are used to understand and analyze the data.

Data We Collect
The data we collect under the ANSYS Product Improvement Program are limited. The types and amounts
of collected data vary from product to product. Typically, the data fall into the categories listed here:

Hardware: Information about the hardware on which the product is running, such as the:

• brand and type of CPU

• number of processors available

• amount of memory available

• brand and type of graphics card

System: Configuration information about the system the product is running on, such as the:

• operating system and version

• country code

• time zone

• language used

• values of environment variables used by the product

Session: Characteristics of the session, such as the:

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The ANSYS Product Improvement Program

• interactive or batch setting

• time duration

• total CPU time used

• product license and license settings being used

• product version and build identifiers

• command line options used

• number of processors used

• amount of memory used

• errors and warnings issued

Session Actions: Counts of certain user actions during a session, such as the number of:

• project saves

• restarts

• meshing, solving, postprocessing, etc., actions

• times the Help system is used

• times wizards are used

• toolbar selections

Model: Statistics of the model used in the simulation, such as the:

• number and types of entities used, such as nodes, elements, cells, surfaces, primitives, etc.

• number of material types, loading types, boundary conditions, species, etc.

• number and types of coordinate systems used

• system of units used

• dimensionality (1-D, 2-D, 3-D)

Analysis: Characteristics of the analysis, such as the:

• physics types used

• linear and nonlinear behaviors

• time and frequency domains (static, steady-state, transient, modal, harmonic, etc.)

• analysis options used

Solution: Characteristics of the solution performed, including:

• the choice of solvers and solver options

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• the solution controls used, such as convergence criteria, precision settings, and tuning options

• solver statistics such as the number of equations, number of load steps, number of design points, etc.

Specialty: Special options or features used, such as:

• user-provided plug-ins and routines

• coupling of analyses with other ANSYS products

Data We Do Not Collect

The Product Improvement Program does not collect any information that can identify you personally,
your company, or your intellectual property. This includes, but is not limited to:

• names, addresses, or usernames

• file names, part names, or other user-supplied labels

• geometry- or design-specific inputs, such as coordinate values or locations, thicknesses, or other dimen-
sional values

• actual values of material properties, loadings, or any other real-valued user-supplied data

In addition to collecting only anonymous data, we make no record of where we collect data from. We
therefore cannot associate collected data with any specific customer, company, or location.

Opting Out of the Program

You may stop your participation in the program any time you wish. To do so, select ANSYS Product
Improvement Program from the Help menu. A dialog appears and asks if you want to continue parti-
cipating in the program. Select No and then click OK. Data will no longer be collected or sent.

The ANSYS, Inc., Privacy Policy

All ANSYS products are covered by the ANSYS, Inc., Privacy Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Am I required to participate in this program?

No, your participation is voluntary. We encourage you to participate, however, as it helps us create
products that will better meet your future needs.

2. Am I automatically enrolled in this program?

No. You are not enrolled unless you explicitly agree to participate.

3. Does participating in this program put my intellectual property at risk of being collected or discovered by ANSYS?

No. We do not collect any project-specific, company-specific, or model-specific information.

4. Can I stop participating even after I agree to participate?

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The ANSYS Product Improvement Program

Yes, you can stop participating at any time. To do so, select ANSYS Product Improvement Program
from the Help menu. A dialog appears and asks if you want to continue participating in the program.
Select No and then click OK. Data will no longer be collected or sent.

5. Will participation in the program slow the performance of the product?

No, the data collection does not affect the product performance in any significant way. The amount
of data collected is very small.

6. How frequently is data collected and sent to ANSYS servers?

The data is collected during each use session of the product. The collected data is sent to a secure
server once per session, when you exit the product.

7. Is this program available in all ANSYS products?

Not at this time, although we are adding it to more of our products at each release. The program
is available in a product only if this ANSYS Product Improvement Program description appears in the
product documentation, as it does here for this product.

8. If I enroll in the program for this product, am I automatically enrolled in the program for the other ANSYS products
I use on the same machine?

Yes. Your enrollment choice applies to all ANSYS products you use on the same machine. Similarly,
if you end your enrollment in the program for one product, you end your enrollment for all ANSYS
products on that machine.

9. How is enrollment in the Product Improvement Program determined if I use ANSYS products in a cluster?

In a cluster configuration, the Product Improvement Program enrollment is determined by the host
machine setting.

10. Can I easily opt out of the Product Improvement Program for all clients in my network installation?

Yes. Perform the following steps on the file server:

a. Navigate to the installation directory: [Drive:]\v201\commonfiles\globalsettings

b. Open the file ANSYSProductImprovementProgram.txt.

c. Change the value from "on" to "off" and save the file.

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Mechanical Application Interface
This section describes the elements of the Mechanical interface, their purpose and conditions, as well
as the methods for their use.

The following topics are covered in this section:

Interface Overview
Ribbon
Graphics Toolbar
Outline
Details View
Geometry Window
Status Bar
Quick Launch
Help Menu
Ribbon Customization Options
Creating User-Defined Buttons
Engineering Data Material Window
Windows Management
Preference Migration
Print Preview
Report Preview
Full Screen Mode
Contextual Windows
Group Tree Objects
Interface Behavior Based on License Levels
Environment Filtering
Application Preferences and Default Behaviors
Using Macros
Data Export
Keyframe Animation
Graphical Selection and Display
Key Assignments
Wizards

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Application Interface

Interface Overview
The ANSYS Mechanical application user interface is illustrated below.

The primary interface elements include:

• Ribbon (p. 6)

• Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)

• Outline (p. 56)

• Details View (p. 67)

• Geometry Window (p. 76)

• Status Bar (p. 80)

• Quick Launch (p. 83)

• Help (p. 85)

Ribbon
The ribbon provides easy-to-use option toolbars organized by Tabs. By grouping similar commands
together, you will work faster and more efficiently.

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 Ribbon

Ribbon Structure
The ribbon is organized by Tabs (Home, Display, Selection, Automation, etc.). Within each Tab, Options
(command buttons) are organized into Groups (Outline, Solve, etc.) by functionality. This reduces your
search time when looking for specific commands. Additionally, a Context tab appears based on your
currently selected object with options specific to the selected object.

Review the following sections for additional information about each tab:
File Tab
Home Tab
Context Tabs
Display Tab
Selection Tab
Automation Tab

File Tab
The File tab contains a variety of options for managing your project, defining author and project in-
formation, saving your project, and launching features that enable you to make changes to default
application settings, integrating associated applications, and/or setting up how you want your simu-
lation to operate.

Option Description
Info Entry fields for project description and ownership (Project), a summary of the
details of the project (Model Summary), as well as a history of when the project
was saved (Save History). Also see the Project (p. 2175) object reference section.
This information can also be defined in the Details view of the Project object.

Note:

When you import a mesh file, the option Import Summary

becomes available in the Model Summary content. When you
select this option, the application goes to the Import Summary
object in the Outline, That object contains upstream source file
data.

What's New This option displays an illustrated review of the release's new features and
capabilities. This display is also available from the Help (p. 85) drop-down menu
option on the title bar.

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Application Interface

Option Description
Save Project Saves your project.
Save Project As Saves the current project under a different name and/or location. You are
prompted to specify the name and location for the file.
Archive Project Generates a single archive file that contains project files. During the archive
process, the application prompts you with the following dialog to make optional
selections.

These options enable you to control whether the archive includes certain data.
This can be helpful if you have file size concerns. Supported file types include
Workbench Project Archive (.wbpz) or Zip (.zip/.tar.gz). You can also perform this
action in Workbench. See the Archiving Projects section for more information.
Save Database This option enables you to save the current Mechanical session without having
to save the entire project. However, you must save the project when you exit the
application to properly save your changes.
Refresh All Data Updates the geometry, materials, and any imported loads that are in the tree.
Clear Generated Clear all results and meshing data from the database depending on the object
Data selected in the tree. This option is available via the right-click context menu on
many objects.
Import Available when you open Mechanical without a geometry or mesh. Selecting
Import displays two additional options: Geometry and Mesh (External Mod-
el) (p. 665). These options enable you to import a geometry or a mesh file. Select
Geometry or Mesh (External Model) and then select from the Recent list or
select Browse to open a file. Using the Mesh (External Model) option
automatically inserts and links a corresponding system to the appropriate cells
(Engineering Data and Model) of the existing system.

Note:

Linux platform does not support the:

• Import option.

• Link between the External Model system and the Engineering Data
cell.

Export Exports your project. You can export a .mechdat file (when running the
Mechanical application) that later can be imported into a new Workbench project.
Note that only the data native to the Mechanical application is saved to the

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Option Description
.mechdat file. External files (such as solver files) will not be exported. You can
also export the mesh for input to any of the following: Fluent (.msh), Polyflow
(.poly), CGNS (.cgns), and ICEM CFD (.prj).
Addins This option launches the Addins dialog that enables you to load/unload third-party
add-ins that are specifically designed for integration within the Workbench
environment.
Options This option opens the Options (p. 138) dialog. This dialog enables you to
customize the application and to control the behavior of Mechanical application
functions. This option is also available on the title bar of the application, beside
the Quick Launch feature.
Solve Process Displays the Solve Process Settings (p. 1716) dialog to configure your solution
Settings process.
Variable Manager This option opens the Variable Manager dialog (p. 158). This dialog enables you
to enter an application variables that can override default settings.
Close Mechanical Exits your current Mechanical session.

Home Tab
The Home tab displays by default when you open the application.

This tab contains the following Groups.

• Outline (p. 9)

• Solve (p. 10)

• Insert (p. 10)

• Tools (p. 11)

• Layout (p. 12)

Outline
Highlighted below, the Outline group provides options that enable you to make basic changes to
Outline pane objects.

Options for this group include:

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Application Interface

Option Description
Duplicate and Duplicates a selected Outline object. This option is only available if an object
Duplicate supports being duplicated. A drop-down menu is also available from this option.
Without Results Once you have solved your analysis, the additional option Duplicate Without
Results becomes available in the drop-down. This option is only available when
you select a result object. It duplicates your selected result object, including all
subordinate objects. This is a faster option than duplicating a result that includes
result data.
Cut/Copy/Paste Cut, copy, and paste Outline objects.
Delete Deletes a selected Outline object.
Find This option displays the Find in Tree (p. 67) dialog that enables you to search
Outline objects, such as the name of an object or objects or a string of characters
that are included in the name of objects.
Tree The Tree drop-down menu provides the options Expand All and Collapse
Environments. These options either expand or collapse all of the
Environments (p. 2017) (only) contained in the Outline.

Solve
Highlighted below, the Solve group provides options that enable you to specify some basic solution
configurations and to solve your analysis. The drop-down options of the Solve option initiate the
solution when selected. The drop-down menu for My Computer and My Computer, Background
specify your desired selection only. In the lower right-hand corner of the Solve group is an option
that launches the Solve Process Settings (p. 1716) dialog. This dialog enables you to configure solution
settings. Note that the Solve drop-down menu and dialog option are also available on a number of
Context tabs (Environment, Solution, etc.).

Insert
Highlighted below, the Insert group provides a variety of regularly used options.

Options for this group include:

Option Description
Analysis This drop-down menu enables you to add a new analysis from the list of
standalone analysis types to your existing model. A corresponding analysis system,
with the appropriate connections, is also included in the Project Schematic. The
new analysis shares the Engineering Data, Geometry, and Model cells with the
other analysis systems under the model.

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Option Description
Named Selection For a supported parent object, insert a Named Selection, and parent folder (p. 2141)
as needed, into the Outline.
Coordinate Sys- This option is available when the Coordinate Systems object is selected. It inserts
tem a new Coordinate System object.
Remote Point This option is available when the Model object is selected. It inserts a new Remote
Point object (p. 2176) and parent folder (p. 2179) as needed.
Commands For a supported parent object, insert a and specify new Commands object (p. 1972).
Comment For a supported parent object, insert and specify a new Comment object (p. 1974).
Chart Insert and specify a new Chart object (p. 1971).
Images Displays a drop-down menu of the following options:

• Figure (p. 2027): Capture the current Geometry window content and place it under
the currently selected object. You can manipulate Figure objects in the Geometry
window as well as use other options on the object, such as adding an Annotation.

• Image (p. 2046): Capture a two-dimensional screen shot of the Geometry window
content and place it under the currently selected object.

• Image from File: Import an existing image and place it under the currently
selected object.

• Image to File: Save an image of the Geometry window content. Supported file
formats include: PNG (.png), JPEG (.jpg), TIFF (.tif ), BMP (.bmp), and EPS (.eps).
When you select this option a dialog displays. The dialog provides graphical
resolution and image capture options that you can modify. By default, the option
Current Graphics Display is active. With this option selected, the application
captures the content of the Geometry window using the application default
settings. In order to make any changes on the dialog, you must first deselect this
option. If you change the settings, the application saves your selections for future
use of the feature. Default settings for these options can be changed using the
Graphics selection in the Options dialog (p. 138) box.

• Image to Clipboard: Copy Geometry window content to the clipboard. The

image may then be pasted into different applications. This feature is for the
Windows platform only.

Section Plane Displays the Section Planes window to specify a section cut-through on your
model in order to view a cross section of your geometry, mesh, or of a result. See
the Creating Section Planes (p. 198) section for additional information about this
feature.
Annotation Add a text comment to a particular spot of your model. See the Graphics
Annotations Window (p. 130) section for additional information about this feature.

Tools
Highlighted below, the Tools group provides a variety of display-based options.

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Application Interface

Options for this group include:

Option Description
Units Display the Unit Systems drop-down menu. Modify unit system as desired.

Note:

The Celsius and Kelvin settings are not available if you select
either of the U.S. Customary settings.

Worksheet For a supported parent object, display (or hide) the Worksheet (p. 122) window.
Keyframe Anima- Displays the Keyframe Animation (p. 166) window.
tion
Tags Displays the Tags Window to apply meaningful labels to objects that can then
be filtered. See the Tagging Objects (p. 1936) section for additional information
about this feature.
Wizard Activate the Mechanical Wizard (p. 215). This feature helps you construct your
simulation.
Show Errors Displays error messages associated with tree objects that are not properly defined.
Manage Views Displays the Manage Views window (p. 195). This feature enables you to save a
graphical view of your model.
Selection Informa- Display the Selection Information Window (p. 111).
tion
Unit Converter This option displays a Unit Conversion tool. It is a built-in conversion calculator
that enables you to perform conversions between consistent unit systems (p. 1759).
The Units menu sets the active unit system. The status bar shows the current unit
system. The units listed in the tool and in the Details view are in the proper form
(i.e. no parenthesis).
Print Preview Displays a printable image of the currently selected object. See the Print Pre-
view (p. 104) section for more information about this feature.
Report Preview Displays your analysis in the Report Preview view. See the Report Preview (p. 105)
section for more information about this feature.
Key Assignments Displays a dialog that lists all available hotkey and hotkey combinations that
enable you to quickly perform certain actions. See the Key Assignments (p. 212)
section for more information.

Layout
Highlighted below, the Layout group provides options to manage the display of the interface.

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Options for this group include:

Option Description
Full Screen Activates a full screen display (p. 109). This display can also be turned on and off
using the F11 key.
Manage This options provide a drop-down menu of interface display selections.
User Defined Using the Store Layout option of this drop-down menu, you can save an interface
layout that you have created. For example, you may like to size the interface
windows in a specific way or you like to display certain interface windows, such
as Section Planes, or you may wish to hide certain interface windows. Once you
have designed/configured an interface layout, you select the Store Layout option
and then enter a name for the layout. This name then displays in the drop-down
menu enabling you to select it and any time. You can create up to five personalized
layouts. The Remove Layout option becomes available once you have saved a
layout. Selecting this option displays a small dialog that you use to delete existing
layouts.
Reset Layout Restores the interface layout to the default setting.

Context Tabs
The ribbon contains a Context tab for most objects. The Context tabs provides relevant options based
on the selected object. Primary Context tabs include:

• Model Context Tab (p. 14)

• Geometry Context Tab (p. 19)

• Materials Context Tab (p. 20)

• Cross Section Context Tab (p. 20)

• Coordinate Systems Context Tab (p. 21)

• Connections Context Tab (p. 16)

• Mesh Context Tab (p. 21)

• Environment Context Tab (p. 23)

• Environment Context Tab Display Group for Variable Data (p. 23)

• Solution Context Tab (p. 24)

• Solution Information Tab (p. 24)

• Result Context Tab (p. 24)

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Application Interface

Model Context Tab

The Model Context tab becomes active when the Model object is selected in the Outline. The Model
Context tab contains options for creating objects related to the model, as described below.

Part Transform
This option inserts a Geometry Transforms folder object (p. 2238) that houses all of the part transforma-
tions (p. 857) (via Part Transform (p. 2156) objects) that you create.

Symmetry
This option inserts a Symmetry object. For symmetric (p. 801) bodies, you can remove the redundant
portions based on the inherent symmetry, and replace them with symmetry planes. Boundary conditions
are automatically included based on the type of analyses. Also see the Symmetry Context Tab (p. 16)
topic below.

Connections
The Connections option is available only if a Connections object is not already included in the Outline
(such as a model that is not an assembly), and you wish to create a connections object. See the Connec-
tions Context Tab (p. 16) topic below.

Connection objects include contact regions, joints, and springs.

You can transfer structural loads and heat flows across the contact boundaries and “connect” the
various parts. See the Contact (p. 885) section for details.

A joint typically serves as a junction where bodies are joined together. Joint types are characterized
by their rotational and translational degrees of freedom as being fixed or free. See the Joints (p. 958)
section for details.

You can define a spring (longitudinal or torsional) to connect two bodies together or to connect
a body to ground. See the Springs (p. 1037) section for details.

Virtual Topology
You can use the Virtual Topology option to reduce the number of elements in a model by merging
faces and lines. This is particularly helpful when small faces and lines are involved. The merging will affect
meshing and selection for loads and supports. See Virtual Topology Context Tab (p. 17) below as well
as the Virtual Topology Overview (p. 230) section for additional details.

Construction Geometry
See Construction Geometry Context Tab (p. 18) topic below as well as the Path (p. 867) and Surface (p. 872)
sections for details.

Condensed Geometry
Inserts a Condensed Geometry object. See the Condensed Geometry Context Tab (p. 18) topic below
as well as the Working with Substructures (p. 1057) section for additional information.

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Fracture
Inserts a Fracture object. See the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18) topic below as well as the Performing
a Fracture Analysis (p. 1069) section for additional information.

AM Process
This option inserts an AM Process object (p. 1946). By default, it is inserted along with the child object
Build Settings (p. 1968). You use this object when you are performing an additive manufacturing simulation.

Mesh Edit
Inserts a Mesh Edit object. Also see the Mesh Edit Context (p. 19) topic below.

Mesh Numbering
The Mesh Numbering feature enables you to renumber the node and element numbers of a generated
meshed model consisting of flexible parts. See the Specifying Mesh Numbering (p. 853) section for details.

Solution Combination
Use the Solution Combination option to combine multiple environments and solutions to form a new
solution. A solution combination folder can be used to linearly combine the results from an arbitrary
number of load cases (environments). Note that the analysis environments must be static structural with
no solution convergence. Results such as stress, elastic strain, displacement, contact, and fatigue may
be requested. To add a load case to the solution combination folder, right-click the worksheet view of
the solution combination folder, choose add, and then select the scale factor and the environment name.
An environment may be added more than once and its effects will be cumulative. You may suppress
the effect of a load case by using the check box in the worksheet view or by deleting it through a right-
click. For more information, see Solution Combinations (p. 1699).

Fatigue Combination
This option inserts a Fatigue Combination object (p. 2021). When you are running an analysis that includes
multiple systems that each include a Fatigue Tool object (p. 2022), the Fatigue Combination feature
enables you to sum (generate a sum total of ) the Damage results for all of the linked systems. This option
only supports all analysis types that support the use of the Fatigue Tool.

Ply
When you select a ply object, the Ply group displays and contains the Direction drop-down menu. The
options of the menu enable you to graphically display ply and element directions for imported ply
structures.

• Fiber: Ply Fiber Direction.

• Transverse: Ply Transverse Direction.

• Normal: Ply Normal Direction.

• Element Reference: Element Reference Direction.

• Element Normal: Element Normal Direction.

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Application Interface

Symmetry Context Tab

Based on your analysis type, the Symmetry Context tab includes options to insert Symmetry Region
(including Linear Periodic), Periodic Region, Cyclic Region, Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region, and General
Axisymmetric objects in order to define symmetry planes.

Connections Context Tab

The Connections Context tab includes the following options and functions:

• Connection Group: Inserts a Connection Group (p. 889) object.

• Spring: This drop-down menu enables you to insert a Spring (p. 1037) object, either Body-Ground or
Body-Body.

• Beam: This drop-down menu enables you to insert a Beam (p. 1953) object, either Body-Ground or
Body-Body.

• Bearing: This drop-down menu enables you to insert a Bearing (p. 1051) object, either Body-Ground
or Body-Body.

• Spot Weld: Inserts a Spot Weld (p. 1047) object.

• End Release: Inserts an End Release (p. 1048) object.

• Body Interactions: See the Body Interactions in Explicit Dynamics Analyses section for additional
information.

• Contact: This drop-down menu enables you to insert a specific type of Contact Region (p. 907).

• Contact Tool: Insert a Contact Tool (p. 1565) object.

• Solution Information: Insert a Solution Information (p. 1735) object.

• Body-Ground: This drop-down menu enables you to insert and specify a certain type of Body-to-
Ground Joint (p. 962) object.

• Body-Body: This drop-down menu enables you to insert and specify a certain type of Body-to-Body
Joint (p. 962) object.

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• Configure, Set, and Revert options and Delta field: These options graphically configure the initial
positioning of a joint. See the Example: Configuring Joints (p. 1015) example. The Assemble option
performs the assembly of the model, finding the closest part configuration that satisfies all the joints.

Important:

When a model contains a Point On Curve (p. 974) joint, the Configure and Assemble
options (p. 17) are disabled for all the joints. This is also the case for a redundancy
analysis that includes a Point On Curve joint.

• Body Views: This option toggles the display of parts and connections in separate auxiliary windows
for contact regions, beams, bearings, joints, and spring connections.

• Sync Views: When the Body Views option is selected, you can select this option synchronize the
movements of your model in the Geometry window with the views of the auxiliary windows. and
vice versa.

Virtual Topology Context Tab

The Virtual Topology Context tab includes the following options:

• Merge Cells: This option creates Virtual Cell (p. 2246) objects you can use to group faces or edges.

• Split Edge at + and Split Edge: These options create Virtual Split Edge (p. 2247) objects that enable
you to split an edge to create two virtual edges.

• Split Face at Vertices: This option creates Virtual Split Face (p. 2248) objects to split a face along two
vertices to create 1 to N virtual faces. The selected vertices must be located on the face that you want
to split.

• Hard Vertex at +: This option creates Virtual Hard Vertex (p. 2247) objects to define a hard point ac-
cording to your cursor location on a face, and then use that hard point in a split face operation.

• Previous VT/Next VT: These options enable you to cycle through virtual topology entities in the
sequence in which they were created. If any virtual topologies are deleted or merged, the sequence
is adjusted automatically. See Cycling Through Virtual Entities in the Geometry Window.

• Edit: Use this option to edit virtual topology entities.

• Delete: Use this option to delete selected virtual topology entities, along with any dependents if
applicable.

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Application Interface

Construction Geometry Context Tab

See the Specifying Construction Geometry (p. 867) section for additional details.

Condensed Geometry Context Tab

The Condensed Geometry Context tab enables you to apply the objects associated with substructur-
ing (p. 1057), including the Condensed Part (p. 1984) object as well as a Solution Information (p. 1735)
object.

Fracture Context Tab

The Fracture Context tab enables you to apply the objects associated with a Fracture Analysis (p. 1069),
including Cracks (p. 1081) as well as progressive failure features (p. 1101) in the form of Interface
Delamination (p. 2102) and Contact Debonding (p. 1993) objects.

AM Process Context Tab

This tab displays when you insert an AM Process object (p. 1946) into the Outline.

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Mesh Edit Context Tab

The Mesh Edit Context tab enables you to modify and create Mesh Connection objects that enable
you to join the meshes of topologically disconnected surface bodies and also move individual nodes
on the mesh. The Mesh edit Context tab includes the following options:

• Mesh Connection Group: insert a Mesh Connection Group folder object (p. 2125).

• Manual Mesh Connection: insert a Mesh Connection Group folder that includes a Mesh Connection
object (p. 2129).

• Contact Match Group: insert a Contact Match Group (p. 2125) folder object.

• Contact Match: insert a Contact Match (p. 2129) folder object.

• Node Merge Group: insert a Node Merge Group folder object (p. 2145).

• Node Merge: select geometries and merge coincident mesh nodes.

• Node Move : select and move individual nodes on the mesh. Requires mesh generation.

• Body Views (only visible when Mesh Connection object selected): toggle button to display parts in
separate auxiliary windows.

• Sync Views (only visible when Mesh Connection object selected): toggle button that you can use
when the Body Views button is engaged. Any change to the model in the Geometry window is re-
flected in both auxiliary windows.

Geometry Context Tab

The Geometry context tab is active when you select the Geometry object in the Outline or any child
objects included within the Geometry object. The tab includes the following options:

• Attach Geometry/Replace Geometry: These options enable you to attach a model to a system that
does not include a geometry (Attach Geometry) or change the model you are currently examining
using (Replace Geometry). The Attach Geometry option is available when you open an analysis
system without a geometry. Once you import a geometry into the application, the option is replaced
with Replace Geometry. These selections provide a drop-down menu with the options From File

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and Recent Geometry (available when once you have used the option) to select the newly desired
geometry.

• Point: You use this option to specify a Point Mass (p. 658).

• Distributed: You use this option to specify a Distributed Mass (p. 660)

• Thickness: For surface bodies, this option enables you to add a Thickness object or an Imported
Thickness object to define variable thickness (p. 643).

• Surface Coating: You use this option to specify a Surface Coating (p. 1513).

• Element Orientation: You use this option to specify Element Orientations (p. 739).

• Layered Section: For surface bodies, this option enables you to add a Layered Section (p. 645) object
to define layers applied to surfaces.

• Imported Trace: For the appropriate model of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), the Imported Trace (p. 2094)
group folder provides the Imported Trace option. This feature is used during a Trace Analysis (p. 611).

• Virtual Body: This option is available if you are using an assembly meshing algorithm. It enable you
to insert a virtual body (p. 2243).

Materials Context Tab

The Materials context tab is active when you select the Materials (p. 2117), Material Assignment (p. 753),
Material Plot (p. 754), or Material Combination objects. You use this tab to employ the features related
to the Materials object. Options include:

• Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Material Plot (p. 754)

• Material Combination (p. 755)

Imported Material Fields

If you import initial user-defined Field Variable values using the External Data (p. 552) system, an
Imported Material Fields (p. 758) group folder is placed under the Materials folder.

As a result of your data import, the folder contains an Imported Material Field (p. 2085) object. You
can specify additional Imported Material Field objects using the option of this tab. In addition, the
Variable Data (p. 23) tab displays when Imported Material Field objects are selected.

Cross Section Context Tab

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The Cross Section Context tab provides cross section type options that enable you to manually define
a cross section for your line body model. There is also a Profile option that displays a window that
enables you to view the cross section dimensions, during construction as well as when you are
complete.

Coordinate Systems Context Tab

The Coordinate Systems Context tab is available when you have a user-defined Coordinate System
object selected. It includes the following transformation options:

• Offset X/Y/Z: Create an Offset in the Transformations category of the Details view. These options
require to enter a value.

• Rotate X/Y/Z: Create a Rotate transformation in the Transformations category of the Details view.
These options require to enter a value.

• Flip X/Y/Z: Create a Flip transformation in the Transformations category of the Details view. These
options flip the coordinate system about a desired axis.

• Move Up/Move Down: Scroll up or down through the Transformations category properties/trans-
formations that you have created.

• Delete: Delete a property/transformation from the Transformations category.

Mesh Context Tab

The Mesh Context Tab includes the following options:

In the Mesh group, the following options are available:

• Update: You can use this option to update a cell that references the current mesh. This includes
mesh generation as well as generating any required outputs.

• Generate: You can use this option to Generate Mesh.

In the Preview group, the following options are available:

• Surface Mesh: You can use this option to preview the Surface Mesh.

• Source/Target: You can use this option to preview the source and target meshes for scoped bodies.

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In the Controls group, the following options are available:

• Method : You can use this option to select Method Control.

• Sizing: You can use this option to select Sizing Control.

• Face Meshing: You can use this option to select Face Meshing Control.

• Mesh Copy: You can use this option to select Mesh Copy Control.

• Match Control: You can use this option to select Match Control.

• Contact Sizing:You can use this option to select Contact Sizing Control.

• Refinement: You can use this option to select Refinement Control.

• Pinch: You can use this option to select Pinch Control.

• Inflation: You can use this option to select Inflation Group.

• Gasket: You can use this option to select Gasket Mesh Control.

• Mesh Group: You can use this option to select Meshing Group Control.

In the Mesh Edit group, the following options are available:

• Mesh Connection Group: You can use this option to select Mesh Connection Group (p. 2125).

• Contact Match Group: You can use this option to select Contact Match Group (p. 2125).

• Node Merge Group: You can use this option to select Node Merge Group (p. 2145).

• Mesh Edit: You can use this option to select Mesh Edit.

• Mesh Numbering:You can use this option to select Mesh Numbering (p. 853).

• Manual Mesh Connection: You can use this option to make manual Mesh Connections (p. 2129).

• Contact Match: You can use this option to select Contact Match (p. 2129).

• Node Merge: You can use this option to select geometries and merge coincident mesh nodes.

• Node Move: You can use this option to select Node Move .

In the Metrics Displaygroup, the following options are available:

• Metric Graph: You can use this option to show and/or hide the Mesh Metrics bar graph.

• Edges: You can use this drop-down menu options to change the display of your model, including:

– No Wireframe: Displays a basic picture of the body.

– Show Elements: Displays element outlines.

These options are the same options that are available on the Meshing Edit Context Tool-
bar (p. 19).

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• Probe, Max, and Min:These are annotation options. Selecting the Max and/or Min buttons displays
the maximum and minimum values for mesh criteria (Element Quality, Jacobian Ratio, etc.) that you
have selected. The Probe feature is also criteria-based. You place a Probe on a point on the model
to display an annotation on that point. Probe annotations show the mesh criterion-based value at
the location of the cursor. When created, probe annotations do not trigger the database to be marked
for the file needing to be saved (i.e. you will not be prompted to save). Be sure to issue a save if you
wish to retain these newly created probe annotations in the database. These options are not visible
if the Mesh object Display Style property is set to the default setting, Use Geometry Setting.

Environment Context Tab

The Environment Context tab enables you to apply loads to your model. Tab groups and options
vary depending on the type of analysis you are performing. For example, the groups and options for
a Static Structural analysis is shown above.

Environment Context Tab Display Group for Variable Data

When your analysis includes imported boundary conditions (p. 1417) or imported thicknesses (p. 2092)
or you have specified spatial varying loads and displacements (p. 1435), the application displays contours
or isoline representations of the associated variable data once you have generated the mesh on the
model.

The Display group (p. 23) (shown below) becomes visible on the Environment Context Tab (p. 23)
when variable data is available. The Variable Data drop-down menu provides the display options:
Smooth Contours, Contour Bands, and Isolines. When you select the Isolines display option, the
Isoline Thickness drop-down menu enables you to change the thickness of the displayed lines. Options
include Single (default), Double, or Triple. The toolbar also contains options to display the Maximum
and Minimum values of the imported data or spatial varying loading. You can toggle these min/max
options on (default) and off.

Note:

• The Isolines option is drawn based on nodal values. When drawing isolines for imported loads
that store element values (Imported Body Force Density, Imported Convection, Imported
Heat Generation, Imported Heat Flux, Imported Pressure, and Imported Surface Force
Density), the program automatically calculates nodal values by averaging values of the elements
to which a node is attached.

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• This feature is not available for Imported Loads that are scoped to nodal-based Named Selec-
tions.

• The display of contour data is not supported for the Convection load.

Solution Context Tab

The Solution tab applies to Solution-level objects that either:

• Never display contoured results (such as the Solution object), or

• Have not yet been solved (no contours to display).

The options displayed on this tab are based on the type of analysis that is selected. The example
shown above displays the solution options for a Static Structural analysis. Objects inserted using the
Solution tab are automatically selected in the Outline.

The Applying Results Based on Geometry (p. 1480) section outlines which bodies can be represented
by the various choices available in the drop-down menus of the Solution tab.

Solution Information Tab

Selecting the Solution Information (p. 1735) object displays a corresponding tab. The tab includes the
Retrieve (p. 1744) option that you use to track background solution processes as well as the Result
Tracker (p. 1745) and Result Plot Tracker (p. 2184) options. The Write Input File option as well as some
additional display options, Worksheet, Graph, Tabular Data, are also included on the tab.

Result Context Tab

The Result tab provides display options for your solved result objects.

The following subsections describe the options available on this tab.

• Scaling Menus for Deformed Shapes (p. 25)

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• Geometry (p. 29)

• Contours (p. 29)

• Edges (p. 29)

• Probe, Maximum, and Minimum (p. 31)

• Vector Display (p. 31)

• Capped Isosurface (p. 1683)

Scaling Menus for Deformed Shapes

The Display group contains the following scaling options for deformations.

Review the following topics for additional information:

• Scale Menu (p. 25) and Relative Scaling (p. 27)

• Display Menu (p. 27)

• Large Vertex Contours (p. 29)

Scale Menu
For results with an associated deformed shape, the scaling menu provides display selections.

Scale factors precede the descriptions in parentheses in the list. The scale factors shown above apply
to a particular model's deformation and are intended only as an example. Scale factors vary depending
on the amount of deformation in the model. You can choose a preset option from the list or you can
type a customized scale factor relative to the scale factors in the list. For example, based on the preset
list shown above, typing a customized scale factor of 0.6 would equate to approximately 100 times
the Auto Scale factor.

• Undeformed does not change the shape of the part or assembly.

• True Scale is the actual scale.

• Auto Scale scales the deformation so that it's visible but not distorting.

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• The remaining options provide a wide range of scaling.

The system maintains the selected option as a global setting like other options in the Result tab. As
with other presentation settings, figures override the selection. For results that are not scaled, the
menu selection has no effect.

Note:

Most of the time, a scale factor selected by the application to create a deformed shape
that will show a visible deflection to allow you to better observe the nature of the results.
However, under certain conditions, the True Scale displaced shape (scale factor = 1)
is more appropriate and is therefore the default if any of the following conditions are true:

• Rigid bodies exist.

• A user-defined spring exists in the model.

• Large deflection is on.

This applies to all analyses except for Modal and Eigenvalue Buckling analyses (in which
case True Scale has no meaning).

Important:

Scaling of Rigid Body Part Displacements in Modal or Eigenvalue Buckling Analyses

Note the following restrictions that apply when scaling rigid part displacements during
Modal or Eigenvalue Buckling analyses.

• (Currently) If you are performing a Modal or Eigenvalue Buckling analysis that includes rigid
body parts, the application experiences a limitation while scaling and/or animating results.

• The motion of rigid parts in Mechanical is characterized by the changes in the:

– Position of the center of mass, referred to as linear displacement.

– Euler angles of the element coordinate system, referred to as angular displacement.

Because of the difference in the nature of these concepts, a unified scaling algorithm
that satisfies both scenarios has not yet been implemented for auto scaling. With
the Auto Scale option, Mechanical displays rigid parts as white asterisks at the
centroid of the part. The application maintains the correct position of the rigid parts
with respect to the flexible parts, however, the displayed asterisks do not indicate
angular displacement or rotation.

• True Scale will not properly display the shapes in Modal or Buckling analysis and should
not be used.

• For the best scaling results when working on a Modal analysis (where displacements are
not true), use the Auto Scale option. If a given body's optimal scaling is True and an-

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other body's optimal scaling is Auto Scale, the graphical display of the motion of the
bodies may not be optimal.

Important:

For the following analyses and/or configuration conditions, Mechanical sets the scale factor
to zero so that the image of the finite element model does not deform.

• Random Vibration (PSD).

• Response Spectrum.

• Amplitude results for Harmonic Response analyses.

• When the By property (p. 2191) of a result is set to:

– Maximum Over Time or Minimum Over Time

– Time of Maximum or Time of Minimum

Relative Scaling
The menu provides the following "relative" scaling options. These options automatically scale deform-
ations relative to preset criteria.

• Undeformed

• True Scale

• 0.5x Auto

• Auto Scale

• 2x Auto

• 5x Auto

Display Menu
The Display drop-down menu enables you to view:

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Option Description Example

All Regions of the model not being
Bodies drawn as a contour are plotted as
translucent even for unscoped bodies
as long as the bodies are visible (not
hidden (p. 636))

Scoped Default setting. Regions of the model

Bodies not being drawn as a contour are
plotted as translucent for scoped
bodies only. Unscoped bodies are not
drawn.

Results Only the resultant contour or vector

Only is displayed.

Limitations

Note the following limitations for the display selections:

• The Scoped Bodies and Results Only options support geometry-based scoping (Geometry Selection
property = Geometry) and Named Selections that are based on geometry selections or worksheet criteria.

• The Scoped Bodies and Results Only options do not support Construction Geometry features Path (p. 867)
and Surface (p. 872).

• The Results Only option does not support the Explicit Dynamics Solver.

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• For the Scoped Bodies option for results that are scoped across multiple entities (vertices, edges, faces,
or volumes), all of these entities may not display because there are times when only the nodes of one of
the shared entities are used in the calculation.

Large Vertex Contours

The Large Vertex Contours check-box option is used for node-based result scoping. It toggles the
size of the displayed dots that represent the results at the underlying mesh nodes on and off.

Geometry
You can observe different views from the Geometry drop-down menu, including:

• Exterior: This view displays the exterior results of the selected geometry.

• IsoSurfaces: For contour results, displays a collection of surfaces of equal value of the chosen result,
between its minimum and a maximum as defined by the legend settings. The application displays the
interior of the model only.

• Capped IsoSurfaces: The Capped IsoSurfaces display represents mainly a set of all points that equal a
specified result value within the range of values for the result with additional features. This option provides
three display selections. A display based on all points of a specified result, all points equal to and less than
the specified result, and all points equal to and greater than the specified result value. Refer to Capped
Isosurfaces (p. 1683) section for a description of the controls with this option. This view displays contours
on the interior and exterior.

• Section Planes: This view displays planes cutting through the result geometry; only previously drawn
Section Planes (p. 198) are visible.

Contours
The Contours drop-down menu enables you to change the way you view your results. Options include:

• Smooth Contours: This view displays gradual distinction of colors.

• Contour Bands: This view displays the distinct differentiation of colors.

• Isolines: This view displays a line at the transition between values.

• Solid Fill: This view displays the model only with no contour markings.

Edges
What is displayed by the options of the Edges drop-down menu, depends upon the selections you
make in the other result display menus.

Option Description
No The application displays the result in its deformed state. The result's display is based on
Wireframe your selections in the Geometry and Contours menus (see above).

Example

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Option Description

Show The application displays the result with a wireframe overlay of the undeformed model,
Undeformed as illustrated below, only when you select the Exterior option in the Geometry menu.
Wireframe To better interpret the displayed result, the IsoSurface, Capped IsoSurface, and Section
Planes options display the result, with the wireframe of the model, in a deformed state.

Examples

Exterior Option - Wireframe Not Deformed

IsoSurface Option - Wireframe Deformed with Result

Show The application displays the result with a translucent overlay of the undeformed model,
Undeformed as illustrated below, only when you select the Exterior option in the Geometry menu.
Model To better interpret the displayed result, the IsoSurface, Capped IsoSurface, and Section
Planes options display the result, with a translucent overlay of the model, in a deformed
state.

Exterior Option - Overlay Not Deformed

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Option Description

IsoSurface Option - Overlay Deformed with Result

Show The application displays the result in its deformed state and includes mesh elements.
Elements The result's display is based on your selections in the Geometry and Contours menus.

Example

Probe, Maximum, and Minimum

These options enable you to 1) toggle the Max and Min annotations on and off, and 2) create probe
annotations. If you display the Graphics Annotations window (p. 130), you can view the result value
at the location of your probe annotation, the unit of the result, as well as the coordinate values for
the probe.

Vector Display
Using the Vectors option, you can display results as vectors with various options for controlling the
display. When you select the Vectors option, the following associated options may be used.

• Proportional: Displays vector length proportional to the magnitude of the result.

• Uniform: Displays a uniform vector length, useful for identifying vector paths.

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• Element Aligned: Displays all vectors, aligned with each element.

• Grid Aligned: Displays vectors, aligned on an approximate grid.

• Length Slider: Controls the relative length of the vectors in incremental steps from 1 to 10 (default
= 5), as displayed in the tool tip when you drag the mouse cursor on the slider handle.

• Grid Slider: Controls the relative size of the grid, which determines the quantity (density) of the
vectors. The control is in uniform steps from 0 [coarse] to 100 [fine] (default = 20), as displayed in the
tool tip when you drag the mouse cursor on the slider handle.

Note:

This slider control is active only when the adjacent button is chosen for displaying
vectors that are aligned with a grid.

• Line Form: Displays vector arrows in line form.

• Solid Form: Displays vector arrows in solid form.

• X Axis/Y Axis/Z Axis: When solving principle stresses or principle strain, these buttons enable you
to display (or hide) the vectors for Maximum Principal, Middle Principal, and Minimum Principal at
each node. When solving Nodal Triads or Elemental Triads, these buttons enable you to display (or
hide) the vectors for X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis at each node or element

Vector Display Examples

Presented below are examples of vector result displays.

Uniform vector lengths identify paths using vector arrows in line form.

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Course grid size with vector arrows in solid form. Same using wireframe edge option.

Uniform vector lengths , grid display on section plane with vector arrows in solid form.

Zoomed-in uniform vector lengths , grid display with arrow scaling and vector arrows in solid form.

Display Tab
The Display tab contains options for moving your model within the Geometry window as well as a
variety of display-based options such as wireframe, edge thickness, ply directions, etc.

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This tab contains the following Groups.

• Orient (p. 34)

• Annotation (p. 35)

• Style (p. 35)

• Vertex (p. 37)

• Edge (p. 38)

• Explode (p. 40)

• Viewports (p. 41)

• Display (p. 41)

Orient
Highlighted below, the Orient group provides model orientation options.

Options for this group include:

Option Description
Isometric This option reorients your model into the isometric view. It also includes the
following drop-down menu options:

• Set: Orient your model to a desired view and select this option to define a new
default view for the Isometric option.

• Restore Default: Select this option to reset the view of the Isometric option to
the application default.

Look At This option centers your model in the Geometry window based in the currently
selected face or plane.
Views This option provides a drop-down menu of options that enable you to change
the viewpoint (front, back, right, etc.) of your model as well as an option to orient
your model in the isometric view.
Previous/Next Scroll forward or backward from the last view displayed in the Geometry window.
Rotate ± X/Y/Z Rotate your model in the Geometry window about the axis.
Pan Pan your model in the Geometry window.
Up/Down/Right/Left

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Option Description
Zoom In/Out Zoom in or out of your model.

Annotation
Highlighted below, the Annotation group enables you to make changes to how Annotations are
displayed in the Geometry window as well as specify preferences.

Options for this group include:

• Random: By default, the annotations for objects types (loads, supports, named selections, etc.) are
shown by a unique color. That is, all loads are red and all supports are blue etc. Selecting the Random
option, you change the colors used for annotations.

• Rescale: This option changes the size of annotation symbols, such as load direction arrows.

• Preferences: This options displays the Preferences (p. 208) dialog that you use to set preferences for
the display of annotations.

Style
Highlighted below, the Style group provides model display options such as wireframe, showing the
mesh, etc.

Options for this group include:

Option Description
Dis- This option provides a drop-down menu of the following model display options:
play
• Shaded Exterior and Edges: This option displays the model in the Geometry window with
shaded exteriors and distinct edges. This option is mutually exclusive with Shaded Exterior
and Wireframe.

• Shaded Exterior: This option displays the model in the Geometry window with shaded exteriors
only. This option is mutually exclusive with Shaded Exterior and Edges and Wireframe.

• Wireframe: This option displays the model in the Geometry window with a wireframe display
rather than a shaded one (recommended for seeing gaps in surface bodies). This option is
mutually exclusive from the above two options. The Wireframe option not only applies to
geometry, mesh, or named selections displayed as a mesh, but extends to probes, results, and
variable loads to enable a better understanding of regions of interest.

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Option Description
When Wireframe mode is set, just the exterior faces of the meshed models are shown,
not the interior elements.

Note:

– When this option is on, green scoping is not drawn on probes. Also, elements
are shown on probes and results, whereas the outline of the mesh is shown on
isoline contour results.

– Selecting any of the edges options (p. 29) on contour results automatically closes
Wireframe mode.

Show This option display your model's mesh regardless of the selected Outline object. When enabled,
Mesh to make sure that Annotations display properly, also turn on Wireframe mode. See Note below.
Thick Toggles the visibility of the thickness applied to shells and beams in mesh and in result displays.
Shells Review notes (p. 36) below.
and
Beams
Cross Displays line body cross sections as 3D geometry. See Viewing Line Body Cross Sections (p. 654)
Sec- for details.
tion
Dis- Using the options of this drop-down menu, you can display the parts and bodies of your model
play based on the available options. For example, if an assembly is made of parts of different
Style materials, you can color the parts based on the material; that is, all structural steel parts have
the same color, all aluminum parts have the same color and so on. See the Color Coding of
Parts (p. 637) topic.

Note:

As illustrated below, annotations may not always display properly when the Show Mesh
option is activated. Turning on Wireframe mode accurately displays Annotations when
Show Mesh is selected.

Notes:

• Displaying Shells for Large Deflections: The display of shells may become distorted for large de-
formations such as in large deflection or during an Explicit Dynamics analyses. A workaround for this
is to disable Shell Thickness by toggling the Thick Shells and Beams option. Or, set a variable,

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UsePseudoShellDisp = 1, using the Variable Manager option from the File tab. It may be necessary
to toggle the deformation scaling from True Scale to Undeformed to True Scale again (see Scaling
Deformed Shape in the Context Tabs (p. 13) section). Note that this option requires True Scaling
to work properly.

• Displaying Shells with Thickness on Geometry that Spans Large Angles: The graphical represent-
ation of your meshed shell model may appear distorted when the shell spans a large angle, such as
a 90° angle. Ordinarily, the application calculates an average of the normals between elements (based
on a default setting of 180°). Given too large of an angle, a graphical abnormality may occur. Modify
the default setting using the Graphics (p. 146) option in the Options (p. 138) dialog box. 60° is the
recommended setting to avoid the display of any graphical abnormalities.

• Displaying Results on Very Thin Shell Bodies: If you are viewing result contours of a very thin
geometry, you could observe a graphical distortion as a result of colors from the back face of the
geometry bleeding onto the front face of the geometry. This is a graphics-based limitation. In addition,
turning off the Thick Shells and Beams option can cause the distortion to worsen.

• Displaying Shells on Shared Entities: The display of shells is done on a nodal basis. Therefore,
graphics plot only 1 thickness per node, although node thickness can be prescribed and solved on
a per elemental basis. When viewing shell thickness at sharp face intersections or a shared body
boundary, the graphics display may become distorted.

• Shell Element Display from Mesh Changes. If you employ a feature that changes the model’s mesh,
such as the Nonlinear Adaptive Region or Fracture, you may see display errors for expanded shell
elements as a result of the changing mesh. Disable the Thick Shells and Beams option to properly
display the elements.

• Displaying Contours and Displaced Shapes on Line Bodies: The contour result on a line body are
expanded to be viewed on the cross section shape, but only one actual result exists at any given
node and as a result no contour variations across a beam section occur.

• Display Pipes using Pipe Idealizations: Although the solution will account for cross section distor-
tions, the graphics rendering for the results display the cross sections in their original shape.

Vertex
Highlighted below, the Vertex group provides vertex display options.

Options for this group include:

• Show Vertices: This option highlights all vertices on the model. This feature is especially useful when
examining complex assemblies where vertices might normally be hidden from view. It can also be
used to ensure that edges are complete and not segmented unintentionally.

• Close Vertices: This option displays tightly clustered vertices on your model. This vertex display
feature has an accompanying scale menu. When you select this option, a corresponding scale menu
also activates and includes application generated tolerances as well as an option that enables you
to enter a tolerance value. The application calculates the default tolerance (Auto Scale). This value
is 0.1% of the diagonal measurement of your model's Bounding Box dimensions. Additional system

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options are factors of this base measurement and you can manually enter a tolerance using the
Custom Value option. The Custom Value cannot exceed 5% of the model's Bounding Box dimen-
sions.

Based on the selected tolerance, the application highlights pairs of vertices that are closer to
one another than the specified tolerance and draws segments between the vertices to further
illustrate proximity.

Edge
Highlighted below, the Edge group provides display options used to display the edges on your
model; their connectivity, and how they are shared by faces. Also see the Assemblies of Surface
Bodies (p. 639) section for more information.

Options for this group include:

Option Description
Direc- Displays model edge directions. The direction arrow appears at the midpoint of the edge. The
tion size of the arrow is proportional to the edge length.
Mesh This option displays the edges using coloring schema, by taking into account the mesh
Con- connection information.
nec-
tion
Thick- For annotations scoped to lines (for example, annotations representing loads, named selections,
en point masses, and so on), enabling this option thickens these lines so they are more easily
identifiable on the screen.
Col- The Color drop-down menu provides the following options:
or
• By Body Color: Displays body colors to represent boundary edges.

• By Connection: Displays five different colors corresponding to five different categories of

connectivity. The categories are: free (blue), single (red), double (black), triple (pink) and
multiple (yellow). Free means that the edge is not shared by any faces. Single means that the
edge is shared by one face and so on. The color scheme is also displayed in the Edge/Face
Connectivity legend.

• By Body Connection: Displays three different colors corresponding to three different categories
of connectivity. The categories are: single (black), double (pink), and multiple (yellow). Single
means that the edge is shared by one body and so on. The color scheme is also displayed in
the Edge/Body Connectivity legend.

• Black: Turns off the edge/face connectivity display. The entire model is displayed in black.

Free The options of the Free (edge display) drop-down menu include:

• Hide Free: Hides only edges not shared by any faces.

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Option Description
• Show Free: Displays only edges not shared by any faces.

• Thick Free: Displays only edges not shared by any faces at a different edge thickness compared
to the rest of the model.

Single The options of the Single (edge display) drop-down menu include:

• Hide Single: Hides only edges that are shared by one face.

• Show Single: Displays only edges that are shared by one face.

• Thick Single: Displays only edges that are shared by one face at a different edge thickness
compared to the rest of the model.

Double The options of the Double (edge display) drop-down menu include:

• Hide Double: Hides only edges that are shared by two faces.

• Show Double: Displays only that are shared by two faces.

• Thick Double: Displays only edges that are shared by two faces at a different edge thickness
compared to the rest of the model.

Triple The options of the Triple (edge display) drop-down menu include:

• Hide Triple: Hides only edges that are shared by three faces.

• Show Triple: Displays only that are shared by three faces.

• Thick Triple: Displays only edges that are shared by three faces at a different edge thickness
compared to the rest of the model.

Mul- The options of the Multiple (edge display) drop-down menu include:
tiple
• Hide Multiple: Hides only edges that are shared by more than three faces.

• Show Multiple: Displays only that are shared by more than three faces.

• Thick Multiple: Displays only edges that are shared by more than three faces at a different
edge thickness compared to the rest of the model.

Note:

Note the following restrictions when you are using the Edge options on the mesh, as
compared to their use on geometry:

• When you are using the Edge Coloring options when viewing the mesh, the application only
draws the corner nodes to display the outline of the elements (mid-side nodes are ignored if
available). You can use the Wireframe tool and also hide bodies to properly display the colored
edges. And in doing so, you can see where mid-side nodes are located, if available.

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• Not all of the buttons/options are functional, for example, Double always displays thin black
lines. The width of the colored lines cannot be changed. They are always thick.

• During slicing, the colors of shared element edges are not drawn. They display as black and
appear only when the selected section plane is losing focus in the slice tool pane.

Explode
Highlighted below, the Explode group is a graphical display feature used to create imaginary distance
between geometry bodies (only) of your model for viewing purposes.

Once the mesh is generated, this feature is not supported when you have the Mesh object selected
or when the Show Mesh feature is turned on. In addition, when viewing the mesh, exploded geometry
bodies, although not visible in the Geometry window, are still in an exploded state and passing the
cursor over an exploded body will highlight the (otherwise invisible) body and it is also selectable at
this time.

Reset Button
This button reassembles the parts of your model to their original position.

Explode View Factor Slider

This slider tool enables you to change the exploded distance between the parts from their original pos-
ition.

Move Springs/Beams with Parts

The button for this option enables you to see an accurate representation of connections on your
model, such as Springs and Beams, by showing the connections stretched from the assigned locations
on the moving parts. Because the display is graphically accurate, the processing requirements are intens-
ive. Use the default position (not active/depressed) when moving the slider for large models and when
connection representations are not critical.

Assembly Center Drop-Down List

This drop-down list provides the available coordinate system options as well as the Assembly Center
option (default setting) that defines the position in space from which the exploded view originates and
the Assembly Center (Visible) option that accounts for the visible parts only. The Global Coordinate
System is always an available option as well as any user-defined coordinate systems (p. 878).

Note:

The explode view feature does not support the Body Views display, such as when you
are displaying contact bodies in separate windows (p. 937).

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Viewports
Highlighted below, the Viewports group enables you to split the Geometry window into multiple
windows and as desired, synchronize the windows. See the Using Viewports (p. 194) section for more
information.

Display
Highlighted below, the Display group contains the Show drop-down menu that provides several
general display options, such as the ruler and legend.

The options of the menu include:

• Ruler: Turn the Geometry window ruler on and off.

• Legend: Turn the Geometry window legend on and off.

• Triad: Turn the Geometry window triad on and off.

• Show Mesh: Display the model's mesh.

• All Coordinate Systems: This option displays all of the available coordinate systems defined on the
model – default as well as user defined.

• Visual Expansion: Toggles the visibility of either a single cyclic sector mesh or the full symmetry
mesh in a cyclic symmetry analysis (p. 818). Toggling this option can help preview before solving the
density of nodes on the sector boundaries, or it can help confirm the expanded mesh in each case.

• Erodes Nodes: Turn the visibility of eroded nodes for explicit dynamics analyses on or off.

• Draw Face Mode: The options of this drop-down menu enable you to change how faces are displayed
as a function of back-face culling. Options include:

– Auto Face Draw: turning back-face culling on or off is program controlled. Using Section Planes
is an example of when the application would turn this feature off.

– Draw Front Faces: Face culling is forced to stay on. Back-facing faces will not be drawn in any
case, even if using Section Planes.

– Draw Both Faces: Back-face culling is turned off. Both front-facing and back-facing faces are drawn.

See the Displaying Interior Mesh Faces (p. 781) section for a related discussion of how these
options are used.

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Application Interface

Selection Tab
The Selection tab facilitates the selection of geometric and/or mesh entities either through graphical
picking or through some criterion-based selection feature, such as size or location.

Note:

The tab's functionality uses ANSYS ACT. The relevant python modules (selection.py
and toolbar.py) are available for review in the install folder:
aisol/DesignSpace/DSPages/Python.

This tab contains the following Groups.

• Named Selections (p. 42)

• Extend To (p. 42)

• Select (p. 43)

• Convert To (p. 45)

• Walk (p. 46)

Named Selections
Highlighted below, the Named Selections group enables you to select, add to, and remove items
from existing user-defined named selections as well as modify visibility and suppression states. See
the Applying Named Selections via the Ribbon (p. 782) section for detailed description of the options.

Extend To
Highlighted below, the Extend To group enables you to add adjacent faces or edges, within angle
tolerance, to the currently selected face or edge set, or adds tangent faces or edges within angle
tolerance, to the currently selected face or edge set. See the Extend To (p. 175) topic for additional
information about these options.

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Select
Highlighted below, the Select group provides options for making and/or manipulating geometry se-
lections.

Note:

Many of these options are also available from the Select By menu on the Graphics Tool-
bar (p. 49).

Option Description
Mesh by Once you have generated the mesh for your model, you can use this option to open a
Id dialog that enables you to select mesh nodes and mesh elements using their IDs. This
feature is modeless and therefore enables you to work with the user interface while the
dialog box is displayed. This feature is also available from the context (right-click) menu,
Select Mesh by ID (M), in the Geometry window. You can also activate the feature using
the M key, when the Geometry window has focus. See the Selecting Nodes and Elements
by ID (p. 189) section for more information.
Location This option displays a drop-down menu of the following options:

• Select All Entities With the Same X Location: The application adds all geometry entities
Note: in the model with the same X location in the Global Coordinate System as the current
selection to the current selection.
For
a • Select All Entities With the Same Y Location: The application adds all geometry entities
line in the model with the same Y location in the Global Coordinate System as the current
body selection to the current selection.
geometry,
the • Select All Entities With the Same Z Location: The application adds all geometry entities
location in the model with the same Z location in the Global Coordinate System as the current
is selection to the current selection.
estimated
as
the
weighted
arithmetic
mean
of
the
centroids
of
its
edges.
The
weight
is

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Application Interface

Option Description

based
on
the
edge
lengths.

Size This option displays a drop-down menu of the following options:

• Select All Entities With the Same Size: The application adds all geometry entities in the
model with the same size as the current selection to the current selection.

• Select All Entities Smaller than Selection: The application adds all geometry entities in
the model that are smaller than the current selection added to the current selection.

• Select All Entities Smaller than: The application displays a dialog box that enables you
to specify the type of geometric entity as well as a reference value.

The Select drop-down menu default option is Bodies. The application overrides this default
if you have actively selected edges or faces. The default of the Value field equals the size
of the current selection. The application adds all entities in the model for the given type
that are smaller than the reference value to the current selection.

Note that the units are based on the active unit system when the dialog was first
launched and the type of entity.

• Select All Entities Larger than Selection: The application adds all geometry entities in
the model that are larger than the current selection to the current selection.

• Select All Entities Larger than: The application displays a dialog box (shown above) that
enables you to specify the type of geometric entity as well as a reference value. The
application adds all entities in the model for the given type that are larger than the reference
value to the current selection. The units are based on the active unit system .

Note:

These options are also available from the Select By > Size menu on the
Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

Invert This option selects all entities (e.g. face, edge, etc.) that are not currently selected. The
option only selects entities of the same type. For example, if you have a face selected and
select Invert, the application selects all the faces on your model except the face that you
had selected.

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 Ribbon

Option Description
Common This option selects common edges of selected faces.
Edges
Cylindrical This option selects all faces on the model that are cylindrical (they do not need to be full
Faces cylinders).
Shared This option displays a drop-down menu of options, including, All Edges and All Faces.
Topology These options select any edge or face on the interior of a multi-body part.
Same This option selects all bodies with the same Material Assignment as the currently selected
Material body.
Grow This option selects all elements adjacent to your current element selection. This option
Element effectively grows the element selection by one layer of elements.

Set Tolerances
Included in the Select group, and highlighted below, the Set Tolerance option enables you to launch
a dialog to set tolerances.

Selecting the Set Tolerances option opens a dialog box that enables you to specify a search tolerance
for your geometric entity selections. The dialog fields include Zero Tolerance and Relative Tolerance.

Note:

Tolerance settings are only applicable when using the Select All Entities With Same Size
option or a Location option (see above).

By default, the Zero Tolerance property is set to 1.e-08 and the Relative Tolerance value is 0.001.
Relative tolerance is a multiplying factor applied to comparisons. For example, if you want a tolerance
of 1%, enter .01 in the Relative Tolerance field. Tolerance values are dimensionless. All comparisons
are done in the CAD unit system. Review the Adjusting Tolerance Settings for Named Selections by
Worksheet Criteria (p. 764) topic in the Specifying Named Selections using Worksheet Criteria section for
additional information.

Convert To
Highlighted below, you use the Covert To group to change (convert) your currently selected geometric
entity or mesh item to a different geometric entity or mesh item.

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Application Interface

This group includes the following options:

• Bodies: This option selects all bodies associated with your current selection of either faces, edges,
vertices, elements, or nodes. The selection mode automatically changes to Body selection.

• Faces: This option selects all Faces associated with your current selection of either bodies, edges,
vertices, elements, or nodes. For example, if your selection is a body or bodies, all faces on that body
will be selected. The selection mode automatically changes to Face selection.

• Edges: This option selects all Edges associated with your current selection of bodies, faces, vertices,
elements, or nodes. For example, if vertices are selected, any edges associated with the vertices will
be selected. The selection mode automatically changes to Edge selection.

• Vertices: This option selects all Vertices associated with your current selection of either bodies, faces,
edges, elements, or nodes. The selection mode automatically changes to Vertex selection.

Note:

These options are also available from the Convert menu on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

Walk
The Walk group enables you to highlight and zoom in the geometric entities of your model. Once
you select more than one geometric entity (using Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) options) from the Geometry
window and the select Start option of the group, the application automatically highlights and zooms
in on each entity in turn as you use the navigation options. The feature supports body, face, edge,
and vertex selection.

Once you have made selections and selected the Start option, the application caches each selected
entity into memory. You then use the navigation options (Previous/Next/First/Last) to step through
your selections. The cached selections are maintained until you make new selections and click the
Start option.

Tip:

When the Geometry window has focus, the Select All (or [Ctrl]+[A]) context (right-click)
menu option can be useful when using this feature.

Automation Tab
The Automation tab provides productivity and customization features.

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Tools
Highlighted below, the Tools group contains an option to launch the Object Generator (p. 1931) as
well as the Run Macro option that opens a dialog box to locate a desired script file. Macros can be
written in the Python (.py) programming language. For additional information, refer to the Scripting
in Mechanical Quick Start Guide.

Mechanical
Highlighted below, the Scripting option of the Mechanical group launches Mechanical Scripting
pane.

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Application Interface

Support
The group includes the following options:

• App Store: This option pens the ANSYS Application Store web site.

• Scripting: This option opens the Scripting Introduction Help page.

User Buttons
The User Buttons group enables you to create, edit, and manage custom options. Custom options
are added to this group when created. See the Creating User Defined Buttons (p. 90) section for more
information.

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 Graphics Toolbar

Graphics Toolbar
The Graphics toolbar sets the selection/manipulation mode for the cursor in the window. The toolbar
also provides commands for modifying a selection or for modifying the viewpoint. The default display
(undocked) of the toolbar is illustrated below. You can turn this toolbar on and off using the Graphics
Toolbar option in the Manage option's drop-down menu located in the Layout (p. 12) group on the
Home tab.

You can add or remove options from this toolbar using the Customization Menu shown below. You
access this menu using the down-arrow drop-down menu at the far end of the toolbar.

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Application Interface

Customization Option Description

Menu
Previous/Next To return to the last view displayed in the
Geometry window, click the Previous View
button on the toolbar. By continuously
clicking you can see the previous views in
consecutive order.

After displaying previous views in the

Geometry window, click the Next View
button on the toolbar to scroll forward to
the original view.
Shaded Exteriors and Edges Displays the model in the Geometry window
with shaded exteriors and distinct edges. This
option cannot be used in combination with
either the Shaded Exterior or Wireframe views.
Shaded Exteriors Displays the model in the Geometry window
with shaded exteriors only. This option cannot
be used in combination with either the Shaded
Exterior and Edges or Wireframe views.
Wireframe Enable the Wireframe display mode. The model
displays in the Geometry window with a
wireframe display rather than a shaded
(recommended for seeing gaps in surface
bodies) display. The Wireframe option not only
applies to geometry, mesh, or named selections
displayed as a mesh, but extends to probes,
results, and variable loads to enable a better
understanding of regions of interest. When set,
just the exterior faces of the meshed models are
shown, not the interior elements. Selecting any
of the edges options (p. 29) on contour results
automatically closes Wireframe mode.

Note:

When active, green scoping is

not drawn on probes. Also,
elements are shown on probes
and results, whereas the outline
of the mesh is shown on isoline
contour results.

Show Mesh Display the model's mesh. Enabling this option

displays the model’s mesh regardless of the
selected tree object. When enabled, to make
sure that Annotations display properly, also turn
on Wireframe mode. See Note below.
Rotate Activates the model Rotate feature. Free rotation
is the default behavior. See the rotation topic

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 Graphics Toolbar

Customization Option Description

Menu
in the Manipulating the Model in the Geometry
Window section for additional options associated
with this selection.
Pan Reposition your model laterally in the Geometry
window.
Zoom Displays a closer view of the body by dragging
the mouse cursor vertically toward the top of
the Geometry window, or displays a more
distant view of the body by dragging the mouse
cursor vertically toward the bottom of the
Geometry window.
Zoom To Fit Fit the entire model in the Geometry window.
Zoom To Selection Zoom in on the currently selected item in the
Geometry window.
Toggle Magnifier Window On/Off Displays a Magnifier Window, which is a shaded
box that functions as a magnifying glass,
enabling you to zoom in on portions of the
model. When you toggle the Magnifier Window
on, you can:

• Pan the Magnifier Window across the model

by holding down the left mouse button and
dragging the mouse.

• Increase the zoom of the Magnifier Window by

adjusting the mouse wheel, or by holding down
the middle mouse button and dragging the
mouse upward.

• Recenter or resize the Magnifier Window using

a right mouse button click and choosing an
option from the context menu. Recenter the
window by choosing Reset Magnifier. Resizing
options include Small Magnifier, Medium
Magnifier, and Large Magnifier for preset
sizes, and Dynamic Magnifier Size On/Off for
gradual size control accomplished by adjusting
the mouse wheel.

Standard model zooming, rotating, and picking

are disabled when you use the Magnifier
Window.
Select Label only.
Mode Display a drop-down menu of options that
define how geometry, node, or element
selections are made:

• Single Select

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Customization Option Description

Menu
• Box Select

• Box Volume Select

• Lasso Select

• Lasso Volume Select

These options are used in conjunction with

the selection filters (p. 172) (Vertex, Edge,
Face, Body, Node, Element)

Note:

Selection shortcuts:

• When you place your cursor within

the Geometry window, you can
change your selection mode from
Single Select to Box Select by
holding the right mouse button
and then clicking the left mouse
button.

• When you place your cursor within

the Geometry window, and given
a generated mesh, and the Node
or Element selection option is
active, holding the right mouse
button and then clicking the left
mouse button scrolls through the
available selection options (single
section, box selection, box volume,
lasso, lasso volume).

Smart Select For Single Select mode, use this option to select
or highlight vertices, edges, and faces on the
model without needing to specify a selection
filter (Vertex, Edge, or Face). Use the [Ctrl] key
or hold down the left-mouse button to select
multiple entities. When you make a selection,
an icon displays that enables you to select the
parent body for the current selection(s). This
option supports the Select All, Zoom To
Selection, and Mini Selection Toolbar (p. 174)
features. This option does not currently support
depth picking (p. 171).
Vertex Activate Vertex geometry selection option.

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 Graphics Toolbar

Customization Option Description

Menu
Edge Activate Edge geometry selection option.
Face Activate Face geometry selection option.
Body Activate Body geometry selection option.
Node Activate Node mesh selection option.
Element Face Activate Element Face mesh selection option.
Element Activate Element mesh selection option.
Hit Point Coordinate Available only if you are setting a location, for
example, a local coordinate system. This option
enables the exterior coordinates of the model
to display adjacent to the cursor and updates
the coordinate display as the cursor is moved
across the model. If you click with the cursor on
the model, a label displays the coordinates of
that location. This feature is functional on faces
only. It is not functional on edges or line bodies.
Label Enables you to move and place the label (p. 205)
of a load anywhere on the scoping of the load.
Direction Chooses a direction by selecting a single face,
two vertices, or a single edge (enabled only
when Direction field in the Details view has
focus). See Pointer Modes (p. 169).
All Select all geometric entities of your model based
on the current selection filter type (vertex, edge,
face, or body). Ctrl+A also performs this action.
Invert Automatically select entities of the same type
(e.g. face, edge, etc.) that are not currently
selected. Any selection made before selecting
this option is removed.
Clipboard Display the Clipboard (p. 55) drop-down menu.
This feature that enables you to make geometry
and mesh selections in the Geometry window.
Clipboard Information To help you keep track of what is contained in
the Clipboard, once you make selections (or add
or change) the Clipboard menu displays the
current number of entities contained in the
Clipboard, such as 1 Body, as illustrated above.
When no selections are contained in the
Clipboard, this field contains the text string
"Empty." Also note that the status bar displays
active Geometry window selections.
Extend Adds adjacent faces (or edges) within angle
tolerance, to the currently selected face (or
edge) set, or adds tangent faces (or edges)
within angle tolerance, to the currently selected
face (or edge) set. See the Extend Selection
Menu (p. 175) topic for additional information

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Customization Option Description

Menu
about these options.
Select By Display a drop-down menu of selection options.
See the Select group topic (p. 43) in the
Selection Tab (p. 42) section for more
information.
Convert Display a drop-down menu of options to change
your currently selected geometric entity or mesh
item to a different geometric entity or mesh
item. See the Convert To group topic (p. 45) in
the Selection Tab (p. 42) section for more
information.
Viewports Split the Geometry window into multiple
windows (p. 194).
Sync Viewports Synchronize the Viewports display in each
window to reorient/move (pan, zoom, rotate)
your model in each window simultaneously.
Front/Back/Right/Left/Top/Bottom These options reorient the display of your
model.
Reset Toolbar Reset the Graphics Toolbar to the default display
configuration.

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Customization Option Description

Menu

Note:

As illustrated below, annotations may not always display properly when the Show Mesh
option is activated. Turning on Wireframe mode accurately displays Annotations when Show
Mesh is selected.

Clipboard Menu
The Clipboard menu is a selection feature that enables you to make geometry and mesh selections
in the Geometry window.

Using the options of this menu, you can create, change, add to, and overwrite the selections of the
Clipboard. This feature enables you to select only one type of geometric (face/edge/body/vertex) or
mesh (node/element) entity at a time. Once you have made your desired selections and included
them in the Clipboard, these selections are available for use during your analysis. When desired, use
the menu option Select Items in Clipboard in order to activate your clipboard selections. You can
also change active selections using the menu options Add Clipboard to Selection or Remove Clip-
board from Selection.

To help you keep track of what is contained in the Clipboard, once you make selections (or add or
change) the Clipboard menu displays the current number of entities contained in the Clipboard,
such as [1 Edge], as illustrated above. When no selections are contained in the Clipboard, this field

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Application Interface

contains the text string "Empty." Also note that the status bar (p. 80) displays active Geometry window
selections.

Note:

This feature does not currently support Element Face selection.

The Clipboard menu contains the following options:

• Add Selection to Clipboard: This option adds your current selection to the existing selection(s)
contained in the clipboard. Default hotkey: Ctrl+Q.

• Remove Selection from Clipboard: This option removes your current selection from the existing
selection(s) contained in the clipboard. Default hotkey: Ctrl+W.

• Clear Clipboard: This option clears clipboard selections. Default hotkey: Ctrl+R

• Select Items in Clipboard: This option replaces your current selection with the selection contained
in the clipboard.

• Add Clipboard to Selection: This option adds the selection contained in the clipboard to your cur-
rently selected geometry or mesh.

• Remove Clipboard from Selection: This option removes the selection contained in the clipboard
from your currently selected geometry or mesh.

Outline
You use the Outline pane to define the attributes of your simulation. The order of the objects in the
Outline matches the general sequence of the steps (p. 217) to perform a simulation. Often an object
contains subordinate or child objects. Child objects relate to and support the function of the parent
object. For example, an analysis environment object, such as Static Structural, contains objects that
specify loads and supports.

The following is an example of the Outline window pane:

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 Outline

Refer to the Objects Reference (p. 1939) section for a listing and description of all of the objects available
in the application.

Important:

If your analysis includes an exceptionally large number of objects, the Outline content may
appear incomplete. The application has a display limitation of 65,536 objects. If the number
of objects exceeds this threshold, any additional objects are not displayed.

Note:

Numbers preceded by a space at the end of an object's name are ignored. This is especially
critical when you copy objects or duplicate object branches. For example, if you name two
force loads as Force 1 and Force 2, then copy the loads to another analysis environment,
the copied loads are automatically renamed Force and Force 2. However, if you rename the
loads as Force_1 and Force_2, the copied loads retain the same names as the two original
loads.

Contextual Options
Each Outline object provides contextual (right-click) menus related to the object. A variety of options
are available from the context menu and the options vary depending upon the object that is selected,
but common selections are typically presented, such as the ability to rename an object. You can rename
objects individually using the Rename option when only one object is selected or you can select multiple
objects and use the Rename All option. The Rename All option enables you to rename the objects
with sequential numbers appended to the name or you can simply rename all of them the same name.

Object Details
Selecting an object in the Outline displays attributes and controls for the selected object in the Details
view (p. 67). The Geometry window displays your CAD model and, based on the object selected, displays
pertinent information about object specifications and how they relate to the displayed geometry.

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Tree Filter and Options

The Tree Filter feature is used to filter the tree for objects or tags matching specified search terms. See
the Filtering the Tree (p. 63) section for more information.

Outline Topics
The following topics present further details related to the tree outline.
Understanding the Tree Outline
Correlating Tree Outline Objects with Model Characteristics
Suppressing Objects
Filtering the Tree
Searching the Tree

Understanding the Tree Outline

The Tree Outline uses the following conventions:

• Icons appear to the left of objects in the tree. Their intent is to provide a quick visual reference to the
identity of the object. For example, icons for part and body objects (within the Geometry object folder)
can help distinguish solid, surface and line bodies.

• A symbol to the left of an item's icon indicates that it contains associated subitems. Click to expand the
item and display its contents.

• To collapse all expanded items at once, double-click the Project name at the top of the tree.

• Drag-and-drop function to move and copy objects.

• To delete a tree object from the Outline (p. 56), right-click on the object and select Delete. A confirmation
dialog asks if you want to delete the object.

• Filter tree contents and expand the tree by setting a filter (p. 63) and then clicking the Expand on Refresh
button.

Status Symbols
As described below, a small status icon displays to the left of the object icon in the Outline (p. 56).

Status Symbol
Symbol Example
Name
A load requires a nonzero magnitude.
Underdefined

Error Load attachments may break during an Update.

Mapped Face or Face could not be mapped meshed, or mesh of face pair could
Match Control not be matched.
Failure

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 Outline

Status Symbol
Symbol Example
Name
The object is defined properly and/or any specific action
Ok
on the object is successful.
Needs to be Equivalent to "Ready to Answer!"
Updated
A body or part is hidden.
Hidden

The symbol appears for a meshed body within the Geometry

Meshed folder, or for a multibody part whose child bodies are all
meshed.
An object is suppressed.
Suppress

Yellow lightning bolt: Item has not yet been solved.

Green lightning bolt: Solve in progress.

Green check mark: Successful solution.

Red lightning bolt: Failed solution. An overlaid pause icon

Solve indicates the solution could resume with the use of restart
points (p. 1724).

Green down arrow: Successful background solution (p. 1715)

ready for download.

Red down arrow: Failed background solution (p. 1715) ready

for download.

Note:

The state of an environment folder can be similar to the state of a Solution folder. The
solution state can indicate either solved (check mark) or not solved (lightning bolt) depend-
ing on whether or not an input file has been generated.

Status Coloring
In addition to the status icons, you may see objects highlighted in orange to indicate that there is a
potential problem related to the object or to a child-object. Objects highlighted in orange have a
corresponding message in the Messages window (p. 128). You can turn this feature off using the Op-
tions (p. 138) dialog box (see the Miscellaneous (p. 150) category).

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Also see Outline (p. 56).

Correlating Tree Outline Objects with Model Characteristics

The Go To feature provides you with instant visual correlation of objects in the tree outline as they
relate to various characteristics of the model displayed in the Geometry window.

To activate this feature, right-click anywhere in the Geometry window, choose Go To, then choose
an option in the context menu. In some cases (see table below), you must select geometry prior to
choosing the Go To feature. The resulting objects that match the correlation are highlighted in the
tree outline and the corresponding geometry is highlighted on the model.

For example, you can identify contact regions in the tree that are associated with a particular body
by selecting the geometry of interest and choosing the Contacts for Selected Bodies option. The
contact region objects associated with the body of the selected items will be highlighted in the tree
and the contact region geometry will be displayed on the model.

Several options are filtered and display only if specific conditions exist within your analysis. The Go
To options are presented in the following table along with descriptions and conditions under which
they appear in the context menu.

Go To Option Description / Application Required Conditions for Option

to Appear
Corresponding Bodies in Identifies body objects in the tree At least one vertex, edge, face, or
Tree that correspond to selections in body is selected.
the Geometry window.
Hidden Bodies in Tree Identifies body objects in the tree At least one body is hidden.
that correspond to hidden bodies
in the Geometry window.
Suppressed Bodies in Identifies body objects in the tree At least one body is suppressed.
Tree that correspond to suppressed
bodies in the Geometry window.
Bodies Without Contacts Identifies bodies that are not
in Tree in contact with any other
bodies. More than one body in an
assembly.
When you are working with
complex assemblies of more
than one body, it is helpful

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 Outline

Go To Option Description / Application Required Conditions for Option

to Appear
to find bodies that are not
designated to be in contact
with any other bodies, as
they generally cause
problems for a solution
because they are prone to
rigid body movements.
Parts Without Contacts Identifies parts that are not
in Tree in contact with any other
parts.

When you are working with

complex assemblies of more
than one multibody part, it
is helpful to find parts that
are not designated to be in
contact with any other parts.
For example, this is useful
when dealing with shell
More than one part in an
models which can have parts
assembly.
that include many bodies
each. Using this feature is
preferred over using the
Bodies Without Contact in
Tree option when working
with multibody parts mainly
because contact is not a
typical requirement for
bodies within a part. Such
bodies are usually connected
by shared nodes at the time
of meshing.
Contact Sizing Common Identifies Contact Sizing
to Selected Bodies controls that exist between
the selected bodies.
Two bodies are selected.
This option may be useful
when you want to delete
common contact sizing
controls.
Contacts for Selected Identifies contact region objects
Bodies in the tree that are associated
with selected bodies. At least one vertex, edge, face, or
Contacts Common to Identifies contact region objects body is selected.
Selected Bodies in the tree that are shared among
selected bodies.

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Go To Option Description / Application Required Conditions for Option

to Appear
Joints for Selected Identifies joint objects in the tree
Bodies that are associated with selected
bodies.
Joints Common to Identifies joint objects in the tree
Selected Bodies that are shared among selected
bodies.
Springs for Selected Identifies spring objects in the
Bodies tree that are associated with
selected bodies.
Mesh Controls for Identifies mesh control objects in
Selected Bodies the tree that are associated with
selected bodies.
Mesh Connections for Highlights Mesh Connection At least one vertex, edge, face, or
Selected Bodies objects in the tree that are body is selected and at least one
associated with the selection. mesh connection exists.
Mesh Connections Highlights Mesh Connection At least one vertex, edge, face, or
Common to Selected objects in the tree that are shared body is selected.
Bodies among selected bodies.
Field Bodies in Tree Identifies enclosure objects in the At least one body is an enclosure.
tree that are associated with
selected bodies.
Bodies With One Identifies bodies in the tree At least one body with one
Element Through the with one element in at least element in at least two directions
Thickness two directions (through the (through the thickness).
thickness).

This situation can produce

invalid results when used
with reduced integration.
See At Least One Body Has
Been Found to Have Only 1
Element (p. 2259) in the
troubleshooting section for
details.
Thicknesses for Selected Identifies objects with defined At least one face with defined
Faces thicknesses in the tree that are thickness is selected.
associated with selected faces.
Body Interactions for Identifies body interaction objects At least one body interaction is
Selected Bodies in the tree that are associated defined and at least on body is
with selected bodies. selected.
Body Interactions Identifies body interaction objects At least one body interaction is
Common to Selected in the tree that are shared with defined and at least on body is
Bodies selected bodies. selected.

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Suppressing Objects

Suppression Behaviors
Mechanical provides an option to suppress tree Outline (p. 56) objects. This feature enables you to
remove an individual object or multiple objects from the analysis. Any corresponding (scoped) objects
are also affected. For example, when you suppress a part, the application automatically removes the
part from the display, under-defines any object that is scoped to the part, and clears data from all
solution objects.

This can be useful when you are applying different types of loading conditions. You can quickly include
and/or remove conditions through suppression. Not all tree objects provide the suppression capability.

For child objects of the Geometry and the Environment objects: the application removes suppressed
objects from the solution process. You can also use the Grouping feature (p. 133) on the Geometry
object to select and suppress (and unsuppress) one or more objects.

For the Solution object: the application clears result data for suppressed objects and the object is
not included during any subsequent solution processing. You can use this feature to remove under-
defined result objects and/or perform comparisons for different result types.

How to Suppress or Unsuppress Objects

If available, set the Suppressed option in the Details view (p. 67) to Yes. Conversely, you can unsup-
press items by setting the Suppressed option to No.

You can also suppress/unsuppress these items through context menu options available via a right
mouse button click. Included is the context menu option Invert Suppressed Body Set, which enables
you to reverse the suppression state of all bodies (unsuppressed bodies become suppressed and
suppressed bodies become unsuppressed). You can suppress the bodies in a named selection using
either the context menu options mentioned above, or through the Named Selection (p. 42) group.

Another way to suppress a body is by selecting it in the Geometry window, then using a right mouse
button click in the Geometry window and choosing Suppress Body in the context menu. Conversely,
the Unsuppress All Bodies option is available for unsuppressing bodies. Options are also available
in this menu for hiding or showing bodies. Hiding a body only removes the body from the display.
A hidden body is still active in the analysis.

Filtering the Tree

At the top of the Outline pane is the Tree Filter option. As illustrated below, this option has a search
feature as well as associated filter options. The search feature filters objects based on criteria. The
filter options can be hidden by right-clicking on a non-interactive region of the Outline pane, on the
pane's title bar, or using the drop-down (arrow) menu on the pane's title bar.

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Filtering options include the following:

Filter Type Description

Name Filters the tree for or removes one or more specified search terms.
Tag Filters for tree objects marked with one or more specified tag names. See the Tagging
Objects (p. 1936) section.
Type Provides a drop-down list of objects for which you can filter. The options include:

• All - this default option displays all tree objects and requires you to make a selection
to initiate the filter process.

• Results

• Boundary Conditions

• Connections

• Commands

State Provides a drop-down list of filters for a selected state. State options include:

• All states

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 Outline

Filter Type Description

• Suppressed

• Not Licensed

• Underdefined

• Ignored

Coordinate Provides a drop-down list of all coordinate systems in the tree. You can choose
System to filter All coordinate system objects or you can select an individual coordinate
system object. The filter displays all objects within the tree that employ the
individually selected coordinate system.

Note:

All coordinate systems display in the filter. There are cases where an
object does not have a coordinate system property in its Details view,
but it does have an associated coordinate system as a requirement.
As a result, it may appear as though an unaccounted for coordinate
system is present. This is especially true for the Global Coordinate
System.

Model Provides a drop-down list of all source models (External Model, Mechanical
Model, etc., including the source model's cell ID) that create an assembly. You
can choose to filter All source models or you can select a specific model. The
current system is the first item. This feature is only supported for models
assembled in ANSYS Mechanical 2020 R1 or greater.
Graphics The default option, All, displays all tree objects. The Visible Bodies option filters
the tree so that only visible bodies and objects associated with any visible body
display. Objects independent of geometry, that is, those that do not require
scoping, are always shown (e.g. Analysis Settings). The default setting for this
selection can be modified using the Options dialog box. See the Specifying
Options (p. 138) section of the Help under Visibility (p. 156).
Environment For an analysis with multiple environments, this selection provides a drop-down list
of all of the system's environments. You can choose to filter All (default) environments
or you can select a specific environment. Once selected, all objects specific to the
environment are displayed in the tree.
Scoping The default option, All, displays all tree objects. The Partial option filters the tree
to only show objects that have partial scoping. These objects require your attention
because scoping was lost due to upstream geometry updates.

Note:

Performing a search for an object that does not exist in the tree results in all objects
being displayed.

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Tree Filter Options

The filter options perform the following actions.

Refresh Search
Refreshes the search criteria that you have specified following changes to the environment.

Clear Search
Clear the filter and returns the tree to the full view.

Remove
Turned off by default. Depressing this button turns the feature on and off. When active, it removes the
objects in question from the tree display.

Expand on Refresh
Selecting this option enables filtering updates to automatically display. The default setting is off. Select
the button to turn the feature on and off. This option can be configured so that the filter will be auto-
matically applied when bodies are hidden or shown. See the Specifying Options (p. 138) section of the
Help under Visibility (p. 156).

Hide Folders
Selecting this option hides all grouping objects present in the tree. The default setting is off. Select the
button to turn the feature on and off. If active, the grouping feature (p. 133) is unavailable and the tree
displays in the default view, i.e., no grouping.

Sort Ascending
Selecting this option sorts tree objects in alphanumeric order. This excludes most parent objects such
as Geometry, Coordinate Systems, Connections, and Named Selections objects, however, child objects
are sorted. For example, selecting this option would sort all contact regions, user- or system defined
named selections, loading conditions, results, etc., in alphanumeric precedence.

Using the Filter Feature

To filter the Outline:

1. Select a filter type:

• Name

• Tag

• Type

• State

• Coordinate System

• Model

• Graphics

• Environment

• Scoping

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 Details View

2. For Name and Tag, enter one or more search terms. For the other filters, select an option from the
drop-down list to further specify your inquiry.

3. Click the Refresh Search button (or press Enter) to execute your search. If you want to eliminate content
from the tree, click the Remove button and then click Refresh Search to remove the requested objects.

4. When searching, the tree displays only objects matching your search criteria. If you enter multiple search
terms, the tree shows only objects matching all of the specified terms. When removing objects, the re-
quested objects do not display.

Searching the Tree

The Find In Tree option provided through the Edit Menu (or F3 key) enables you to search tree
objects whose names match your search criteria. The search tool is illustrated below.

Once you make an entry and click the Find button, the application highlights the first instance of
the search string. The application will cycle through (highlight) each instance of the string as you
continue to press the Find button. Furthermore, this cycle is sensitive to the order in which objects
were generated, created, or renamed.

Search options may be case sensitive and you can search tree objects for all instances of a name/text-
based string. The application highlights all objects in your specified string when you select the Find
all matching objects option.

Details View
The Details view is located in the bottom left corner of the window. It provides you with information
and details that pertain to the object selected in the Outline (p. 56). Some selections require you to
input information (e.g., force values, pressures). Some selections are drop-down dialogs, which allow
you to select a choice. Fields may be grayed out. These cannot be modified.

The following example illustrates the Details view for the object called Geometry.

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For more information, see:

Features (p. 69)
Header (p. 69)
Categories (p. 70)
Undefined or Invalid Fields (p. 70)

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 Details View

Decisions (p. 70)

Text Entry (p. 72)
Numeric Values (p. 73)
Ranges (p. 73)
Increments (p. 74)
Geometry (p. 74)
Exposing Fields as Parameters (p. 75)
Options (p. 75)

Features
The Details view enables you to enter information that is specific to each section of the Tree Outline.
It automatically displays details for branches such as Geometry, Model, Connections, etc. Features of
the Details view include:

• Collapsible bold headings.

• Dynamic cell background color change.

• Row selection/activation.

• Auto-sizing/scrolling.

• Sliders for range selection.

• Combo boxes for boolean or list selection.

• Buttons to display dialog box (e.g. browse, color picker).

• Apply / Cancel buttons for geometry selection.

• Obsolete items are highlighted in red.

Header
The header identifies the control and names the current object.

The header is not a windows title bar; it cannot be moved.

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Categories
Category fields extend across both columns of the Details Pane:

This allows for maximum label width and differentiates categories from other types of fields. To expand
or collapse a category, double-click the category name.

Undefined or Invalid Fields

Fields whose value is undefined or invalid are highlighted in yellow:

Decisions
Decision fields control subsequent fields and/or properties:

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 Details View

The properties associated with decision-based fields often provide a drop-down list of options, such as
the list of Named Selections shown here.

You can search these option-based fields. For example and as illustrated below, an "A" was entered in
the field and the application filtered all of the options that included that letter. This search feature is
not case sensitive. And, you can change disable this capability (turned on by default) under the UI
Controls category of the Miscellaneous Options (p. 150).

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Note:

The left column always adjusts to fit the widest visible label. This provides maximum space
for editable fields in the right column. You can adjust the width of the columns by dragging
the separator between them.

Text Entry
Text entry fields may be qualified as strings, numbers, or integers. Units are automatically removed and
replaced to facilitate editing:

Inappropriate characters are discarded (for example, typing a Z in an integer field). A numeric field
cannot be entered if it contains an invalid value. It is returned to its previous value.

Separator Clarification

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 Details View

Some languages use “separators” within numerical values whose meanings may vary across different
languages. For example, in English the comma separator [,] indicates “thousand” (“2,300” implies “two
thousand three hundred”), but in German the comma separator indicates “decimal” (“2,300” implies
“two and three tenths”, equivalent to “2.300” in English). To avoid misinterpretation of numerical values
you enter that include separators, you are asked to confirm such entries before they are accepted.

For example, in English, if you enter “2,300”, you receive a message stating the following:

“Entered value is 2,300. Do you want to accept the correction proposed below?

2300

To accept the correction, click Yes.

To close this message and correct the number yourself, click No.

Note:

If an invalid entry is detected, an attempt is made to interpret the entry as numerical and
you receive the message mentioned above if an alternate value is found. If an invalid value
is entered, for example "a1.3.4", and no numerical alternative is found, the entry is rejected
and the previous value is re-displayed.

Numeric Values
You can enter numeric expressions in the form of a constant value or expression, tabular data, or a
function. See Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437) for further information.

Ranges
If a numeric field has a range, a slider appears to the right of the current value:

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If the value changes, the slider moves; if the slider moves the value updates.

Increments
If a numeric field has an increment, a horizontal up/down control appears to the right of the current
value:

The arrow button controls behave the same way a slider does.

Geometry
Geometry fields filter out inappropriate selection modes. For example, a bearing load can only be scoped
to a face. Geometries other than face will not be accepted.

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 Details View

Direction fields require a special type of selection:

Clicking Apply locks the current selection into the field. Other gestures (clicking Cancel or selecting a
different object or field) do not change the field's preexisting selection.

Exposing Fields as Parameters

A P appears beside the name of each field that may be treated as a parameter. Clicking the box exposes
the field as a parameter. For more information, see Parameterizing a Variable (p. 76).

Options
Option fields allow you to select one item from a short list. Options work the same way as De-
cisions (p. 70), but don't affect subsequent fields. Options are also used for boolean choices (true/false,
yes/no, enabled/disabled, fixed/free, etc.) Double-clicking an option automatically selects the next item
down the list.

Selecting an option followed by an ellipsis causes an immediate action.

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Parameterizing a Variable
Variables that you can parameterize display in the interface with a check box. Clicking the check box
displays a blue capital "P", as illustrated below.

The boxes that appear in the Mechanical application apply only to the Parameter Workspace. Checking
or clearing these boxes will have no effect on which CAD parameters are transferred to Design Explor-
ation.

For more information, see Setting Parameters (p. 1837).

Geometry Window
The Geometry window/tab displays a 3D graphical representation of your model. All view manipulation,
geometry selection, and graphics display of a model occurs in this window.

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 Geometry Window

The default components of the window, as illustrated above, include:

Legend
The information presented by the Legend varies, but in general, it provides information about the currently
selected object or objects as well as the analysis type, and includes annotations. For the above example,
a Fixed Support object is selected. The face to which the support is applied is shown via color coding.

You can reposition the legend by dragging and dropping it to a location in the window.

Scale Ruler
Based on the selected unit of measure, the ruler provides a reference for your geometry.

Triad
Shows the global XYZ coordinate triad. The axes are color-coded as follows:

• Red: X

• Green: Y

• Blue: Z

The Triad enables you to reorient the position of your model based on a desired axis as well as reset
the isometric view (light blue ball). If you move your cursor around the triad, you will see an arrow
appear that shows the direction that corresponds to the position of your cursor (+x, -x, +y, -y, +z,
-z). If you click the arrow, it changes your view so that the axis indicated by the arrow is facing
outward.

You can turn these options on and off using selections Show drop-down menu on the Display (p. 41)
group on the Display tab.

Full Screen Mode

Mechanical offers a full screen mode so that you can view and/or present the results of your analysis
by maximizing the Geometry window and hiding all other interface elements (by default). You activate
full screen mode by selecting the Full Screen option from the Layout (p. 12) group on the Home tab.
Or, you can use the F11 key when the Geometry window, the tree Outline, or the Details view have
focus. The tab option and the F11 key toggle the display on and/or off. Also note that you can use Key

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Assignments (p. 212) from when the Full Screen active to displays other interface panes, such as the
Outline, if desired.

Contextual Menu Options

Right-clicking the mouse in the Geometry window provides a context menu with a variety of options.
The common menu options are shown below. Usually, the menu displays additional options that are
based on the tree object that you have selected. For example, the Insert and Go To options shown
below are often available and their menu selections depend upon the tree object that is selected.

Filter Tree Based on Visible Bodies

Filters the tree so that only visible bodies and objects associated with any visible body display.

Isometric View
Displays your model in the default isometric view.

Set
This option enables you can define a custom isometric viewpoint based on the current viewpoint. That is,
you position your model where you would like it, using the other view options as desired, and then selecting
this option establishes a new Isometric View.

Restore Default
This option resets the Isometric View to the application default.

Zoom To Fit
Fits the entire model in the Geometry window.

Zoom To Selection
Zoom in on the currently selected item (geometry/mesh/etc.) in the Geometry window.

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Image to Clipboard (CtrlC)

For the Windows platform, this option performs a snapshot of whatever is currently displayed in the Geo-
metry window and copies it to the clipboard so that you can paste it into compatible applications. Default
image resolution settings can be changed using the Graphics Resolution option under the Graphics (p. 146)
preference.

Cursor Mode
This option provides a different method for selecting the cursor mode. See the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)
section of the Help for a description of each selection.

View
This option changes the viewpoint of your model. It operates much like the Triad.

Select All
Selects all items in the Model of the current selection filter type (vertex, edge, face, or body).

Select Mesh by ID (M)

This option enables you to select mesh nodes or elements using their ID (p. 189). This feature can be activated
with the M key when the Geometry window is active. And, it also provides an option to create Named Se-
lections for your selections.

Reset Body Colors

Reset the body colors back to the default color scheme.

Note:

As applicable and based on the object that you have selected in the tree, the contextual
menu also provides options specific to that object.

Discrete Legends in the Mechanical Application

The following additional legends are available based on the object you have selected in the application.

• Geometry Legend (p. 637) : Content is driven by Display Style selection in the Details view panel.

• Joint Legend (p. 1034) : Depicts the free degrees of freedom characteristic of the type of joint.

• Results Legend (p. 1692) : Content is accessible via the right mouse when the legend for a solved object in
the Solution folder is selected.

Displaying Shells for Large Deflections

The display of shells may become distorted for large deformations such as in large deflection, explicit
dynamics analyses, etc. A workaround is to disable shell thickness by toggling Thick Shells and Beams
option in the Style group (p. 35) of the Display tab. Or, set a Workbench variable,
UsePseudoShellDisp = 1, via the Variable Manager. It may be necessary to toggle the deformation
scaling (p. 25) from True Scale to Undeformed to True Scale again. Note that this option requires
True Scaling to work properly.

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Status Bar
The status bar is an area of the interface that provides information. This can include information about
the:

• Progress of a process.

• Dimensional measurement of a selected geometric entity, such as the length of an edge or the area of
a face.

• Application generated messages.

• Currently selected unit system.

Illustrated here, the status bar displays information panes. Generally, when information is available, you
can single-click a pane to display an associated menu or window. See the descriptions below for more
information.

Progress
This area of the status bar displays the progress of certain application processes. For example, the mesh
generation or solution process.

Progress Bar (Interrupt and Stop Options)

During an active process, the application displays a progress bar in the Progress pane. And, depending
on the process, it also provides an Interrupt (pause icon) option and/or Stop (red square icon) option.
An example of the progress of a solution is illustrated blow. It includes both the Interrupt and Stop
options.

Progress Tool Tips (via Mouse Over)

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 Status Bar

During an active process, if you hover your mouse over the progress bar, a button, or the description
(percentage, etc.) of the progress and process, a tool tip displays. An example of a mesh generation
process is shown below.

Note that a single-click on the Progress pane opens an associated progress window (shown here).
This window is the legacy progress display for Mechanical.

Note:

Using the UI Options (p. 157) preference setting Hide Progress Window, you can choose
to always display progress windows.

Message Display
The status bar provides an message display feature for the items (options, menus, etc.) of the Ribbon.
When you hover your mouse over an interface option, a message is displayed in the area to the right of
the Progress pane. An example of the message displayed when the mouse is placed over the Solve button
is shown below.

Application Generated Messages

The status bar contains a pane that displays whether there are application generated messages (errors,
warnings, and/or information). A single-click on the pane displays the Message window (p. 128).

Selection Information
The Selection Information pane displays information about the currently selected geometric entity or en-
tities. Such as area, length, or location. In the following example, the area of a single face is displayed.

A single-click on the pane displays the Selection Information (p. 111) window.

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Application Interface

Example Selection Information includes (but is not limited to):

• A selected node or element number if only one node/element is selected.

• The location of a node or vertex if one is selected.

• The combined volume of selected bodies, area of selected faces, and lengths of edges.

• The radius of a single circular edge or face that is selected.

• Angle between three nodes (always in degrees).

• The angle between two planar surfaces (always in degrees).

• The angle between two straight edges (always in degrees).

Note:

• If there is no associated information, the Selection Information pane indicates No Selection.

• Geometry calculations such as length and area are an approximation based on geometry
information contained in either the CAD data or graphics tessellation.

Units
This pane displays the currently selected Unit systems. Selecting this pane displays the Units menu (p. 11)
enabling you to change the current unit system.

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 Quick Launch

License Read-Only Mode

If you open a project in read-only mode, a pane displays indicating the condition.

Customize the Display

You can customize the display of the status bar using the context (right-click) menu, as illustrated here.

Quick Launch
The Quick Launch tool enables you to quickly find a desired function, feature, or interface option, and,
based on the search string, automatically insert or launch the desired item or highlight the pertinent
interface option. As you type in the Quick Launch search box, results display in the following categories:

• Ribbon (@rib): This category presents interface options available from all current tabs as well as the
current Context tab.

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Application Interface

• Context Tab (@ctx): This category presents search results for all the of the application’s Context tabs
(current or otherwise not displayed).

• Pane Toolbar (@too): This category presents search results for application features and options that
are contained in all application toolbars.

• Preferences (@opt): This category presents selections that open the Options dialog and automatically
displays the corresponding property, enabling you to modify its setting (default or current).

As listed above, each category has an accompanying shortcut (@rib, etc.). You can use these entries to
search within a desired category only. For example, the entry "@ribbon Mesh" searches for options and
features of the ribbon category related to the keyword Mesh.

In addition, when you highlight a listing in the Ribbon category, the accompanying text string "Take
me there" also displays. When selected, the "Take me there" feature tells the application to point to the
option on the interface and display a pop-window that describes the option. This feature is also available
for the Pane Toolbar and Context Tab categories. For the Context Tab category, it only displays when
an action can be performed on the currently selected object. For the Pane Toolbar category, it highlights
the search item on the interface.

As illustrated below, some search listings display as bold and others are greyed-out. Greyed-out listing
cannot be selected but suggest a potential path to your desired search item. Bold listings are selectable
and cause the application to automatically take action. Example actions include the application auto-
matically inserting or selecting an object in the Outline pane or highlighting a pertinent interface option.
Note that bold listings may require that you have an appropriate object selected in order to successfully
perform an action.

For example, if you have the Environment object selected and you search on "Pressure" and then select
the Pressure listing from the Quick Launch menu, a Pressure load is automatically inserted below the
Environment object. This is the same result as if you had performed the action via the Environment
Context tab.

Bold Listings

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 Help Menu

Greyed-Out Listings

Preference Listings

These selections open the Options dialog (p. 138).

Help Menu
The Help drop-down menu provides the following options.

Function Description
Mechanical Help Displays the Help system in another browser window.
Mechanical This option displays an illustrated review (via the File (p. 7) tab) of the release's
Highlights - new features and capabilities.
What's New?
(Windows Platform
Only)
Mechanical Re- Open the release notes for the version of the application that you are running.
lease Notes
Usage Tips This option opens a window that provides several instructional slides describing
the new features and functions of the current release.
Scripting - Quick This option links to the introductory documentation for application scripting
Start Guide capabilities.

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Application Interface

Function Description
ANSYS Product This option launches the dialog for the ANSYS Product Improvement Program and
Improvement enables you to either accept or decline the invitation to participate in the program.
Program
About Mechanical Provides copyright and application version information.

Ribbon Customization Options

The application offers features that enable you to modify the content of the tabs and the toolbar, in-
cluding:

• Customizing Ribbon Content (p. 86)

• Customizing Toolbars (p. 88)

Customizing Ribbon Content

The ribbon interface includes a Quick Access Toolbar that you can modify. It is located in the upper
felt corner of the window, right beside the Save icon (which is an option of the Quick Access Toolbar).
Selecting the drop-down menu option displays the following menu.

The options include:

• Show Below the Ribbon (or Show Above the Ribbon): Place the toolbar below the Tabs or return it
to its default position.

• Minimize the Ribbon: Hide/show the ribbon.

• Customize Quick Access Toolbar: This option displays the Customize dialog. This dialog enables you
to add options to the Quick Access Toolbar. See below (p. 87).

• Customize the Ribbon: modify the contents of the various tabs as well as create your own tabs and
option groups. See below (p. 87).

• Reset the Ribbon: Reset the interface contents to default display settings.

Also note that you can highlight an interface option, right-click, and a select Add to Quick Access
Toolbar to add the option.

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 Ribbon Customization Options

Customize Quick Access Toolbar

When you select the Customize Quick Access Toolbar option, the following dialog appears. As you
can see, the default Save option is already included. You select from the list of available commands to
Add/Remove options to the Quick Access Toolbar. You can select options from all available tabs using
the drop-down menu.

Customize the Ribbon

When you select the Customize the Ribbon option, the following dialog appears. A drop-down menu
of tabs is available for your selection and the corresponding commands.

You can add existing options to the Groups of the Main Tabs or you can create a new customized Tab
with custom Groups. Based on the Main Tab that you select in the right-side pane, if you create a New
Tab, it is placed immediately after the currently selected option.

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Note:

• You cannot remove system default tabs.

• If you deselected an ACT Extension in the Extension Manager or if the version of an extension is
updated, any customization of the extension’s Tab is automatically removed.

Customizing Toolbars
The various toolbars of the application (Graphics Toolbar (p. 49), Manage Views (p. 195), etc.) offer an
option to Add or Remove Buttons. You access this option using the down-arrow drop-down menu at
the far end of the toolbar. When you select the menu option Add or Remove Buttons, the options
Graphics (you use this selection to change the current toolbar) and Customize display. Selecting the
Customize option displays the following dialog.

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 Ribbon Customization Options

From this dialog, you create new graphic toolbars. The Toolbars option in the left pane is selected by
default. Select the New button. An entry pane displays for you define a name for your toolbar.

Once define the name, a blank toolbar displays.

At this point you must close the Customize dialog and detach the new toolbar from the interface so
that it is floating. Then, redisplay the Customize dialog, select the Commands option, and drag and
drop Commands from the desired Categories. You can further build your new toolbar using the New
Menu option that enables you to create a drop-down menu on the toolbar.

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Application Interface

Creating User-Defined Buttons

The User Buttons group enables you to create, edit, manage, export and import, your own toolbar
buttons. Selecting the Manage option opens the Button Editor.

This panel contains the following features and options:

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 Creating User-Defined Buttons

• Save: This option saves button information and publishes it into the user group.

• Import: This option enables you to open and import an existing Python (.py) file that specifies a button.
The content of the imported file populates the Button Editor dialog.

• Name: Enter a name (label) for the button.

• Collection Editor: The folder icon opens a panel that enables you to manage existing buttons. It contains
option to edit, export, or delete the button.

• Image: Select this icon to assign an image that to the button.

• Description: The description pane enables you to enter a description of what action the script performs
- it is a tooltip.

• Script: You enter your python script into this pane.

Example
Here is an example to create of a Pressure load. You can find this example in the ACT Console.

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Application Interface

The above example creates the following user-defined button.

Engineering Data Material Window

The Engineering Data components of Mechanical enable Engineering Data information to be accessed
and viewed within Mechanical. The available components include:

• Material Assignment (p. 93)

• Material View (p. 100)

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 Engineering Data Material Window

Material Assignment
The Engineering Data Materials pane is used to re search and select material(s) to assign to specific
application objects (p. 102) that require material assignment via the Assignment property. The pane
can be accessed from the fly-out menu of the property. For example, as shown here, Parts (and/or
Bodies) of the model require material assignment. By default, the pane lists favorites (star icon), recent
(clock icon) and current materials (material icon) of the Mechanical project. The search field (p. 93) can
be used to find materials which match all the search criteria, in combination with filtering options (p. 93).
A Material Card (p. 98) with common properties can be viewed or used to access the complete mater-
ial data to further assist in your search. When the desired material is found it can be clicked to assign.

Search Field

The Engineering Data Materials panel provides the search field to enter filtering criteria. Each word
in the field will be used to filter materials for selection (e.g. criteria1 criteria2 criteria3). To return to the
list of favorites, recent and project materials; type the Backspace key in the empty field.

Filtering Options

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Application Interface

The Engineering Data Materials panel provides for additional filtering options by selecting the filter
button (funnel icon). This displays the filtering options pane which allows selection of various filters.

On initial entry it is possible to show all the materials available to search by choosing Show All. Selections
can be made in each of the criteria-based drop-down groups to narrow your search and then clicking
on the Search button at the bottom of the panel. All criteria must be matched in a material for it to
be returned in the search. Note that choices in the groups will be filtered as you select to avoid
choosing invalid criteria. When available, clicking on Clear active filters will remove all filters.

Labels
The Labels group displays the labels attached to materials which correspond to industry-based categories
for ease of selection. These same labels can be typed into the search field. Note that not all materials will
be labeled.

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 Engineering Data Material Window

Libraries
The Libraries group displays those libraries available for the search. The available libraries can be modified
in the Settings Panel. Note that some libraries may be not available in your product.

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Models
The Models group enables you to filter to those materials which have the selected models.

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 Engineering Data Material Window

Property Ranges
The Property Ranges group allows you to enter a target value for a selected property to filter to those
materials having the property with a value in the range of the target. You may also drag the end points
to create a custom range as well. The values on the left and right first show the lower and upper range of
values for filtered materials.

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Material Card

As illustrated below, when you highlight a material, an information icon displays. Clicking this icon will
display the material card. The material card displays common properties to provide a quick overview
of the material. To view the complete details of the material, click on View Details. If you are ready to
assign the material to the selected object click Assign. Selecting the View Details link displays the
Material Assignment combined with the Material View.

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 Engineering Data Material Window

Engineering Data Settings

Selecting the Settings icon displays a Settings panel. The Active Libraries group enables you to choose
which libraries are active for searches. The default installation has libraries which are not active. You
can also add libraries from other locations to the active selections. The selected libraries are persisted
from session to session. Note that some libraries may be not available in your product.

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Material View
As illustrated below, when you select a Material object (p. 2110), the Material View displays for the ma-
terial, in this example, Structural Steel. This view enables you to review the material information, for
each material in Mechanical, and access edit mode.

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 Engineering Data Material Window

Heading Components

Color Block
The color of the block indicates the color that will be used to display this material in a model. An imported
material that doesn’t have a color will be assigned a random color.

Name
Th name of the material.

Edit
The edit (pencil) icon will navigate to the Engineering Data Workspace to allow data to be modified and/or
parameterized. Once the edit is completed the material must be refreshed in Mechanical. The refresh can
be accessed on the Materials group via right-click.

Label
The label tag will display the labels associated with a material when you hover to show the pop-up.

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Library
The library icon will display the library that the material belongs to when you hover to show the tooltip.

Material Model Data

For each material, the window displays data for the material model. This data can be a value or charted
data when there are field variables (S-N Curve). For variable data, you can select the graph to display addi-
tional data, such as the associated tabular data. The various material data is organized by physics type.
Collapsible headings for Structural, Thermal, Electric, and Magnetic are common physics types.

Objects Supporting Material Assignment

The following objects support material assignment:

• Analysis • Load Conditions

Ply
• Parts and Bodies
• Beam
Connection • Point Mass

• Bearing • Remote Point

• Contact • Spring
Region
• Surface Coating
• Delamination

• Joint

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 Preference Migration

Windows Management
The Mechanical interface contains window panes that house graphics, outlines, tables, object details,
and other views and controls. Window management features allow you to move, resize, tab-dock, and
auto-hide window panes. A window pane that is "tab-docked" is collapsed and displayed at the side of
the application interface. Auto-hide indicates that a window pane (or tab-docked group of panes)
automatically collapses when not in use.

Auto-Hiding
Panes are either pinned or unpinned . Toggle this state by clicking the icon in the pane title bar.
A pinned pane occupies space in the window. An unpinned pane collapses to a tab on the periphery
of the window when inactive.

To examine an unpinned pane, move the mouse pointer over the tab. This causes the pane to open
on top of any other open window panes. Holding the mouse pointer over the tab keeps the tab visible.
Clicking the tab activates the window pane (also causing it to remain visible). Pin the pane to restore
it to its open state.

Moving and Docking

Drag a window’s title bar to move and undock a window pane. Once you begin to drag the window,
a number of dock targets (blue-filled arrows and circle) appear in the interface window. At this point
you:

1. Move the mouse pointer over a target to preview the resulting location for the pane. Arrow targets indicate
adjacent locations; a circular target enables tab-docking of two or more panes (to share screen space).

2. Release the button on the target to move the pane. You can abort the drag operation by pressing the
ESC key.

Tip:

You can also double-click a window’s title bar to undock the window and move it freely
around the screen. Once undocked, you can resize the window by dragging its bor-
ders/corners.

Restore Original Window Layout

Select the Reset Layout option in the Layout group (p. 12) on the Home tab to return to the default/ori-
ginal pane configuration.

Preference Migration
The first time you run ANSYS Workbench following the installation of a new version of the software,
the application automatically migrates your user preferences to the new version. This includes preferences
such as licensing settings, Options (p. 138) settings, solver preferences, user created buttons, Key Assign-
ments, and Engineering Data settings.

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To migrate preferences, the application creates a text file (MigratePreferences.txt) in the following
directory:

Windows: C:\Users\John_Doe\AppData\Roaming\ANSYS\<new_version>
Linux: ~/.ansys/v192

If this file does not exist, the application migrates your preferences. Once the application has generated
this text file, the migration no longer runs.

Turn Automatic Migration Off

You can turn migration off by:

• Creating an empty file called %APPDATA%/Ansys/v<new_version>/MigratePreferences.txt

before the first run.

Or...

• Starting Workbench with (Target property) "RunWB2.exe -K Framework.MigratePrefer-

ences=off"

Remove Migrated Preference Data

You can remove the migrated user preference data by emptying the %APPDATA%/Ansys/v<new_ver-
sion> directory and creating the empty file %APPDATA%/Ansys/v<new_version>/MigratePref-
erences.txt. Make sure that no ANSYS product is running during this action.

Print Preview
The Print Preview option, selected from the Tools (p. 11) group on the Home tab, runs a script to
generate an HTML page and an image for a selected object, such as the Deformation result shown below.

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 Report Preview

The title block is an editable HTML table. The table initially contains the Author, Subject, Prepared
For and Date information supplied from the details view of the Project tree node. To change or add
this information, double click inside the table. The information entered in the table does not propagate
any changes back to the details view and is not saved after exiting the Print Preview tab.

The image is generated in the same way as figures in Report Preview. The new Print Preview copies
all current view settings, including those defined in the Options (p. 138), such as the Font Magnification
Factor.

Report Preview
The Report Preview option, selected from the Tools (p. 11) group on the Home tab, enables you to
create a report based on the analyses in the Outline. This report selects items in the Outline, examines
the worksheets for it, then appends any material data used in the analysis. The report generation process
starts immediately, and, once started, it must run to completion before you can begin working in the
interface again.

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The generation process of the feature starts as soon as you select the option. Unlike prior report gener-
ators, this system works by extracting information from the user interface. It first selects each item in
the Outline, then examines worksheets in a second pass, and finally appends any material data used
in the analysis. The material data will be expressed in the Workbench standard unit system which most
closely matches Mechanical's unit system. Once started the report generation process must run to
completion. Avoid clicking anywhere else in Workbench during the run because this will stop the report
process and may cause an error. This approach to reporting ensures consistency, completeness, and
accuracy.

Important:

When running multiple Mechanical sessions, the application automatically overwrites any
existing files (MHT, HTML, Word, or PPT) if you generate report outputs without first managing
them with the Publish feature or by copying files to a new location.

This section examines the following Report Preview topics:

Publishing the Report
Sending the Report
Comparing Databases
Customizing Report Content

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 Report Preview

Tables
Most tables in the report directly correspond to the Details of an object or set of related objects. Object
names appear across the top of the tables.

By default, tables displays 12 columns. This setting increases the likelihood that tables will fit on the
screen and on printed pages. In the Report Options (p. 151) dialog you can increase or decrease the
setting for the number of columns you wish to display by default. For example, you may allow more
columns if object names take up little space, if you have a high resolution screen, or print in landscape
layout. The minimum is two columns, in which case no grouping of objects occurs and the Contents is
equivalent to the Outline.

The system merges identical table cells by default. This reduces clutter and helps to reveal patterns.
You can disable this feature in the Report Options (p. 151) dialog.

Note:

The Report Preview feature does not display table entries from the nonlinear joint stiffness
matrix.

Figures and Images

Figures and Images appear in the report as specified in the Outline. The system automatically inserts
charts as needed. The system creates all bitmap files in PNG format.

You may change the size of charts and figures in the Report (p. 151) preference in the default Op-
tions (p. 138) settings. For example, you may specify smaller charts due to few data points or bigger
figures if you plan to print on large paper. For best print quality, increase the Graphics Resolution in
the Report (p. 151) preference. In addition, you can increase legend font sizes using the Font Magnific-
ation Factor option under the Graphics Options (p. 146) preference.

Publishing the Report

Click the Publish option to save your report as a single HTML file that includes the picture files in a
given folder, or as an HTML file with a folder containing picture files. The first option produces a
single MHT file containing the HTML and pictures. MHT is the same format used by Internet Explorer
when a page is saved as a “Web Archive”. Only Internet Explorer 5.5 or later on Windows supports
MHT. For the other two options, the HTML file is valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional.

Full support for MHT file format by any other browser cannot be guaranteed.

Sending the Report

The Send To feature enables you to publish your report as:

• An email attachment. This option attaches a single MHT file automatically to your email application.

Some email systems may strip or filter MHT files from incoming messages. If this occurs, email
a ZIP archive of a published report or email the report from Microsoft Word.

• A Word document. This format is equivalent to opening a published HTML file in the application.

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• A PowerPoint presentation (images only). A presentation is automatically created and includes the
images (one per slide) of your analysis. It includes no other report information.

Note:

If you have multiple Mechanical sessions open, the application overwrites any reports
that you have produced in the above formats if do not manage the reports with the
Publish feature or by copying the files to a different location.

Comparing Databases
Because the report content directly corresponds to the user interface, it is easy to determine exactly
how two databases differ. Generate a report for the first database, open it in Word, save and exit.
Open the report for the second database in Word and choose Compare Documents. In the dialog,
clear the Find Formatting box and select the first file. Word highlights the differences, as illustrated
here:

Customizing Report Content

Report customization falls into two categories: preferences in the Report Options (p. 151) dialog and
the ability to run a modified report generator from a local or network location. This ability to extern-
alize the system is shared by the Mechanical Wizard (p. 215). It allows for modifications outside of the
installation folder and reuse of a customized system by multiple users.

To run report externally:

1. Copy the following folder to a different location: Program Files\ANSYS

Inc\v201\AISOL\DesignSpace\DSPages\Language\en-us\Report2006.

2. Specify the location under Custom Report Generator Folder in the Report Options (p. 151) (for example:
\\server\copied_Report2006_folder).

The easiest customization is to simply replace Logo.png. The system uses that image on the wait
screen and on the report cover page.

The file Template.xml provides the report skeleton. Editing this file allows:

• Reformatting of the report by changing the CSS style rules.

• Addition of standard content at specific points inside the report body. This includes anything supported
by XHTML, including images and tables.

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 Full Screen Mode

The file Rules.xml contains editable configuration information:

• Standard files to include and publish with reports. The first is always the logo; other files could be listed
as the images used for custom XHTML content.

• Rules for excluding or bolding objects in the Contents.

• Rules for applying headings when objects are encountered.

• Selective exclusion of an object’s details. For example, part Color (extracted as a single number) isn’t
meaningful in a report.

• Exclusion of Graph figures for certain objects. This overrides the other four criteria used to decide if a
Graph figure is meaningful.

• Rules against comparing certain types of objects.

• Object states that are acceptable in a “finalized” report.

• Search and replace of Details text. For example, the report switches "Click to Change" to "Defined". This
capability allows for the use of custom terminology.

• Insertion of custom XHTML content based on object, analysis and physics types, and whether the content
applies to the details table, the chart or the tabular data. For example, report includes a paragraph describ-
ing the modal analysis bar chart.

All files in the Report2006 folder contain comments detailing customization techniques.

Full Screen Mode

The illustrations below depict the default layout of Mechanical as well as the full screen mode used to
view/present your analysis. You activate full screen mode by selecting the Full Screen option from the
Layout (p. 12) group on the Home tab. Or, you can use the F11 key when the Geometry window, the
tree Outline, or the Details view have focus. The tab option and the F11 key toggle the display on
and/or off.

When using this mode, the presentation inherits the active selection tool. For example, if you had the
Body selection option active, it continues to be active in full screen mode. This includes other options
such as Wireframe and Show Mesh. Based on the active selection filter, you can affect the model as
desired. In addition, when in the full screen mode, you may find it useful to use the available keyboard
shortcuts (Key Assignments (p. 212)). These options enable you to quickly change the selection options.

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By default, full screen mode maximizes the display based on the largest resolution available for your
computer monitor. This is useful when you if you want to maximize the display for a model when you
have a smaller screen, such as laptop.

The tree Outline panel displays by default while presenting your analysis. You can use the Hotkey
combination Ctrl+O to toggle the Outline on and off. You can also use the Hotkey combination Ctrl+D
to toggle the Details view on and off.

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Contextual Windows
Mechanical provides a number of feature-based windows. This section discusses the following:
Selection Information Window
Worksheet Window
Graph and Tabular Data Windows
Messages Window
Graphics Annotations Window
Section Planes Window
Mechanical Wizard Window

Selection Information Window

The Selection Information window provides a quick and easy way for you to interrogate and find
geometric information on items that you have selected on the model.

The following topics are covered in this section:

Activating the Selection Information Window
Understanding the Selection Modes
Using the Selection Information Window
Selecting, Exporting, and Sorting Data

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Activating the Selection Information Window

You can display the Selection Information window using any of the following methods:

• Select the Selection Information option in the Tools (p. 11) group on the Home tab (p. 9).

• Double-click the field on the status bar that displays the Selection field.

Understanding the Selection Modes

The supported selection modes are vertex, edge, face, body, node, and coordinate, as described
below. Common reported information for each mode, except coordinate, includes x, y, z locations
and if two selections are made, the distance between their centroids is reported.

Note:

Selection Information may not be available for virtual entities (p. 2249).

Vertex
Individual vertex location and average location are reported. The bodies that the vertex attaches
to are also reported.

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Node
The information displayed for selected nodes is similar to a vertex with the addition of the Node
ID.

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Edge
Combined and individual edge length and centroid are reported. The bodies that the edge attaches
to are reported. The type of the edge is also reported. If an edge is of circle type, the radius of the
edge is reported.

Face
Combined and individual area and centroid are reported. The bodies that the face attaches to are
reported. The type of the face is reported. If a face is of cylinder type, the radius of the face is also
reported.

Body
Combined and individual volume, mass, and centroid are reported. The body name is reported.
Your choice of the mass moment of inertia in the selected coordinate system or the principal is
also reported. The choice is provided in the Selection Information Column Control (p. 118) dialog
box.

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Important:

For a Surface Body, the Volume, Mass, and Moment of Inertia information for the Body
selection are based on the original thickness value specified on the Surface Body object.
This does not account for any Thickness (p. 2236) object specifications. Thickness specific-
ations overwrite the body thickness values when the application calculates thickness for
any faces and/or surface bodies. Refer to the PRECISE MASS SUMMARY section from the
Solution Information (p. 2216) worksheet for solver calculated Mass values.

Coordinate
If there is a mesh present, the picked point location and the closest mesh node ID and location are
reported.

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Application Interface

In the case of a surface body model, the closest node will be located on the non-expanded mesh
(that can be seen if you select the Thick Shells and Beams option from the Style group on the
Display tab).

Non-expanded shell view:

Expanded shell view:

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Using the Selection Information Window

The tools located at the top of the Selection Information window includes the following controls:

Each of these controls is described below.

Coordinate System
A Coordinate System drop-down selection box is provided. You can select the coordinate system
under which the selection information is reported. The centroid, location, and moment of inertia
information respect the selected coordinate system.

For example, if a cylindrical coordinate system is selected, the vertex location is reported using the
cylindrical coordinates.

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Selection Information Column Control

If you click the Selection Information Column Control option, a column control dialog box appears
that enables you to select which columns are visible and what columns you can hide. The choices
that you made with the column control are retained for the application. The default settings are
illustrated below.

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The following example shows the effects of unchecking the centroid for face.

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Selection Information Row Control

The Selection Information Row Control has three options: Show Individual and Summary, Show
Individual, and Show Summary. Depending upon your choice, the individual and/or summary
information is reported.

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Selecting, Exporting, and Sorting Data

This section describes how you can reselect rows, export data, and sort data in the Selection In-
formation window. Each function is described below.

Reselect
Right click to reselect the highlighted rows.

Export
Right click to export the table to a text file or Excel file.

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Sort
Click on the column header to sort the table.

Worksheet Window
The worksheet presents you with information about objects in the tree in the form of tables, charts
and text, thereby supplementing the Details view. It is typically intended to summarize data for a
collection of objects (for example, the Connections folder worksheet reveals the inputs for all contacts,

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joints and others) or to receive tabular inputs (for example, to specify the coefficients and the analyses
to include in Solution Combinations).

Behavior
• Dockable Worksheet

By default, when you select an applicable object in the tree, a dockable (p. 103)Worksheet window
displays alongside the Geometry window, allowing you to review both at once. You may, however,
disable the display of the Worksheet window using the Worksheet option (see below). This pref-
erence is persisted in future sessions of the product. There are specific objects that ignore the
preference, as outlined below.

Worksheet Function Worksheet Behavior When Example Objects

Object is Selected
Data input and display Automatically appears and Constraint Equation, Solution
information gains focus Combination
Display information related to Automatically appears but Analysis Settings
object settings does not gain focus
Display information related to Appears only if display is Geometry folder, Contact folder
objects within a folder turned on manually using the
Worksheet option (see
below)

• Worksheet Option

For tree objects that include an associated Worksheet, the Worksheet option of the Views group
on the ribbon enables you to toggle the Worksheet window display on or off. The option is not
available (grayed out) for objects that do not include a Worksheet.

Worksheets designed to display many data items do not automatically display the data. The data
readily appears however when you click the Worksheet button. This feature applies to the work-
sheets associated with the following object folders: Geometry, Coordinate System, Contact, Remote
Points, Mesh, and Solution.

Features
• Go To Selected items

This useful feature enables you to find items in either the tree or Geometry window that match
one or more rows of the worksheet. If the worksheet displays a tabular summary of a number of
objects, select the rows of interest, right-click, and choose Go To Selected Items in Tree to instantly
highlight items that match the contents of the Name column (leftmost column). Control is thus
transferred to the tree or Geometry window, as needed.

• Viewing Selected Columns

When a worksheet includes a table with multiple columns, you can control which columns to display.
To do so, right-click anywhere inside the table. From the context menu, check the column names
of interest to activate their display. Some columns may ignore this setting and remain hidden
should they be found inapplicable.

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To choose the columns that will display, right mouse click anywhere inside the worksheet table.
From the context menu, click any of the column names. A check mark signifies that the column
will appear. There are some columns in the worksheet that will not always be shown even if you
check them. For example, if all contact regions have a Pinball Region set to Program Controlled,
the Pinball Radius will not display regardless of the setting.

Graph and Tabular Data Windows

The Graph and Tabular Data windows enable you to review and modify the application data,
primarily associated with the objects and features listed below. When you select certain objects in
the tree, the Graph window and Tabular Data window display beneath the Geometry window. Refer
to the following topics for descriptions about the use of these windows as they relate to:

• Analysis Settings (p. 124)

• Loading Conditions (p. 124)

• Contour Results and Probes (p. 125)

• Solution Step and Substeps (p. 126)

• Charts (p. 127)

Furthermore, based upon your activity, these Graph and Tabular Data windows provide right-click
Context Menu Options (p. 127).

Analysis Settings
For analyses with multiple steps, you can use these windows to select the step(s) whose analysis
settings (p. 1109) you want to modify. The Graph window also displays all the loads used in the analysis.

These windows are also useful when using restarts. See Solution Restarts (p. 1724) for more information.

Loading Conditions
Inserting a loading condition (p. 1171) updates the Tabular Data window with an entry table that enables
you to enter data on a per-step basis. The Graph window updates as you make Tabular Data entries.

All new tabular data is entered into the row that begins with an asterisk (*) regardless of whether the
time or frequency point is higher or lower than the last defined point in the table. The application
automatically sorts the content of the table into ascending order. In addition, any Tabular Data values
preceded by an equal sign (=) are not defined table values. These values are application interpolated
values shown for reference.

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A check box is available in the column title for each component of a load in order to turn on or turn
off the viewing of the load in the Graph window. Components are color-coded to match the compon-
ent name in the Tabular Data window. Clicking on a time value in the Tabular Data window or se-
lecting a row in the Graph window will update the display in the upper left corner of the Geometry
window with the appropriate time value and load data.

As an example, if you use a Displacement (p. 1348) load in an analysis with multiple steps, you can alter
both the degrees of freedom and the component values for each step by modifying the contents in
the Tabular Data window as shown above.

If you wish for a load to be active in some steps and removed in some other steps you can do so by
following the steps outlined in Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112).

Contour Results and Probes

For contour results (p. 1452) and probes (p. 1462), the Graph and Tabular Data windows display how
the results vary over time. In addition, for result objects, the Tabular Data window usually displays
the Total, as well as Minimum and Maximum values calculated on the specified geometry. The color
of the column headers for these values corresponds to the colors displayed in the Graph window,
red and green as illustrated below.

You can animate your results in the Graph window for the specified result set domain. And, you can
further specify a specific range to animate by dragging your mouse across graph content.

Note:

If you refine the mesh using the Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383) condition, the Changed
Mesh column displays and indicates when mesh regeneration took place.

Important:

For results displayed in Tabular Data window, if 0 (zero) displays for both the Minimum
and Maximum values of a row, the result set may not contain result data. You can use the
Retrieve option, discussed below, to view a result set in order to determine if any data
exists for the set. If no data is available, the result contours in the Geometry window display
as fully transparent.

Retrieving Results

To view the results in the Geometry window for a desired time point, select the time point in the
Graph window or Tabular Data window, then click the right mouse button and select Retrieve This
Result. The Details view for the chosen result object will also update to the selected step.

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Creating Results

The contextual (right-click) menu of the Tabular Data window also includes an option to Create
Results. This feature enables you to select multiple rows in the table and create individual results for
each selection. These new results are placed in a Group folder (p. 133) in the tree. The Group folder
has the same name as the original result. Or, in the event the originally result was already grouped,
the new results are added to this existing group.

Create Results Selection Generated Results

Solution Step and Substeps

During analyses that are using the Mechanical APDL solver, selecting the Solution object following
the solution process for an analysis that includes multiple steps, the Tabular Data window displays

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 Contextual Windows

the Time associated with each Step of the analysis as well as each Substep as applicable. The following
examples of the Tabular Data window show these options for a deformation result.

Total Deformation Result Tabular Data Solution Object Tabular Data

Charts
With charts (p. 1449), the Graph and Tabular Data windows can be used to display loads and results
against time or against another load or results item.

Context Menu Options

Presented below are some of the commonly used options available in a context menu that displays
when you click the right mouse button within the Graph window and/or the Tabular Data window.
The options vary depending on how you are using these windows (for example, loads vs. results).

• Retrieve This Result: As discussed above, for a selected object, this option retrieves and presents the
result data at the selected time point you have selected in the Graph window or Tabular Data window.

• Create Results: As discussed above, this option create result objects for the rows that you select in the
Tabular Data window and places the new results in a group folder.

• Create Total Deformation Results/Create Equivalent Strain Results/Create Equivalent Stress Res-
ults/Create Temperature Results: These options are available for Tabular Data content when the
Solution object is selected for a solved analysis. These options enable you to create results for a selected
row or multiple rows of data.

• Insert Step: Inserts a new step at the currently selected time in the Graph window or Tabular Data
window. The newly created step will have default analysis settings. All load objects in the analysis will be
updated to include the new step.

• Delete Step: Deletes a step.

• Copy Cell: Copies the cell data into the clipboard for a selected cell or group of cells. The data may then
be pasted into another cell or group of cells. The contents of the clipboard may also be copied into Microsoft
Excel. Cell operations are only valid on load data and not data in the Steps column.

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• Paste Cell: Pastes the contents of the clipboard into the selected cell, or group of cells. Paste operations
are compatible with Microsoft Excel.

• Delete Rows: Removes the selected rows. In the Analysis Settings object this will remove corresponding
steps. In case of loads this modifies the load vs time data.

• Select All Steps: Selects all the steps. This is useful when you want to set identical analysis settings for
all the steps.

• Select All Highlighted Steps: Selects a subset of all the steps. This is useful when you want to set
identical analysis settings for a subset of steps.

• Activate/Deactivate at this step!: This enables a load to become inactive (deleted) in one or more steps.
By default any defined load is active in all steps.

• Zoom to Range: Zooms in on a subset of the data in the Graph window. Click and hold the left mouse
at a step location and drag to another step location. The dragged region will highlight in blue. Next, select
Zoom to Range. The chart will update with the selected step data filling the entire axis range. This also
controls the time range over which animation takes place.

• Zoom to Fit: If you have chosen Zoom to Range and are working in a zoomed region, choosing Zoom
to Fit will return the axis to full range covering all steps.

Result data is charted in the Graph window and listed in the Tabular Data window. The result data
includes the Maximum and Minimum values of the results object over the steps.

Messages Window
The Messages Window is a Mechanical application feature that prompts you with feedback concerning
the outcome of the actions you have taken in the application. For example, Messages display when
you resume a database, Mesh (p. 229) a model, or when you initiate a Solve (p. 239).

Messages come in three forms:

• Error

• Warning

• Information

As illustrated below, when the application issues a message, a pop-up window first displays the
message for five seconds and then the pop-up is automatically hidden. You may change the default
setting for the these pop-up messages in the Miscellaneous (p. 150) category of the Options prefer-
ences (p. 138). Change the Pop-up Messages setting to No. The default setting is Yes.

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By default the Messages window is hidden. To display the window manually: on the Home (p. 9)
tab, select the Manage drop-down menu from the Insert group (p. 10) and select Messages. An
example of the Messages window is shown below.

In addition, the status bar provides a dedicated area (highlighted above) to alert you should one or
more messages become available to view. You can double-click this field to display messages. The
Messages window can be automatically hidden or closed using the buttons on the top right corner
of the window.

As illustrated below, messages may display with an orange highlight to indicate that there is a potential
problem related to an object. The object corresponding to this message is also highlighted in the
tree (p. 59). You can turn this feature off using the Options (p. 138) dialog box (see the Miscel-
laneous (p. 150) category).

Note:

You can toggle between the Graph and Messages windows by clicking a tab.

Once messages are displayed in the Messages window, you can:

• Double-click a message to display its contents in a dialog box.

• Highlight a message and then press the key combination Ctrl + C to copy its contents to the clipboard.

• Press the Delete key to remove a selected message from the window.

• Select one or more messages and then use the right mouse button click to display the following context
menu options:

– Go To Object - Selects the object in the tree which is responsible for the message.

– Show Message - Displays the selected message in a pop-up dialog box.

– Copy - Copies the selected messages to the clipboard.

– Delete - Removes the selected messages.

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– Refresh - Refreshes the contents of the Messages Window as you edit objects in the Mechanical ap-
plication tree.

Graphics Annotations Window

The Graphics Annotations window, illustrated below, displays a list of user-defined annotations. The
annotations are either a note that you place on your model using the Annotation (p. 10) option or
the display of a specific result value at its coordinate location on your model, using the Probe option
of the Result Context Tab (p. 24). These user annotations are essentially labels that you place on your
model that include a Value (result-based only) or note that is associated with the annotation, the
coordinates of the annotation, as well as information about the tree object associated with the an-
notation.

Application
You display the Graphics Annotations window by selecting:

• The Annotation option in the Insert group (p. 10) on the Home (p. 9) tab.

• A result object in the tree, you can place an annotation on your model using the Probe option on
the Result Context Tab (p. 24).

Note:

Probe annotations are not supported for results scoped to edges and vertices.

Annotation Types
Examples of the annotation types as displayed in the Geometry window are shown below.

User Defined Graphics Annotation Probe Annotations for Result

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Features of the Graphics Annotations Window

The Graphics Annotations window provides the following options once you have created annotations:

• When you select the Annotation option in the Insert group (p. 10) and place the annotation on a
point of your model, the Graphics Annotations window displays as shown below. The Note cell of
the table is active and you can being to type your note. You can edit the text entry for a user-defined
annotation by double-clicking the annotation’s Note cell. Your text entries can span more than one
line using the backslash (\) keyboard character. Note the Two Line Note Example above.

• Selecting a table cell in the Value column (or a cell of the Association column) or selecting the an-
notation label in the Geometry window, highlights the annotation in the table as well as in the
Geometry window. Note that for a user-defined annotations, the Geometry display switches to the
corresponding object of the tree that includes the annotation, such as the Element Size example
shown above.

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• To delete an annotation, select a row in the window or select the annotation label in the Geometry
window, and then press the Delete key. You can select multiple probe labels or table cells using the
Ctrl key.

• As illustrated below, the window provides a context menu when you make a table selection and then
right-click the mouse.

Context Menu Options Option Descriptions

– Copy: copy the content contained in

the row into the clipboard.

– Delete: delete table selections.

– Delete All: delete all table content.

– Reset Label Location: return all

selected probes to their original
position.

– Export Text File: export table content

to a text file.

Additional Probe Annotation Options

• Selecting the Label option on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) enables you select and then drag and
drop an annotation to a different location in the Geometry window. As illustrated below, a white
line directs you to where on the model the probe is located and two vertical red lines appear beside
an annotation to indicate it was moved. You can then freely drag and drop the annotation to a different
location. Note that, when moved, an annotation that you moved becomes stationary. If you rotate,

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 Group Tree Objects

pan, etc., your model, the annotations remain in the same position in the window. As needed, you
can simply return the annotation to the original position or drag and drop it to an new postilion.
Furthermore, as desired, you can change the color of the line connecting the probe label to its location
on the model using the Probe Line Color property in the Graphics (p. 146) category of the Op-
tions (p. 138) dialog.

To return probe annotations to their original position (the anchor of the probe always remains
in the original position), select the annotation in the Geometry window or in the window and
press the Esc key. You can select multiple probes using the Ctrl key.

Manually Repositioned Probe Probe Line Coloring

• Probes values are cleared if you re-solve your simulation.

Section Planes Window

The Section Plane window gives you access to the functionality for creating a cut or slice on your
model so that you can view internal geometry, or mesh and results displays. For more information
on this feature, see Creating Section Planes (p. 198).

Mechanical Wizard Window

The Mechanical Wizard window appears in the right side panel whenever you click the Mechanical
Wizard button on the Home Tab (p. 9). For details, see Mechanical Wizard (p. 215).

Group Tree Objects

Mechanical enables you to organize and group certain objects in the tree Outline. Using context menu
(right-click) options, the application provides a number of different options that you use to group objects.

Use the Group option when you individually select multiple objects to be grouped. The Group Similar
Objects groups together objects of the same type (e.g., Pressure, Displacement, etc.) and renames the
group folder according to that type.

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Note:

If you change and update your geometry, always verify your groupings. For example, using
the Explode Part feature in DesignModeler alters Part IDs.

Once you create groups, you are prompted to rename the folder or you may accept the default name
(New Folder). In the following example, the folder was named "Supports." The similar objects folder
name is automatically created based on the object type, in this case, Pressure. Also note that this new
object provides the Details view property Children in Group that displays the total number of objects
contained in the new group.

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 Group Tree Objects

Once defined, options become available that enable you to Suppress (and Unsuppress) a group as
well as remove objects from a group (Remove From Group), further group objects into sub-
folders/groups (Group), Ungroup a particular folder, as well as delete a folder and its sub-folders (Delete
Group and Children option or [Delete] key). You can also Cut, Copy, and Duplicate the content of a
group folder. And in addition to the context menu options, you can drag and drop objects between
folders.

Group, Hide, and Suppress Geometry Objects

As illustrated below, the Geometry object offers additional grouping options that enable you to Hide
and Show bodies inside and outside of a group as well as Suppress/Unsuppress (p. 63) bodies. The F9
hotkey (p. 212) also enables you to hide selected bodies.

Group All
The Mesh, Named Selection, Environment, and Solution objects provide an option to Group All
Similar Children. This option groups together the same type (e.g., Mesh Method, Pressure, Stress result,

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Application Interface

etc.) of objects (that are not already included in a grouping) and automatically names the folder based
on that type.

Objects with Limited Grouping

The following objects have limitations regarding grouping. This includes several objects that cannot be
grouped.

• Model object children (except Chart) cannot be grouped. However, the child objects of these model-
level children may be grouped.

• System generated Named Selections under the Fracture object cannot be grouped.

• Gasket Mesh Control objects under a Part object cannot be grouped.

• Global Coordinate System: this is the application defined Coordinate System and does not support
grouping.

• Reference Coordinate Systems: These coordinate systems are not defined by the Coordinate Systems
object and do not support grouping.

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• Analysis Settings: grouping not supported.

• Initial Conditions (including child objects): grouping not supported.

• Solution Information: grouping not supported.

Interface Behavior Based on License Levels

The licensing level that you choose automatically enables you to exercise specific features and blocks
other features that are not allowed. Presented below are descriptions of how the interface behaves
when you attempt to use features not allowed by a license level.

• If the licensing level does not allow an object to be inserted, it will not show in the Insert menus.

• If you open a database with an object that does not fit the current license level, the database changes to
"read-only" mode.

• If a Details view option is not allowed for the current license level, it is not shown.

• If a Details view option is not allowed for the current license level, and was preselected (either through re-
opening of a database or a previous combination of settings) the Details view item will become invalid and
shaded yellow.

Note:

When you attempt to add objects that are not compatible with your current license level,
the database enters a read-only mode and you cannot save data. However, provided you
are using any license, you can delete the incompatible objects, which removes the read-only
mode and enables you to save data and edit the database.

Environment Filtering
The Mechanical interface includes a filtering feature that only displays model-level items applicable to
the particular analysis type environments in which you are working. This provides a simpler and more
focused interface.

The environment filter has the following characteristics:

• Model-level objects in the tree that are not applicable to the environments under a particular model are
hidden.

• The user interface inhibits the insertion of model-level objects that are not applicable to the environments
of the model.

• Model-level object properties (in the Details view of objects) that are not applicable to the environments
under the model are hidden.

The filter is enabled by default when you enter the Mechanical application. You can disable the filter
by highlighting the Model object, clicking the right mouse button, and choosing Disable Filter from
the context menu. To enable the filter, repeat this procedure but choose Auto Filter from the context
menu. You can also check the status of the filter by highlighting the Model object and in the Details
view, noting whether Control under Filter Options is set to Enabled or Disabled.

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The filter control setting (enabled or disabled) is saved when the model is saved and returns to the
same state when the database is resumed.

Application Preferences and Default Behaviors

You can specify certain application default settings and behaviors as well as create unique options.
Select from and review the following for more information:

• Specifying Application Defaults and Preferences (p. 138)

• Creating User-Defined Buttons (p. 90)

• Setting Variables (p. 158)

• Using Macros (p. 159)

Specifying Application Defaults and Preferences

Using the Options dialog, you can control various behaviors and default functions of the application
to better suit your uses. This feature essentially enables you to establish preferences for application
behaviors and property settings.

Application
To open and make changes to Options settings:

1. Select the File tab and then Options (an option is also available beside the Quick Launch field on
the title bar). A dialog box titled Options displays. Groupings associated with default behaviors for the
application display under the Mechanical heading. These groups are referred to as categories. Within
each category are various properties that you can change the settings for. For example, and as illustrated
below, the Connections category is highlighted by default. Here you can see that you can specify a value
for the Face Overlap Tolerance from the default of zero (0). These types of customizations can be very
beneficial.

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2. Select a desired category. Each category has associated properties.

3. Change any of the property settings by clicking directly in the field. You will first see a visual indication
for the kind of interaction required in the field (examples are drop-down menus, secondary dialog boxes,
direct text entries).

4. Click OK.

Important:

Option settings within a particular language are independent of option settings in another
language. If you change any options from their default settings, then start a new Workbench
session in a different language, the changes you made in the original language session
are not reflected in the new session. You are advised to make the same option changes
in the new language session.

Note:

User Preferences File

The Mechanical application stores the configuration information from the Options dialog
box in a file called a User Preference File on a per user basis. This file is created the first
time you start the Mechanical application. Its default location is:

%APPDATA%\Ansys\v201\%AWP_LOCALE201%\dsPreferences.xml

Mechanical Options
Select a link below to jump to the topic concerned with the desired application preference:

Connections (p. 140)

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Convergence (p. 143)

Import (p. 143)
Export (p. 143)
Fatigue (p. 144)
Frequency (p. 145)
Geometry (p. 145)
Meshing (p. 146)
Graphics (p. 146)
Miscellaneous (p. 150)
Report (p. 151)
Analysis Settings and Solution (p. 152)
Results (p. 155)
Visibility (p. 156)
Wizard (p. 156)
Commands (p. 157)
UI Options (p. 157)

Connections
The Auto Detection category enables you to change the default values for the following:

Note:

The auto contact detection on geometry attach can be turned on/off from the Workbench
Options dialog box for the Mechanical application. See the Mechanical part of the Setting
ANSYS Workbench Options section of the Help.

• Tolerance: Sets the default for the contact detection slider; that is, the relative distance to search for
contact between parts. The higher the number, the tighter the tolerance. In general, creating contacts at
a tolerance of 100 finds fewer contact surfaces than at 0. The default is 0. The range is from -100 to +100.

• Face Overlap Tolerance: Sets the default tolerance for overlap of faces in contact; that is, the minimum
percentage of overlap at which a contact pair is created for two overlapping faces. For example, if Face
Overlap Tolerance is set to 25, a contact pair is created for each pair of faces for which at least 25% of
one face overlaps the other. This setting enables the software to obtain more precise contact pairs during
automatic contact generation based on a tolerance that is appropriate for your simulation type. The default
is 0, which means overlap checks are turned off. The range is from 0 to 100.

Note:

The Face Overlap Tolerance value and the Tolerance value are evaluated together to
determine which faces are considered to be in contact.

• Face/Face: Sets the default preference1 (p. 141) for automatic contact detection between faces of different
parts. The choices are Yes or No. The default is Yes.

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• Cylindrical Faces: Set the default for separating flat surfaces from cylindrical faces for face/face contact.
Options include Include (default), Exclude, and Only.

• Face/Edge: Sets the default preference1 (p. 141) for automatic contact detection between faces and edges
of different parts. The choices are:

– Yes

– No (default)

– Only Solid Edges

– Only Surface Edges

– Only Beam Edges

• Edge Overlap Tolerance: Sets the default tolerance for overlap of an edge and a face in contact; that is,
the minimum percentage of overlap at which a contact pair is created for an edge and a face that overlap.
For example, if Edge Overlap Tolerance is set to 25, a contact pair is created for an edge and a face when
at least 25% of the edge overlaps the face. This setting enables the software to obtain more precise contact
pairs during automatic contact generation based on a tolerance that is appropriate for your simulation
type. The default is 0, which means overlap checks are turned off. The range is from 0 to 100.

• Edge/Edge (3D): Sets the default preference1 (p. 141) for automatic contact detection between edges of
different parts in a three dimensional model. The choices are Yes or No. The default is No.

• Edge/Edge (2D): Sets the default preference1 (p. 141) for automatic contact detection between edges of
different parts in a two dimensional model. The choices are Yes or No. The default is Yes.

• Priority (p. 894): Sets the default preference1 (p. 141) for the types of contact interaction priority between
a given set of parts. The choices are:

– Include All (default)

– Face Overrides

– Edge Overrides

• Revolute Joints: Sets the default preference for automatic joint creation (p. 1028) of revolute joints (p. 963).
The choices are Yes and No. The default is Yes.

• Fixed Joints: Sets the default preference for automatic joint creation (p. 1028) of fixed joints (p. 963). The
choices are Yes and No. The default is Yes.

1
Unless changed here in the Options dialog box, the preference remains persistent when starting
any Workbench project.

The Transparency category includes the following exclusive controls for this category. There are no
counterpart settings in the Details view.

• Parts With Contact: Sets transparency (p. 936) of parts in selected contact region so the parts are high-
lighted. The default is 0.8. The range is from 0 to 1.

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• Parts Without Contact: Sets transparency of parts in non-selected contact regions so the parts are not
highlighted. The default is 0.1. The range is from 0 to 1.

The Default category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Type: Sets the definition type of contact (p. 907). The choices are:

– Bonded (default)

– No Separation

– Frictionless

– Rough

– Frictional

• Behavior (p. 909): Sets the contact pair. The choices are:

– Program Controlled (default)

– Asymmetric

– Symmetric

– Auto Asymmetric

• Formulation: Sets the type of contact formulation method (p. 913). The choices are:

– Program Controlled (default)

– Augmented Lagrange

– Pure Penalty

– MPC

– Normal Lagrange

• Small Sliding: This setting sets the default behavior for the Small Sliding (p. 914) property. The options
include Program Controlled (default), Yes, and No.

• Update Stiffness: Enables an automatic contact stiffness update (p. 920) by the program. The choices are:

– Program Controlled (default)

– Never

– Each Iteration

– Each Iteration, Aggressive

• Shell Thickness Effect (p. 905): This setting enables you to automatically include the thickness of surface
bodies during contact calculations. The default setting is No.

• Auto Rename Connections: Automatically renames joint, spring, contact region, and joint condition
objects when Type or Scoping are changed. The choices are Yes and No. The default is Yes.

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Convergence
The Convergence category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Target Change: Change of result from one adapted solution to the next. The default is 20. The range is
from 0 to 100.

• Allowable Change: This should be set if the criteria is the max or min of the result. The default is Max.

The Solution category enables you to change the default values in the Details view for the Max Re-
finement Loops property. This property enables you to change the number of refinement loops the
application performs. The default is 1. The range is from 1 to 10. When performing an out of pro-
cess (p. 1715) solution asynchronously, wherein the solve may finalize during another Workbench session,
the application performs only one maximum refinement loop. As necessary, you must manually perform
additional loops. To solve with a single user action, solve synchronously.

Import
The Import category enables you to specify preferences for when you import data into Mechanical.
Currently, these preferences are for importing delamination interfaces from the ANSYS Composite
PrepPost (ACP) application.

• Create Delamination Objects: This option controls the automatic creation of Interface Delamination
objects in Mechanical when importing layered section data from ACP. When Interface layers are specified
in ACP, Interface Delamination objects corresponding to Interface Layers are automatically inserted into
the Mechanical Tree Outline under the Fracture object. The default setting is Yes.

• Delete Invalid Objects: This option controls the deletion of Invalid Interface Delamination objects scoped
to Interface Layers from ACP. When an Interface Layer specified in ACP is deleted, the corresponding In-
terface Delamination object is deleted in Mechanical when the project is refreshed. The default setting is
No. This default setting suppresses invalid objects instead of automatically deleting them.

Export
The Text File Export category provides the following exclusive settings. There are no counterpart
settings in the Details view.

• File Encoding: select either ASCII (default) or UNICODE (Windows only) as the encoding to use for ex-
porting data.

• Automatically Open Excel: Excel will automatically open with exported data. The default is Yes.

• Include Node Numbers: Node numbers will be included in exported file. The default is Yes.

• Include Node Location: Node location can be included in exported file. The default is No.

• Show Tensor Components: Options include Yes and No (default). For the default setting No, the export
data contains the principal stresses and strains (1, 2, and 3) as well as the three Euler angles. The export
data for the Yes setting contains raw components of stress and strain (X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ).

The STL Export category provides the setting Export Format. This property sets the default for how
STL files are exported, using either Binary (default) or ASCII format.

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The AVZ Viewer Option category provides the property Open AVZ Viewer. When this property is
set to Yes, the application automatically opens the ANSYS Viewer (after you have saved the file) when
you are exporting a result object using the contextual menu option ANSYS Viewer File (AVZ). When
set to No, the application simply prompts you to save the AVZ file. This feature applies to result objects
only (p. 2191).

The Views category provides the property File Directory. This property enables you to specify a default
location to where you will export and/or import the graphical views (p. 195) that you have created,
exported, or imported. Using the property’s field, you enter a folder location, such as C:\Mechanic-
al\Manage_Views. This location becomes the default folder location. By default, the application
uses the automatically generated user_files folder.

Fatigue
The General category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Design Life: Number of cycles that indicate the design life for use in fatigue calculations. The default is
1e9.

• Analysis Type: The default fatigue method for handling mean stress effects. The choices are:

– SN - None (default)

– SN - Goodman

– SN - Soderberg

– SN - Gerber

– SN - Mean Stress Curves

The Goodman, Soderberg, and Gerber options use static material properties along with S-N data
to account for any mean stress while Mean-Stress Curves use experimental fatigue data to account
for mean stress.

The Cycle Counting category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Bin Size: The bin size used for rainflow cycle counting. A value of 32 means to use a rainflow matrix of
size 32 X 32. The default is 32. The range is from 10 to 200.

The Sensitivity category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Lower Variation: The default value for the percentage of the lower bound that the base loading will be
varied for the sensitivity analysis. The default is 50.

• Upper Variation: The default value for the percentage of the upper bound that the base loading will be
varied for the sensitivity analysis. The default is 150.

• Number of Fill Points: The default number of points plotted on the sensitivity curve. The default is 25.
The range is from 10 to 100.

• Sensitivity For: The default fatigue result type for which sensitivity is found. The choices are:

– Life (default)

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 Application Preferences and Default Behaviors

– Damage

– Factor of Safety

Frequency
The Modal category enables you to change the Modal Analysis default values for the following:

• Max Number of Modes: The number of modes that a newly created frequency branch will contain. The
default is 6. The range is from 1 to 200.

• Limit Search to Range: You can specify if a frequency search range should be considered in computing
frequencies. The default is No.

• Min Range (Hz): Lower limit of the search range. The default is value is 0.01 for Modal Acoustic analyses
and 0.0 all other analysis types.

• Max Range (Hz): Upper limit of the search range. The default is value is 100000000.

• Cyclic Phase Number of Steps: The number of intervals to divide the cyclic phase range (0 - 360 degrees)
for frequency couplet results in cyclic modal analyses.

The Eigenvalue Buckling category enables you to change the Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis default
values in the Details view for the Max Modes to Find property. This property defines the number of
buckling load factors and corresponding buckling mode shapes. The default value is 2.

The Harmonic category enables you to change the default setting for the Frequency Spacing
property. The options include:

• Linear (default)

• Logarithmic

• Octave Band

• 1/2 Octave Band

• 1/3 Octave Band

• 1/6 Octave Band

• 1/12 Octave Band

• 1/24 Octave Band

Geometry
The Geometry category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Beam Cross Section (For Solver): define the default setting to send user-defined cross-sections, to the
Mechanical APDL solver, as either a Pre-Integrated (default) cross-section or as a Mesh section.

• Nonlinear Material Effects: Indicates if nonlinear material effects should be included (Yes), or ignored
(No). The default is Yes.

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• Thermal Strain Calculation: Indicates if thermal strain calculations should be included (Yes), or ignored
(No). The default is Yes.

Note:

This setting applies only to newly attached models, not to existing models.

The Material category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Prompt for Model Refresh on Material Edit: This setting relates to the material Assignment (p. 226)
property. If you choose to edit a material or create/import a new material via this property, the ap-
plication displays a message (illustrated below) reminding you to refresh the Model cell in the
Workbench Project Schematic. The default setting is Yes. The message in Mechanical provides you
with the option to not show the message again. This option is in addition to this method of changing
this setting to No.

• Assign Default Material to New Bodies Based on Update: This setting relates to the default setting
of the Assign Default Material property. The Assign Default Material property controls default
material assignment when geometry is updated in Mechanical.

Meshing
The Meshing category enables you to change the value of Default Physics Preference. The physics
preference that you choose here will be the default for all Mechanical systems, regardless of whether
they are analysis systems or component systems. The choices are:

• Mechanical (default)

• Nonlinear Mechanical

Note:

The default physics preference that you can set in the Meshing application's Options dialog
box has no effect on the default that is set for Mechanical systems.

Graphics
The Default Graphics Options category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Reset Views on Geometry Refresh: Select whether geometry refreshes will reset the graphical view in
Mechanical. The default setting is No.

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• Max Number of Annotations to Show: A slider that specifies the number of annotations that are shown
in the legend of the Geometry window. The range is adjustable from 0 to 50. The default is 10.

• Show Min Annotation: Indicates if Min annotation will be displayed by default (for new databases). The
default setting is No.

• Show Max Annotation: Indicates if Max annotation will be displayed by default (for new databases). The
default setting is No.

• Number of Local Min/max Probes: Specify the number of Min/Max probe labels (p. 1689) you wish to display
for your result data. The default setting is 6. The supported range is 1-20.

• Contour Option: Selects default contour option. The options include:

– Smooth Contour

– Contour Bands (default)

– Isolines

– Solid Fill

• Flat Contour Tolerance: Flat contours (no variation in color) display if the minimum and maximum results
values are equal. The comparison of the minimum and maximum values is made using scientific notation
with the number of significant digits to the right of the decimal point as specified with the flat contour
tolerance setting (3 to 9). Increasing this tolerance enables you to display contours for an otherwise too
narrow range of values. Decreasing this tolerance prevents insignificant range variations from being
contoured. This setting has a default value of 3.

• Edge Option: Selects default edge option for result display. The choices are:

– No Wireframe

– Show Undeformed Wireframe

– Show Undeformed Model

– Show Elements (default)

• Highlight Selection: Indicates default face selection. The choices are:

– Single Side (default)

– Both Sides

• Number of Circular Cross Section Divisions: Indicates the number of divisions to be used for viewing
line body cross sections (p. 654) for circular and circular tube cross sections. The range is adjustable from
6 to 360. The default is 16.

• Mesh Visibility: Indicates if mesh is automatically displayed when the Mesh object is selected in the Tree
Outline, or if it’s only displayed when you select the Show Mesh button. The default is Automatic.

• FE Annotation Color: This option enables you to change the default coloring for FE related annotations
(FE-based Named Selections and/or Objects scoped to Nodes (p. 179) or Elements (p. 185)). It also changes
the color of the elements displayed for an Analysis Ply (p. 1948) object.

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• Mesh Failed Color: Set the color of the of the Mesh Failed annotation.

• Mesh Obsolete Color: Set the color of the of the Mesh Obsolete annotation.

• Probe Line Color: Set the color of the line that connects a probe label to its location on the model.

• Geometry Highlight Color: Specify the default color used when a part or body is selected from the
Geometry folder.

• Varying Loads (Optimization Options): Specify how varying loads display in the Geometry window.
Options include Accuracy (default) and Performance. The Accuracy setting displays variable load contours
normally. The Performance option displays colored discrete points on the model, based on legend colors,
of the load variation. This option provides significantly faster redrawing times. The computational improve-
ment may be desirable for models with a large number of parts/bodies.

• Level of Detail (Beta): This selection defines two separate behaviors: 1) the level of complexity for the
graphical display of the model in the Geometry window and 2) the speed it to takes select objects in the
Outline. See the beta documentation for this option.

• Model Rotation Center: This option enables you to change how the rotation feature behaves. Selections
include:

– Click to Set (default): Select a location on the model to be the center of rotation.

– On Mouse Down: Select a location on the model to be the center of rotation. Rotation is available im-
mediately - no additional mouse selections ("clicks") are required.

• Max Number of Labels to Shown in Legend: A slider that specifies the number of annotations that are
shown in the legend of the Graph window when you are using Charts (p. 1449). The range is adjustable
from 0 to 50. The default is 10.

• Shell Expansion Edge Angle: This option enables you to change the setting for the angle used to determine
whether adjacent element normals are averaged. This is applicable when shell thickness is being applied
to the mesh to represent the actual thickness. The range is adjustable from 0 to 180. The default is 180.

• Line Body Thickness: This option enables you to change how line bodies are displayed in the Geometry
window. Selections include Thin (default) and Thick.

• Mouse Rotation Mode: This option enables you to change cursor rotation behaviors (p. 190) in the Geo-
metry window when you are using the Rotate option on the Graphics toolbar (p. 49). Selections include:

– Free Rotate Only (default): using this setting, the cursor provides free 360° model rotation.

– Axis Rotation Available: specifying this setting activates the roll, yaw, and pitch cursor options.

• Triad Smooth Rotation: Active by default, this option instructs the application to compute the shortest
path between model positions when using the Triad feature in order to facilitate smoother model rotations.
Options include Yes (default) and No.

• Disable 2D Overlays (Linux Platform Only): Options include Yes and No (default). When active, this option
stabilizes the graphical display by preventing your model from disappearing during mouse movements.
This option also turns off a variety of display features, such as the ability to highlight geometry selections
(single, box select, lasso, etc.) prior to selecting a geometric entity, as well as graphics labels (such as in-
teractive probe labels). These display and selection features operate properly, but do not provide pre-se-
lection highlights and labels.

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The Image Export category defines the resolution, image content, background characteristics, and
font size contained on the image when you save it as a file using the Image to File option in the
Image drop-down menu on the Insert (p. 10) group Home (p. 9) tab, or when you create a Fig-
ure (p. 210), or when you prepare a Print Preview (p. 104) of an object or a Report Preview (p. 105).
It includes the following properties:

• Graphics Resolution: Defines default resolution setting. Options include:

– Optimal Onscreen Display (1:1) (default and only Linux option)

– Enhanced Print Quality (2:1)

– High Resolution Print Quality (4:1)

Note:

The ANSYS logo does not scale at higher resolution settings.

• Capture: Defines whether the legend is included in the image. Options include:

– Image and Legend (default)

– Image Only

• Background: Defines the background coloring. Options include:

– Graphics Appearance Setting (default): ANSYS Mechanical setting or user-defined background color.

– White

• Current Graphics Display: Specify that the option is turned on or off: Yes (default) or No.

• Show Preferences Dialog: Yes (default) or No. This option determines whether a dialog box automatically
displays when you select the Image to File option. The dialog box contains all of the above options. If
disabled using this option, the application saves the most recent settings that you have used.

• Font Magnification Factor: This setting changes the font size of the textual content contained in the le-
gend. The magnification range for the font size is 0.5 to 1.5. If you enter a value less than or greater
than this range, the application will default to the corresponding minimum (0.5) or maximum (1.5)
value. The default value is 1. This setting also scales the contour color band.

• Probe Label Offset: The options for this setting relate to how the application captures and saves images
of results displayed in the Geometry window as well as how the application presents images on the Print
Preview (p. 104) tab, when you have inserted Probe labels and then moved those probe labels (p. 132) on
the screen. Options include:

– Respect User-Defined Offset (default): This options ensures that probe labels maintain their location
in the Geometry window when you are using the Image to File option contained in the Image drop-
down menu on the Insert (p. 10) group Home (p. 9) tab or if you are using the Print Preview feature.

– Reset to Probe Anchor: This options ensures that probe labels maintain their location in the Geometry
window when you are using the Image to File option but only when the Graphics Resolution preference

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is a 1:1 ratio. Otherwise, the application places the probe labels in their original position. This option
also places the probe labels in their original position if you employ the Print Preview feature.

• Animation Export

This category contains the property Legacy Animation Export. Setting this property to Yes enables
you to export AVI animation files using Microsoft Windows API on the Windows platform. The default
setting is No.

Miscellaneous
The UI Controls category contains the property Details View Combo Boxes. This property enables
you to change the default setting for the ability to search drop-down lists (p. 70) in the Details view.
The options include: Searchable (default) and Non-Searchable.

The Miscellaneous selection enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Load Orientation Type: Specifies the orientation input method for certain loads. This input appears in
the Define By option in the Details view of the load, under Definition.

– Vector (default)

– Component

• Report Performance Diagnostics in Message: Turn on messaging that reports the time it takes for certain
processes to execute, such as the time it takes for contact detection, mesh generation, writing the input
file, solution, etc. Options include Yes and No (default).

• Pop-up Messages: Turn pop-up messages in the Message Window (p. 128) on (Yes, default) or off (No).

• Message Coloring: Set whether to have the application highlight objects in the tree that are experiencing
an issue. The objects as well as the corresponding message in the Messages window can be highlighted
or you can select to highlight only Message window content. The available options include On (default),
Off, and Messages Window Only.

Note:

You need to close and then reopen Mechanical in order for changes to this preference
to take effect.

The Image category includes the Image Transfer Type control. There are no counterpart settings in
the Details view. Using this control, you define the type of image file created when you send an image
to Microsoft Word or PowerPoint,or when you select Print Preview. Options include:

• PNG (default)

• JPEG

• BMP

The Post Processing (MAPDL Only) category includes the control Result File Caching. This control
is for results files written by the Mechanical APDL solver only. By holding substantial portions of a

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file in memory, caching reduces the amount of I/O associated with result file reading. The cache can,
however, reduce memory that would otherwise be used for other solutions. Control options include:

• System Controlled (default): The operating system determines whether or not the result file is cached
for reading.

• Off: There is no caching during the reading of the result file.

• Program Controlled: The Mechanical application determines whether or not the result file is cached
for reading.

Note:

You need to close and then reopen Mechanical in order for changes to this preference
to take effect.

The Save Options category includes the following controls for this category.

• Save Project Before Solution: Sets the Yes / No default for the Save Project Before Solution setting
located in the Project Details panel. Although you can set the default here, the solver respects the latest
Save Project Before Solution setting in the Details panel. The default for this option is No. Selecting Yes
saves the entire project immediately before solving (after any required meshing). If the project had never
been previously saved, you can now select a location to save a new file.

• Save Project After Solution: Sets the Yes / No default for the Save Project After Solution setting in the
Project Details panel. The default for this option is No Selecting Yes Saves the project immediately after
solving but before postprocessing. If the project had never been previously saved, nothing will be saved.

Note:

The save options you specify on the Project Details panel override the options specified
in the Options dialog box and will be used for the current project.

The Legend category of the Miscellaneous option provides the control Show Date and Time. Options
include Yes (default) and No. This control enables you turn off the display of the date and time in
the Geometry window. The context (right-click) menu option Date and Time also changes this default
setting.

Report
The Figure Dimensions (in Pixels) category includes the following controls that allow you to make
changes to the resolution of the report for printing purposes.

• Chart Width - Default value equals 600 pixels.

• Chart Height - Default value equals 400 pixels.

• Graphics Width - Default value equals 600 pixels.

• Graphics Height - Default value equals 500 pixels.

• Graphics Resolution - Resolution values include:

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– Optimal Onscreen Display (1:1)

– Enhanced Print Quality (2:1)

– High-Resolution Print Quality (4:1)

The Customization category includes the following controls:

• Maximum Number of Table Columns: (default = 12 columns) Changes the number of columns used
when a table is created.

• Merge Identical Table Cells: merges cells that contain identical values. The default value is Yes.

• Omit Part and Joint Coordinate System Tables: chooses whether to include or exclude Coordinate
System data within the report. This data can sometimes be cumbersome. The default value is Yes.

• Include Figures: specifies whether to include Figure objects as pictures in the report. You may not want
to include figures in the report when large solved models or models with a mesh that includes many
nodes and elements are involved. In these cases, figure generation can be slow, which could significantly
slow down report generation. The default value is Yes.

Note:

This option applies only to Figure objects as pictures. Graph pictures, Engineering Data
graphs, and result graphs (such as phase response in a harmonic analysis) are not affected
and will appear regardless of this option setting.

• Custom Report Generator Folder: reports can be run outside of the Workbench installation directory
by copying the Workbench Report2006 folder to a new location. Specify the new folder location in this
field. See the Customize Report Content (p. 108) section for more information.

Analysis Settings and Solution

The Solver Controls category enables you to change the default values for the following:

• Solver Type: Specifies which ANSYS solver will be used. The choices are:

– Program Controlled (default)

– Direct

– Iterative

• Use Weak Springs: specifies whether weak springs are added to the model. The Program Controlled
setting automatically enables weak springs to be added if an unconstrained model is detected, if unstable
contact exists, or if compression only supports are active. The choices include:

– Program Controlled

– On

– Off (default)

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• Solver Pivot Checking (p. 1122) : Sets the default for all new analyses created. Options include:

– Program Controlled (default): enables the solver to determine the response.

– Warning: Instructs the solver to continue upon detection of the condition and attempt the solution.

– Error: Instructs the solver to stop upon detection of the condition and issue an error message.

– Off: Pivot checking is not performed.

The Solver Control (Eigenvalue Buckling) category provides the Include Negative Load Multiplier
property. Options include Program Controlled (default), Yes, and No. This option enables you to
evaluate either negative and positive load multipliers or only positive load multipliers. The No setting
evaluates positive load multipliers given the load directions. The Yes setting evaluates positive load
multipliers given the load directions as well as the negative load multipliers by flipping the load dir-
ections.

The Output Controls (Static and Transient) category enables you to change the default values for
the following:

• Stress (Default setting = Yes)

• Strain (Default setting = Yes)

• Nodal Forces (Default setting = No)

• Contact Miscellaneous (Default setting = No)

• General Miscellaneous (Default setting = No)

• Calculate Reactions (Default setting = Yes)

• Calculate Thermal Flux (Default setting = Yes)

The Output Controls (Modal) category enables you to change the default value for the following:

• Stress: Writes stress results to the file, file.mode. Options include Yes (default) and No.

• Strain: Writes strain results to the file, file.mode. Options include Yes (default) and No.

• Store Modal Results: Options include Program Controlled (default), No, or For Future Analysis.

The Options (Random Vibration) category enables you to change the default value for the following:

• Exclude Insignificant Modes: When set to Yes, this property enables you to exclude modes for the mode
combination based on the entry of the Mode Significance Level property. The default setting is No.

• Mode Significance Level: This property defines the threshold for the numbers of modes for mode com-
bination. The default setting is 0 (all modes selected). Supported entries are between 0.0 and 1. Displayed
only when Exclude Insignificant Modes is set to Yes.

The Output Controls (Random Vibration) category enables you to change the default value for the
following:

• Keep Modal Results: include or remove modal results from the result file of Random Vibration analysis.
The default setting is No.

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• Calculate Velocity: Write Velocity results to the results file. The default setting is No.

• Calculate Acceleration: Write Acceleration results to the results file. The default setting is No.

The Restart Controls category enables you to change the default value for the following:

• Generate Restart Points: Program Controlled (default setting) automatically generates restart points.
Additional options include Manual, that provides user-defined settings, and Off, which restricts the creation
of new restart points.

• Retain Files After Full Solve: when restart points are requested, the necessary restart files are always
retained for an incomplete solve due to a convergence failure or user request. However, when the solve
completes successfully, you have the option to request to either keep the restart points by setting this
field to Yes, or to delete them by setting this field to No.

You can control these settings in the Details view of the Analysis Settings object under Restart
Controls (p. 1126), or in the Options dialog under the Analysis Settings and Solution preferences list.
The setting in the Details view overrides the preference setting.

The Solution Information category enables you to change the default value in the Details view for
the following:

• Refresh Time: specifies how often any of the result tracking items under a Solution Information (p. 1735)
object get updated while a solution is in progress. The default is 2.5 s.

• Activate FE Connection Visibility: specifies the value of the Activate Visibility property. The default
setting is Yes.

The Solution Settings category enables you to set the default value for the following:

• Results Availability: specifies what results to allow under the Solution object in Design Assessment systems
when the Solution Selection (p. 1850) object allows combinations. The default is Filter Combination Results.

The Analysis Data Management category enables you to specify default settings for the following:

• Scratch Solver Files Directory: Use this option to specify a unique disk drive that the application
will use to process the solution. Using this entry field, you must specify an existing disk location. If
the entry is invalid, the application uses the default disk.

• Save MAPDL db: Use this option to set the default value for the Save MAPDL db control. Selections
include No (default) or Yes. The setting of the Future Analysis control (see Analysis Data Manage-
ment (p. 1160) Help section) can sometimes require the db file to be written. In this case, the Save
MAPDL db control is automatically set to Yes.

The Analysis Data Management (Modal) category enables you to set the default value for the Future
Analysis property. The options include None (default), MSUP Analyses, and Topology Optimization.
If this property is set to MSUP Analyses or Topology Optimization, the application creates the files
needed for future MSUP analyses or Topology Optimization. If this property is set to None, the files
are not created in order to improve solution time and reduce file size.

The Analysis Data Management (Static Structural) category enables you to set the default value
for the Future Analysis property. The options include None (default) or Topology Optimization. If
this property is set to Topology Optimization, the application creates the files needed for Topology
Optimization. If this property is set to None, the files are not created in order to improve solution
time and reduce file size.

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The Analysis Data Management (Topology Optimization) category enables you to set the default
value for the Max Num of Intermediate Files property. It specifies the number of intermediate topo-
logy files you wish to retain for all iterations solved. A value of 1 indicates that the generated file is
overwritten each iteration. The default value for the property is set to the text string "All Iterations"
that equals a setting of zero (0).

Results
The Default category of the Results option provides the following controls:

• Calculate Time History: Sets the default value for calculation of time history. The default is Yes.

• Auto Rename Results: Automatically renames a result when the result Type is changed. The choices are
Yes and No. The default is Yes.

• Average Across Bodies: Change the default setting of the property Average Across Bodies. The options
are Yes and No. The default setting is No.

• Prompt Before Deleting Results on Solve: this control enables you to activate a confirmation prompt
for the Solve option on the Solution folder’s (p. 2211) right-click context menu as well as the child object
of the Solution folder (e.g., result objects). The prompt only displays for analyses with existing solution
data. The available options include:

– Failed and Restart Solution (default): You are prompted when you attempt to re-solve a failed solution
or for a solution with restart points.

– Never: the confirmation prompt feature is turned off.

– Always: you are always prompted when you select the right-click Solve option.

Note:

The F5 hotkey does not support this function.

The Cyclic Result Option category of the Results option provides the Allow Phase Sweep control.
Options include No (default) and Yes.

The Context Tab category of the Results option provides the RSM Output Files Download control.
Options include Show (default) and Hide.

The Cyclic Solution Display category of the Results option provides the following controls.

• Number of Sectors: For an analysis that includes a Cyclic Region object, this controls specifies the
default setting of the Number of Sectors property of the Solution object. The default setting is 1.

• Starting at Section: For an analysis that includes a Cyclic Region object, this controls specifies the
default setting of the Starting at Section property of the Solution object. The default setting is 1.

The Legend category of the Results option provides the following result display preferences:

• Orientation: Select a desire display orientation for the legend. Options include Vertical (default)
and Horizontal.

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• Show Min/Max on Color Bar: You use this setting to either display or hide (default) the legend's
context menu (right-click) option Show Min/Max on Color Bar. Options include Yes and No (default).

• Show Deformation Scale Factor: You use this setting to either display (default) or hide the legend's
context menu (right-click) option Show Deformation Scale Factor. Options include Yes (default)
and No.

Visibility
The Visibility selection and category provides the Part Mesh Statistics setting. This setting enables
you to display or hide the Statistics category in the Details view for Body (p. 1960) and Part (p. 2154)
objects.

The Tree Filtering category provides the following controls:

• Graphics: Never (default) or On Hide/Show Bodies. Setting this option to On Hide/Show Bodies
when the Graphics filter is active and set to Visible Bodies, causes the tree to automatically filter
using that option whenever a body is hidden or shown so that only visible bodies and objects asso-
ciated with any visible body display.

• Expand: Yes or No (default). Change the default setting of the Expand on Refresh button on the
Filtering (p. 63) feature.

Wizard
The Wizard Options category includes the following exclusive controls for this category. There are
no counterpart settings in the Details view.

• Default Wizard: This is the URL to the XML wizard definition to use by default when a specific wizard isn't
manually chosen or automatically specified by a simulation template. The default is StressWizard.xml.

• Flash Callouts: Specifies if callouts will flash when they appear during wizard operation. The default is
Yes.

The Skin category includes the following exclusive controls for this category. There are no counterpart
settings in the Details view.

• Cascading Style Sheet: This is the URL to the skin (CSS file) used to control the appearance of the
Mechanical Wizard. The default is Skins/System.css.

The Customization Options category includes the following exclusive controls for this category.
There are no counterpart settings in the Details view.

• Mechanical Wizard URL: For advanced customization. See Appendix: Workbench Mechanical Wizard Ad-
vanced Programming Topics for details.

• Enable WDK Tools: Advanced. Enables the Wizard Development Kit. The WDK adds several groups of
tools to the Mechanical Wizard. The WDK is intended only for persons interested in creating or modifying

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wizard definitions. The default is No. See the Appendix: Workbench Mechanical Wizard Advanced Programming
Topics for details.

Note:

• URLs in the Mechanical Wizard follow the same rules as URLs in web pages.

• Relative URLs are relative to the location of the Mechanical Wizard URL.

• Absolute URLs may access a local file, a UNC path, or use HTTP or FTP.

Commands
The Command Editor Options category includes the following controls that enable you to change
the presentation and operation of the Commands (APDL) Object Worksheet:

• Font Size: Specify the desired font size of the text in the window. The default setting is 11.

• Show Invisibles: Show or hide formatting marks (spaces, paragraph symbol, etc.). The default setting
is No.

• Show Line Numbers: Show or hide line numbers. The default setting is Yes.

• Syntax Highlighting (Mechanical APDL or Rigid Dynamics solvers only): Turn syntax highlighting
on/off. The default setting is On.

• Interactive Tooltips (Mechanical APDL solver only): Turn the tooltip feature on/off. The default setting
is On.

UI Options
The UI Options group includes the following categories that enable you to change certain interface
display default settings.

Tooltip
This category includes default settings for the following:

• Show Tooltips: Show/hide all tooltips for all available options. Options include Yes (default) and No.
Setting this option to No hides all tooltips and the options below become ineffective.

• Show Mini Toolbar Tooltips: Show/hide tooltips for the Mini Selection Toolbar (p. 174). Options include
Yes (default) and No.

• Show Menu Tooltips: Show/hide tooltips for options on right-click context menu. Options include
Yes (default) and No.

Window Manager
This category contains the Pane Opacity setting. This setting enables you to modify the transparency
of the interface panes. The default setting is 100.

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Engineering Data
This category contains the Mechanical View setting. Options include None and Windows (default).
Selecting None returns the material assignment display and menu options to the previous layout and
behavior.

Context Tab
This category includes the Common Groups Visibility setting. This setting enables you to hide the tab
groups Outline, Solve, and Insert from Context tabs. By default, these groups are displayed on the
various Context tabs. The options for this setting are Show (default) and Hide.

Note:

• This setting does not apply to the Project, Named Selection, Remote Point, and Conver-
gence Context tabs as they only display these three groups.

• If you select multiple objects in the Outline, these groups automatically display regardless
of this setting. When the Hide setting is specified, the groups again become hidden once
a single object is selected.

Mini Selection Toolbar

This category includes the Mini Selection Toolbar Visibility setting. This setting enables you to hide
or display (default) the Mini Selection Toolbar (p. 174).

Progress
This category includes the Hide Progress Window setting. This setting enables you to hide (default) or
display the progress windows of certain application processes, such as attaching geometry, mesh gen-
eration, and the solution process. The progress for these processes is also displayed in the status
bar (p. 80).

Setting Variables
Variables enable you to override default settings.

To set a variable:

1. Choose Variable Manager from the Tools menu.

2. Right-click in the row to add a new variable.

3. Enter a variable name and type in a value.

4. Click OK.

Variable name Allowable Values Description

DSMESH OUTPUT filename Writes mesher messages to a file during solve (default =
no file written). If the value is a filename, the file is written
to the temporary working folder (usually c:\temp). To
write the file to a specific location, specify the full path.
DSMESH DEFEA- a number between Tolerance used in simplifying geometry (default = .0005).
TUREPERCENT 1e-6 and 1e-3
TreatMod- 1 Mode shapes and contour colors are in sync for animated
alAsComplex Modal results.

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Variable name Allowable Values Description

contactAl- 1 Allows the solution to proceed even if no contact
lowEmpty elements are generated for a given Contact Region.
1
UsePseudoShellDisp Display expanded shell thickness based on solver updated
nodal locations (for shells with large
deformations (p. 79)).
edge contact CONTA175 or Forcibly specifies the element type of edge contact (both
type CONTA177 for real contact and Remote Boundary Conditions (p. 1416)).

Status
The status box indicates if a particular variable is active or not. Checked indicates that the variable is
active. Unchecked indicates that the variable is available but not active. This saves you from typing
in the variable and removing it.

Using Macros
The Mechanical application enables you to execute custom functionality that is not included in a
standard Mechanical application menu entry via its Scripting feature. The functionality is defined in a
macro - a script that accesses the Mechanical application programming interface (API).

Macros can be written in the Python (.py) programming language. For additional information, refer to
the Script Examples section of the Scripting in Mechanical Quick Start Guide. Macros cannot currently
be recorded from the Mechanical application.

To access a macro from the Mechanical application:

1. Choose Scripting option (p. 48) from the Support group on the Automation tab.

2. Navigate to the directory containing the macro.

3. Select the macro.

Note:

Note: For the current release. Mechanical also supports macros written in the legacy languages
Microsoft's JScript and VBScript. Several macro files are provided with the ANSYS Workbench
installation under \ANSYS Inc\v190\AISOL\DesignSpace\DSPages\macros.

Data Export
Mechanical enables you to export specifically supported analysis data to one or more of the following
file types. Review the following topics based upon the desired export file format.

• General Export Procedure (p. 160)

• Exporting to Text and Delimited Files (p. 160)

• Stereolithography (STL) (p. 161)

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• ANSYS Viewer File (AVZ) (p. 162)

• Geometry (Part Manager Database) (p. 163)

• VRXPERIENCE Sound Pro (p. 164)

• Waveform Audio File (WAV) (p. 164)

Note:

Also see the Writing NASTRAN Files (p. 1812) section for the steps to export your analysis as
a NASTRAN (.nas) file.

See the Options Settings (p. 166) topic at the end of the section for some general export settings that
are available using the Options dialog.

General Export Procedure

1. Select an object in the tree.

2. Click the Worksheet to give it focus (if applicable).

3. Right-click the selected object in the tree or within the Tabular Data window, select Export, and then
select a file type as required.

4. Specify a file name and save the file. Based on the object type, the application may automatically open
Excel, assuming you have the application.

Note:

You must right-mouse click the selected object in the tree to use this Export feature. On
Windows platforms, if you have the Microsoft Office 2002 (or later) installed, you may
see an Export to Excel option if you right-mouse click in the Worksheet. This is not
the Mechanical application Export feature but rather an option generated by Microsoft
Internet Explorer.

Exporting to Text and Delimited Files

You can export a variety of analysis data to a tab-delimited text file. This file format enables you to view
the data in a text editor as well as Microsoft Excel.

Mechanical supports exporting data from the following object types (without access to worksheet data):

Contour Results
Node-Based Named Selections
Element-Based Named Selections
Imported Loads

Data from the following additional objects can be exported but requires worksheet data to be active:

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 Data Export

Con-
Con-
Geo-
nec-
ver-
metry
tions
gence
Con-
Co-
Mesh
tact
ordin-
Group
ate
Sys-
tems
Con-
Fa-
Solu-
tact
tigue
tion
Ini-
Sens-
tial
it-
In-
iv-
form-
it-
a-
ies
tion
Con-
Fre-
Thermal
tact
quency
Con-
Tool
Re-
di-
sponse
tion

Note:

Note the following with regards to how data is presented in text file format:

• Exported result values equal the values the application used to create the results contour
(color) displays.

• For results, the exported file provides columns of information.

– The column headings in the file combine results names and result unit types.

– The node ID column and, if applicable, the element ID column, are not necessarily sorted.

• For unaveraged element- or node-based contact results or elemental-based contact result

results, the element IDs in the exported file correspond to the solid elements with which
the contact elements share a face.

Stereolithography (STL)
The following objects enable you to export object information in STL file format, either as Binary (default)
or ASCII. File size is the primary difference between the file formats. The binary format generates smaller
files, however; it does not include information for the bodies of your model. The ASCII format preserves
all body information during export. Using the Options (p. 138) dialog box, under the Export (p. 143) cat-
egory, you can change the default setting for exporting in STL format.

• Geometry (p. 2040) (ASCII format only (p. 143))

• Mesh (p. 2120)

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• Results and Result Tools (Group) (p. 2191)

Important:

Mechanical obtains unit data from imported CAD models and displays the unit in the
Length Unit property of the Geometry object (p. 2040). This is the unit system used by
the STL export feature. When opening your exported STL file in a CAD application, make
sure that the application is also using this unit system. For example, in SpaceClaim, set
your unit system by selecting File > SpaceClaimOptions > File Options > STL, and
then specify the appropriate unit system from the Units drop-down menu.

Note:

• When a model contains multiple bodies, Mechanical uses a nonstandard file format for the
ASCII representation. In this case, the application separates the bodies.

• Files saved in the STL format can be viewed in appropriate STL supported applications, such
as SpaceClaim. Currently for the Mesh object and results-based objects, files exported in
the ASCII format enable you to render individual parts of your model in SpaceClaim. Files in
the binary format do not support this display capability.

• When you select Top/Bottom as the Shell setting in the Details view for a surface body and
export the result contours (such as stresses and strains), the export file contains two results
for every node on a shell element (p. 1500). The first result is for the bottom face and the
second result is for the top face.

• For deformation results, the STL file is exported according to the scale you specify in the
Result (p. 25) drop-down menu, on the Solution Context tab.

• For result contours that are scoped to more than one body, and that share nodes by more
than one body, the export file will contain multiple result listings for each shared node.
Furthermore, if the result type is a degree of freedom result, such as temperature and dis-
placement results, then the result values for a given shared node are identical (and redund-
ant). In addition, if the result type is an element nodal result, like stress or strain, then the
result values for a given shared node can be different because the solver can compute dif-
ferent element nodal result values for a node shared by different bodies.

ANSYS Viewer File (AVZ)

Mechanical enables you to export your mesh and/or a result object as an AVZ (.avz) file. The export
operation creates a 3D model representation that you can display in the ANSYS Viewer (installation re-
quired). The ANSYS Viewer is a WebGL based 3D image viewer that you can use to visualize the exported
mesh and results of your analysis without opening the Mechanical application. For results, you can inspect
result values at specific locations by hovering the mouse over a point on your model. For result objects

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 Data Export

and as desired, you can automatically launch the ANSYS Viewer by changing the default setting under
the Export preference (p. 143) of the Options dialog.

Note:

Exporting results that include a customized legend may present legend/contour display
inconsistencies in the viewer.

Geometry (Part Manager Database)

You can export the geometry (entirely or as parts) to a binary Part Manager Database (.pmdb) file by:

• Right-clicking on the Geometry object and then selecting Export>Geometry. The application writes
the entire geometry to the .pmdb file. This option also writes any Named Selections created in Mech-
anical into the .pmdb file.

Or...

• Right-clicking one or more bodies/parts, and then select Export>Geometry. The application writes
the selected parts to the .pmdb file. If a selected body is part of a multi-body part, then the entire part
is written to the file.

Or...

• Right-clicking one or more bodies in the Geometry window and then selecting Export>Geometry. The
application writes the selected parts to the .pmdb file.

Note:

• Exporting the Geometry as a .pmdb file facilitates future geometry import into SpaceClaim,
DesignModeler, as well as re-importing the file back into Mechanical.

• When exporting a geometry to a .pmdb file, the application exports all bodies, including
suppressed bodies, to the file without maintaining their suppression status. Therefore, when
you re-import the geometry, all of the bodies are unsuppressed. However, the application
does export whether or not a you have hidden bodies. This means that suppressed bodies,
which are typically hidden, appear hidden when you re-import the geometry. As a result,
your geometry may have bodies that are hidden, because they were suppressed on export,
but that are no longer suppressed.

• The application does not export supplemental model data created after the geometry was
imported. This includes coordinate systems, work points, spot welds, or materials that you
manually added during your Mechanical session.

• When defined, .pmdb files include geometry cross sections for line bodies in the exported
file. Subsequent SpaceClaim and Mechanical sessions import the line body cross section
data accordingly. However, DesignModeler does not support importing line body cross
section data and as needed, requires you to redefine the cross sections if imported into
DesignModeler.

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For Static Structural and Modal analyses, you can export your simulation as a NASTRAN Bulk Data (.bdf,
.dat, .nas) file.

When you select the Environment object (p. 2017), the option, Export NASTRAN File is available in the
Tools group of the Environment Context Tab (p. 23). Based on your analysis type, one of the following
dialogs displays. You use these property options to further define how you wish to export your simulation.

VRXPERIENCE Sound Pro

Mechanical enables you to export a result to VRXPERIENCE Sound Pro software for sound synthesis,
sound design, or psychoacoustics analysis. When exporting the result, the data is stored in an XML file,
then Sound Dimension Pro is opened (if installed on the machine) and automatically opens this file.
The option is supported for the following acoustics results (p. 1616):

• Equivalent Radiated Power Level

• ERP Level Waterfall Diagram

• Frequency Response Sound Power Level

• Far-field SPL Mic (when the Definition Method property is set to Coordinates)

• Far-field Sound Power Level

• Far-field Mic Waterfall Diagram

• Far-field Sound Power Level Waterfall Diagram

For more information, please refer to VRXPERIENCE Sound Pro documentation.

Waveform Audio File (WAV)

You can export the following acoustic-based result types to a Waveform Audio File (.wav) file:

• Equivalent Radiated Power Level

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 Data Export

• ERP Level Waterfall Diagram

• Frequency Response Sound Power Level

• Far-field SPL Mic (when the Definition Method property is set to Coordinates)

• Far-field Sound Power Level

• Far-field Mic Waterfall Diagram

• Far-field Sound Power Level Waterfall Diagram

Note:

Waterfall result types are only supported by the Harmonic Model sampling method
described below.

For the above result types, the context (right-click) menu option Export > Export to WAV File opens
the preference window shown below. The default settings are displayed.

The Duration and Sampling Frequency options are basic settings that enable you to specify the dur-
ation and sampling frequency of the audio file.

The Sampling Method options include:

• Inverse FFT (Fast Fourier Transform): This method generates a sound from a given spectrum using a
Fourier transform. This method creates a sound sample based on the given input spectrum (level vs.
frequency). This resulting sound sample has the same spectrum as the input. This method is recommen-
ded for broadband noise spectrum.

• Harmonic Model: This method generates a sound from a spectrum using sound synthesis from sinus-
oidal patterns. This method creates a sound sample based on the given input spectrum (level vs. fre-
quency) that contains harmonic components at the same exact frequencies specified in the input
spectrum. Each frequency has the same level as the specified input. This method is recommended for
pure tones sounds.

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Options Settings
The Export the Mechanical application settings (p. 143) in the Options dialog (p. 138) enables you to:

Automatically Open Excel (Yes by default)

Include Node Numbers (Yes by default)
Include Node Location (No by default)

Keyframe Animation

Overview
The Keyframe animation feature enables you to string together snapshots of your model in the Geometry
window to create an animation. Each Keyframe is a Start and End point that the application then links
together by drawing Subframes (by default 30 Subframes) to create the animation. The application in-
terpolates the transition from frame to frame to create a smooth animation. For example, you can create
an animation of your model rotating.

Application
You create Keyframes using the Keyframe Animation Views window. To display (or close) the window,
select the Keyframe Animation option from the Tools group (p. 11) on the Home tab. The window,
as shown here, provides the interface for using the feature.

Create a Keyframe

To create Keyframes, you need to first position your model as desired in the Geometry window. Then,
select the Create a Keyframe button in the Keyframe Animation window. A new entry displays in the
window. The application assigns a numerical value to each Keyframe (Keyframe 0, Keyframe1, etc.).
Each Keyframe is a snapshot of the model.

Once you define a Keyframe animation in the window, you can double-click the Keyframe to view its
position.

Modify a Keyframe

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To change an existing Keyframe, select the Keyframe in the window, position your model as desired,
and select the Modify a Keyframe button.

Delete a Keyframe

Select the Keyframe in the window and click the Delete button.

Save/Load/Export Animations

The window provides options to Save your defined Keyframes as an XML file, to load a saved XML files
of Keyframes, and an export option that enables you to save your Keyframe animation as a video file
(AVI, MP4, WMV, or GIF). Any Subframe Count and Total Time specifications apply to exported files
types except the GIF format.

Insert Keyframe

Insert a new keyframe before the currently selected keyframe.

Apply Keyframe

Set the graphics window's camera settings to the currently selected keyframe's camera settings.

Note:

• When exporting your animation as a video file, make sure to keep the Mechanical application
window is in front of any other desktop windows until the export process is complete. Opening
other windows in front of the application window before the export process is complete could
include those windows in the video capture.

• The GIF file format does not support the Workbench Gradient settings (the default setting). For
this file format, the application automatically changes the Workbench appearance setting to
Uniform. As a result, exported GIF files have a plain background compared to exported videos.

Frame Animation Control Options and Displays

The window provides the following options/displays:

• Play: Start or Resume the animation.

• Pause: Pause current animation

• Stop: Stop the animation

• Previous/Next Frame: These options move the animation backwards or forwards one frame at a time.

• Subframe Count: Specify the desired number of subframes (0 to 200) between each Keyframe. Subframes
define the number of interpolations performed between each frame. This affects the smoothness or
lack thereof of the animation. This setting applies to exported animations.

• Total Time: Specify a desired amount of time for your animation. This property defines presentation
speed. This setting applies to exported animations.

• Keyframe: Read-only field that displays the Keyframe being displayed.

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• Subframe: Read-only field that displays the subframes (per Subframe Count property) as the animation
progresses. You can use the Previous/Next Frame options to view specific frames/subframes. Otherwise
these fields automatically cycle through the animation.

Graphical Selection and Display

Here are some tips for working with graphics:

• You can use the ruler, shown at the bottom of the Geometry (p. 76) window, to obtain a good estimate of
the scale of the displayed geometry or results (similar to using a scale on a geographic map). The ruler is
useful when setting mesh sizes.

• Hold the control key to add or remove items from a selection. You can paint select faces on a model by
dragging the left mouse button.

• Use the stack of rectangles in the lower left corner of the Geometry (p. 76) window to select faces hidden
by your current selection.

• To multi-select one or more faces, hold the Ctrl key and click the faces you wish to select, or use Box Select
to select all faces within a box. The Ctrl key can be used in combination with Box Select to select faces
within multiple boxes.

• Use the options of the Selection Tab (p. 42) to make or manipulate geometry selections.

• Click the Using Viewports (p. 194) icon to view up to four images in the Geometry (p. 76) window.

• Controls are different for Graphs & Charts (p. 195).

• Mechanical supports 3Dconnexion devices. See the Platform Support section of ANSYS.com for a complete
list of 3Dconnexion products certified with the current release of ANSYS applications.

More information is available in the following topics:

Selecting Geometry
Selecting Nodes
Selecting Elements and Element Faces
Selecting Nodes and Elements by ID
Manipulating the Model in the Geometry Window
Defining Direction
Using Viewports
Controlling Graphs and Charts
Managing Graphical View Settings
Creating Section Planes
Viewing Annotations
Controlling Lighting
Inserting Comments, Images, and Figures

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Selecting Geometry
This section discusses cursor modes and how to select and pick geometry in the Geometry window.
It includes information on the following:

Pointer Modes (p. 169)

Highlighting (p. 169)
Picking (p. 170)
Blips (p. 170)
Painting (p. 171)
Depth Picking (p. 171)
Selection Filters (p. 172)
Selection Modes (p. 172)
Mini Selection Toolbar (p. 174)
Extend To (p. 175)

For Help on how to select mesh nodes and elements, see the Selecting Nodes (p. 179) and Selecting
Elements (p. 185) sections. Many of the same selection and picking tools are employed for mesh selec-
tions.

Pointer Modes
The pointer in the Geometry window is always either in a picking filter mode or a view control mode.
When in a view control mode the selection set is locked. To resume the selection, repress a picking
filter button.

The Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) offers several geometry filters and view controls as the default state, for
example, face, edge, rotate, and zoom.

If a Geometry field in the Details View (p. 67) has focus, inappropriate picking filters are automatically
disabled. For example, a pressure load can only be scoped to faces.

If the Direction field in the Details View (p. 67) has focus, the only enabled picking filter is Select
Direction. Select Direction mode is enabled for use when the Direction field has focus; you never
choose Select Direction manually. You may manipulate the view while selecting a direction. In this
case the Select Direction button enables you to resume your selection.

Highlighting
Hovering your cursor over a geometry entity highlights the selection and provides visual feedback
about the current pointer behavior (e.g. select faces) and location of the pointer (e.g. over a particular
face).

As illustrated here, the face edges are highlighted in colored dots.

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Picking
A pick means a click on visible geometry. A pick becomes the current selection, replacing previous
selections. A pick in empty space clears the current selection.

By holding the Ctrl key down, you can add additional selections or remove existing selections. Clicking
in empty space with Ctrl depressed does not clear current selections.

For information on picking nodes, see Selecting Nodes (p. 179).

Blips
As illustrated below, when you make a selection on a model, a cross-hair “blip” appears.

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The blip serves to:

• Mark a picked point on visible geometry.

• Represent a ray normal to the screen passing through all hidden geometry.

When you make multiple selections using the Ctrl key, the blip is placed at the last selection entity.
Clicking in empty space clears your current selection, but the blip remains in its last location. Once
you have cleared a selection, hold the Ctrl key down and click in clear space again to remove the
blip.

Note:

This is important for depth picking, a feature discussed below.

Painting
Painting means dragging the mouse on visible geometry to select more than one entity. A pick is a
trivial case of painting. Without holding the Ctrl key down, painting picks all appropriate geometry
touched by the pointer.

Depth Picking
Depth Picking enables you to pick geometry through the Z-order behind the blip.

Whenever a blip appears above a selection, the Geometry window displays a stack of rectangles in
the lower left corner. The rectangles are stacked in appearance, with the topmost rectangle repres-
enting the visible (selected) geometry and subsequent rectangles representing geometry hit by a ray
normal to the screen passing through the blip, front to back. The stack of rectangles is an alternative

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graphical display for the selectable geometry. Each rectangle is drawn using the same edge and face
colors as its associated geometry.

Highlighting and picking behaviors are identical and synchronized for geometry and its associated
rectangle. Moving the pointer over a rectangle highlights both the rectangle its geometry, and vice
versa. Ctrl key and painting behaviors are also identical for the stack. Holding the Ctrl key while
clicking rectangles picks or unpicks associated geometry. Dragging the mouse (Painting (p. 171)) along
the rectangles picks geometry front-to-back or back-to-front.

Selection Filters
When you are using your mouse pointer in the Geometry window, you are often selecting or viewing
geometry entities or mesh selections. The Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) provides the geometry and mesh
selection filters listed below. When you activate a filter, the specific entities (vertex, edge, face, body,
node, or element) that you can select highlight as you pass your cursor over the entity. This helps
you to make desired selections. You can use the filters with the options of the Select Mode drop-
down list (i.e., Single Select, Box Select, Box Volume Select, etc.).

Depressing the Ctrl key enables you to make multiple selections for a specific entity type. Furthermore,
you can switch between modes (single, box, lasso, etc. as supported) and continue to add to your
selection using the Ctrl key. You can release the Ctrl key while you change selection modes.

• Smart Select

• Vertex

• Edge

• Face

• Body

• Node

• Element Face

• Element

Selection Modes
The Select Mode option enables you to select items designated by the Selection Filters (p. 172) through
the Single Select or Box Select drop-down menu options.

• Single Select (default): Click on an item to select it.

• Box Select: Define a box that selects filtered items. When defining the box, the direction that you drag
the mouse from the starting point determines what items are selected, as shown in the following figures:

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– Dragging to the right to form the box selects entities that are completely enclosed by the box.

– Visual cue: 4 tick marks completely inside the box.

– Dragging to the left to form the box selects all entities that touch the box.

– Visual cue: 4 tick marks that cross the sides of the box.

• Box Volume Select: Available for node-based Named Selections (p. 185) only. Selects all the surface and
internal node within the box boundary across the cross-section. The line of selection is normal to the
screen.

• Lasso Select: Available for node-based Named Selections (p. 185) only. Selects surface nodes that occur
within the shape you define.

• Lasso Volume Select: Available for node-based Named Selections (p. 185) only. Selects nodes that occur
within the shape you define.

Note:

Selection shortcuts:

• You can use the Ctrl key for multiple selections in both modes.

• You can change your selection mode from Single Select to Box Select by holding the right
mouse button and then clicking the left mouse button.

• Given a generated mesh and that the Mesh Select option is active, holding the right mouse
button and then clicking the left mouse button scrolls through the available selection options
(single section, box selection, box volume, lasso, lasso volume).

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Extend To (p. 175)

Selection Modes (p. 172)

For Help on how to select mesh nodes and elements, see the Selecting Nodes (p. 179) and Selecting
Elements (p. 185) sections. Many of the same selection and picking tools are employed for mesh selec-
tions.

Pointer Modes
The pointer in the Geometry window is always either in a picking filter mode or a view control mode.
When in a view control mode the selection set is locked. To resume the selection, repress a picking
filter button. The Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) offers several geometry filters and view controls as the
default state, for example, face, edge, rotate, and zoom.

If a Geometry field in the Details View (p. 67) has focus, inappropriate picking filters are automatically
disabled. For example, a pressure load can only be scoped to faces.

If the Direction field in the Details View (p. 67) has focus, the only enabled picking filter is Select
Direction. Select Direction mode is enabled for use when the Direction field has focus; you never
choose Select Direction manually. You may manipulate the view while selecting a direction. In this
case the Select Direction button enables you to resume your selection.

Mini Selection Toolbar (Windows Only)

When you are scoping objects such as boundary conditions and results, a mini toolbar displays. The
options include:

• Apply Selection: Replace the property scope with the current geometry selection.

• Add to: Add the current geometry selection to the existing property scope.

• Remove from: Remove the current geometry selection from existing property scope.

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Extend To
The Extend To group (p. 42), on Selection tab as well as the Extend drop-down menu on the
Graphics Toolbar (p. 49), is enabled only for edge or face selection modes and only with a selection
of one or more edges or faces. The following options are available in the drop-down menu:

Note:

For all options, you can modify the angle used to calculate the selection extensions in the
Workbench Options dialog setting Extend Selection Angle Limit under Graphics Inter-
action.

Adjacent

• For faces, the Adjacent option searches for faces adjacent to faces in the current selection that meet
an angular tolerance along their shared edge.

Single face selected in part on Additional adjacent faces selected after Extend to
the left. Adjacent option is chosen.

• For edges, the Adjacent option searches for edges adjacent to edges in the current selection that
meet an angular tolerance at their shared vertex.

Single edge selected in part on Additional adjacent edges selected after Extend to
the left. Adjacent option is chosen.

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Limits

• For faces, the Limits option searches for faces that are tangent to the current selection as well as all
faces that are tangent to each of the additional selections within the part. The selections must meet
an angular tolerance along their shared edges.

Single face selected in part on Additional tangent faces selected after Extend to
the left. Limits option is chosen.

• For edges, the Limits option searches for edges that are tangent to the current selection as well as all
edges that are tangent to each of the additional selections within the part. The selections must meet
an angular tolerance along their shared vertices.

Single edge selected in part on the left. Additional tangent edges selected after
Extend to Limits option is chosen.

Instances
(Available only if CAD pattern instances are defined in the model): When a CAD feature is repeated in a
pattern, it produces a family of related topologies (for example, vertices, edges, faces, bodies) each of
which is named an "instance". Using Instances, you can use one of the instances to select all others in
the model.

As an example, consider three parts that are instances of the same feature in the CAD system.
First select one of the parts.

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Then, choose Instances. The remaining two part instances are selected.

See CAD Instance Meshing for further information.

Connection
As described in Define Connections (p. 229), connections can be contact regions, joints, and so on.
Available for faces only, the Connection option is especially useful for assembly meshing as an aid in
picking faces related to flow volumes. For example, if you are using a Fluid Surface object to help define
a virtual body, you can generate connections, pick one face on each body of the flow volume, and then
select Connection. As a result, the faces related to the flow volume are picked to populate the Fluid
Surface object.

Connection searches for faces that are adjacent to the current selection as well as all faces that
are adjacent to each of the additional selections within the part, up to and including all connections

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on the selected part. This does not include all faces that are part of a connection—it includes
only those faces that are part of a connection and are also on the selected part.

If an edge used by a connection is encountered, the search stops at the edge; a face across the
edge is not selected. If there are no connections, all adjacent faces are selected. If the current
selection itself is part of a connection, it remains selected but the search stops.

Note:

• Virtual Body and Fluid Surface objects are fluids concepts, and as such they are not
supported by Mechanical solvers.

• The extent of the faces that will be included depends greatly on the current set of connec-
tions, as defined by the specified connections criteria (for example, Connection Type,
Tolerance Value, and so on). By modifying the criteria and regenerating the connections,
a different set of faces may be included. Refer to Common Connections Folder Operations
for Auto Generated Connections (p. 895) for more information.

• The figures below illustrate simple usage of the Connection option. Refer to Defining Vir-
tual Bodies in the Meshing help for a practical example of how you can use the Connection
option and virtual bodies together to solve assembly meshing problems.

Single face selected in part. Additional connected faces selected after

Connection option is chosen.

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Single face selected in part. In this example, Additional connected faces selected after
a multiple edge to single face connection Connection option is chosen. When the
is defined. connection is encountered, search stops at
edge.

Selecting Nodes
As with geometry selection, you use many of the same selection tools for mesh nodes. Once you
have generated the mesh on your model, you use picking tools to select individual or multiple nodes
on the mesh. You use node selections to define objects such as a node-based coordinate system or
node-based Named Selections (p. 761) as well as examining solution information about your node
selections. This section describes the steps to create node-based objects in Mechanical.

Additional topics included in this section, as show below, cover additional uses for the node selection
capability.

Node Selection (p. 179)

Selection Modes for Node Selection (p. 180)
View Node Information (p. 182)
Select Mesh Nodes on a Result Contour (p. 183)

Also see the following sections for the steps to create node-based coordinate systems and Named
Selections.

Creating a Coordinate System by Direct Node Selection (p. 184)

Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185)

Node Selection
To select individual nodes:

1. Generate a mesh by highlighting the Mesh object and clicking the Generate Mesh button.

2. From the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49), select the Node filter option.

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3. As needed, choose the appropriate selection tool from the Select Mode drop-down list. For more in-
formation on the node-based selection modes, see Selection Modes for Node Selection (p. 180).

Note:

• When working with Line Bodies: Nodes can be selected using volume selection modes
only (Box Volume Select or Lasso Volume Select).

• When working with Line Bodies and Surface Bodies: it is recommended that you turn
off the Thick Shells and Beams option (Display tab (p. 33)). This option changes the
graphical display of the model’s thickness and as a result can affect how your node selec-
tions are displayed.

4. Select individual nodes or define the shape to select nodes. With your selections active, you can now
define a coordinate system (p. 184) or named selection (p. 185) from selected nodes.

Selection Modes for Node Selection

Selects individual nodes or a group of nodes on the surface.

Single Select
Selects all the surface nodes within the box boundary for all the surfaces oriented
toward the screen.

Box Select

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Selects all the surface and internal nodes within the box boundary across the
cross-section. The line of selection is normal to the screen.

Box Volume
Select

Is similar to the Box Select mode. Selects surface nodes that occur within the
shape you define for surfaces oriented toward the screen.

Lasso Select

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Similar to Box Volume Select mode. Selects the nodes that occur within the shape
you define.

Lasso Volume
Select

Tip:

• To select multiple nodes, press the Ctrl key or press the left mouse and then drag over the
surface. You can also create multiple node groups at different locations using the Ctrl key.

• To select all internal and surface nodes, use the Box Volume Select or Lasso Select tool and
cover the entire geometry within the selection tool boundary.

• The Select All (Ctrl+A) option is not available when selecting nodes.

View Node Information

You can view information such as the location of each selected node and a summary of the group
of nodes in the Selection Information window. A brief description of the selected nodes is also
available on the status bar of the application window. To view node id and location information:

1. Select the nodes you wish to examine.

2. Select the Selection Information option from the Tools (p. 11) group on the Home tab.

The following options are available as drop-down menu items in the Selection Information window.

Selection Information Description

Coordinate System Updates the X, Y, and Z information based on the selected
coordinate system.
Show Individual and Sum- Shows both the node Summary and information on each node.
mary
Show Individual Shows information related to each node.
Show Summary Shows only a summary of selected nodes.

For more information see the Using the Selection Information Window (p. 117) section.

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Select Mesh Nodes on a Result Contour

Nodes (from the original mesh) can be selected even if they don’t have values for the selected result,
as in a path or surface scoped result.

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The positions of selected nodes reported in the Selection Information window are those from non-
deformed mesh.

Note:

If the graphics expansion is used (for shells and cyclic expansion, for example), the
selection will work on the expanded graphics, while the reported node ID and position
will be those in the non-expanded mesh. To eliminate confusion, switch the expansion
off.

Creating a Coordinate System by Direct Node Selection

You can select one or more nodes and then create a coordinate system directly in the Geometry
window. The new coordinate system is created at the location of the selected node or the centroid
of multiple nodes using the (X, Y, Z) locations, rather than the nodes themselves, to ensure that
the location does not change upon re-meshing.

To create a coordinate system from nodes in the Geometry window:

1. Using the Node selection filter on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49), select a node.

2. Right-click the selected nodes and select Create Coordinate System.

A new coordinate system is created at the location of the selected node or the centroid of
multiple nodes.

If you re-mesh the body at this point, you will see that the coordinate system remains in the same
location, as it is based on node location rather than node number.

Creating an Aligned Coordinate System

You can also select an individual node and create an aligned coordinate system on a solved vec-
tor principal stress or strain result.

Note:

While you cannot create an aligned coordinate system based on multiple nodes,
you can create a local coordinate system at the centroid with an axis oriented in
the direction of the global coordinate system.

To create an aligned coordinate system:

1. From the Tree Outline, select a Vector Principal Stress or Vector Principal Strain result.

2. Using the Node selection filter on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49), select one or more nodes.

3. Right-click in the Geometry window and select Create Aligned Coordinate System.

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A coordinate system is created. The Y-axis of the local coordinate system is oriented in the
direction of S1 (direction of max. principal stress).

Note:

Vector Principal Stress and Vector Principal Strain results cannot be applied to line
bodies or a node located on a line body. As a result, any automatically generated (aligned)
coordinate system would be incorrect.

Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection

You create node-based Named Selections in the graphical viewer by scoping selections to single
nodes, a group of surface nodes, or a group of nodes across a geometry cross-section.

Note:

You can make direct node selections when working with beams (line bodies) using
the Worksheet (p. 764). Direct graphical selection is also available using the Node
selection filter on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

To define node-based Named Selections:

1. Using the Node selection filter on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49), select one or more nodes.

Note:

For accuracy, ensure that the selected node lies within the scoped area of the
result

2. In the Geometry window, right-click the selected node or nodes and select Create Named Selection.

3. Enter a name for the Named Selection and click OK.

Note:

• If you select a large number of nodes (order of magnitude: 10,000), you are prompted with
a warning message regarding selection information time requirements.

• Following a remesh or renumber, all nodes are removed from named selections. If named
selections were defined with Scoping Method set to Worksheet and if the Generate on
Remesh field was set to Yes in the Details view of the Named Selection folder, then the
nodes are updated. Otherwise, node scoping does not occur and the named selection will
be empty.

Selecting Elements and Element Faces

Once you have generated the mesh on your model, you can select one or more elements or element
faces on your mesh using the Element or Element Face selection filter on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)

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as well as the options of the Select Mode drop-down menu. The following topics describe element-
based selection methods and features:

• Selecting Elements or Element Faces (p. 186)

• Specifying Element and Element Face-Based Named Selections (p. 186)

• Viewing Element Information (p. 188)

Selecting Elements or Element Faces

To select elements/element faces:

1. Generate the mesh by highlighting the Mesh object and clicking the Generate Mesh button.

2. From the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49), select the Element or Element Face filter option.

3. As needed, choose the desired selection tool from the Select Mode drop-down menu on the Graphics
Toolbar (p. 49).

4. Select an individual element or multiple elements. To select multiple elements:

• Hold the Ctrl key and click the desired elements/element faces individually. You can also deselect
elements/element faces by holding down the Ctrl key clicking an already selected element/element
face.

• Hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor across multiple elements/element faces.

• Use the Box Select tool to select all elements/element faces within a box. The Ctrl key can also be
used in combination with Box Select to select multiple boxes of elements/element faces.

Specifying Element and Element Face-Based Named Selections

To create an element or element face-based Named Selection (p. 761):

1. Select individual or multiple elements/element faces as described above.

2. With your desired element/element face selections highlighted, right-click the mouse and select Create
Named Selection from the context menu.

3. Enter a name for the Named Selection and click OK.

Element-based Named Selections are written into the Mechanical APDL input file and this data can
be used by the Command (p. 1823) object for further processing.

Note:

• An example element-based Named Selection is illustrated below. The example is named

Graphically Selected Elements. When the Show Mesh feature is active, as illustrated in the
first image, the elements of a named selection (or multiple named selections) are highlighted.
Otherwise, the elements are drawn and the remained of the model is transparent, as illustrated
in the second image.

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Show Mesh On Show Mesh Off

• For Element Face-based Named Selections, each selected face is displayed and each face is
“filled” as illustrated in the first image shown below. This is different from Element-based selec-
tions that only highlight/display edges. When the Show Mesh feature is active, the element
faces of a Named Selections may present “bleeding” on the annotation as illustrated in the
second image shown below. You can turn on Wireframe mode to accurately display annotations
when Show Mesh is selected, as illustrated in the third image.

• When working with Line Bodies and Surface Bodies: it is recommended that you turn off the
Thick Shells and Beams option (Style group of the Display tab). This option changes the
graphical display of the model’s thickness and as a result can affect how your element selections
are displayed.

• For surface body Element Face-based Named Selections, the selected element faces can become
invisible as a result of being hidden behind an expanded mesh as illustrated below in the first
two images below. This issue can again be remedied using Wireframe mode to accurately display
annotations when Show Mesh is selected, as illustrated in the third image.

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In addition, and as illustrated below in the first image below, not expanding the mesh
(turn Thick Shells and Beams option off ) displays the annotations properly. You can
also use Wireframe mode, as illustrated in the second image below.

Viewing Element Information

As illustrated below, you can view information about your element/element face selections, such as
Element Type, Element ID, as well as the body that the element is associated with using the Selection
Information window. Once you have selected your desired element or elements, display the Selection
Information window by selecting the Selection Information option from the Tools group (p. 11)
on the Home tab.

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Note:

The status bar at the bottom of the application window also displays the number of ele-
ments/element faces you currently have selected.

For additional information, see the Using the Selection Information Window (p. 117) section.

Selecting Nodes and Elements by ID

Once you have generated the mesh for your model, the contextual menu (right-click) option, Select
Mesh by ID (M), is available from the Geometry window. You can also activate the feature using the
M (p. 212) key, when the Geometry window has focus. As illustrated below, this dialog enables you
to select mesh nodes and mesh elements using their IDs. This feature is modeless and therefore enables
you to work with the user interface while the dialog box is displayed.

From this entry window, you can make comma separated entries of individual nodes (or elements),
range entries by using a dash, and/or a combination of the two and then click the Select button.
Range entries must increase in the appropriate order (e.g., 1-10, not 10-1). The dialog displays messages
regarding incorrect criteria as needed.

This feature works in tandem with the Selection Information window (p. 111), enabling you to view
and verify your entries. Open the window to display information about your selections as you make
them. In addition, the status bar displays your selections. You can double-click the status bar pane
to activate the Selection Information window (p. 112). You can refer to the View Node/Element In-

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formation topics in the Selecting Nodes (p. 179) and Selecting Elements (p. 185) sections of the Help
for additional information.

Important:

• The application does not verify your ID entries. The application ignores any specified ID that
does not exist.

• Exponential (e.g., 1e6) notation is not supported.

Once you make your selections, you can create an associated Named Selection (p. 761) by selecting
the Create Named Selection button. For the newly created Named Selection, there will be a Work-
sheet (p. 775) entry for each delimiter-separated set of nodes or elements.

Manipulating the Model in the Geometry Window

This section describes the tools to manipulate (rotate, pan, and zoom) your model in the Geometry
window.

Panning the Model

Selecting the Pan option on the Graphics toolbar (p. 49) enables you to vertically and horizontally
reposition your model in the Geometry window. Simply select the Pan button on the toolbar and
click your mouse within the Geometry window to give it focus. Then, hold the left mouse button
and reposition your model. In addition, once you have given the Geometry window focus, you can
use the arrow key to reposition your model.

Note:

At any time while the Pan option is active, you can use the middle mouse button (or
[Ctrl]+[Arrows Keys]) to rotate your model.

Rotating the Model

Selecting the Rotate option on the Graphics toolbar (p. 49) enables you to turn your model about
a default or user-selected center using the left mouse button. This is a common application feature.
By default, the rotational center is the center of your model.

To rotate about a specific point on the model, select a new point of rotation on your model with the
left mouse button. This action recenters your model in the Geometry window and displays a red
sphere that indicates the newly selected center of rotation. From this position, you can rotate your
model freely about the new rotation point. To restore the default rotation point, simply click off of
the model.

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Rotation Using the Middle Mouse Button

You can also, at any time, rotate your model in the Geometry window using the middle mouse button.
With the middle mouse button, you can select a location on you model, hold the middle mouse button,
and rotate your model about that point. Clicking off of the model returns the rotational center to the
application default. Using this method, the application does not recenter the model in the window based
on the newly selected center of rotation.

Note:

These middle mouse button options are always available when the Geometry window
has focus.

On Mouse Down Set

For the left mouse button, you may change the default setting for the Model Rotation Center option
in the Graphics (p. 146) category of the Options preference (p. 138) to On Mouse Down Set. Using this
setting, with the Rotate feature active, the application does not recenter your model and you can imme-
diately rotate it around the new point. When in this mode, your new selection becomes the default.

Rotation Behavior Based on Cursor Location

You may change the default setting for the Mouse Rotation Mode option in the Graphics (p. 146) category
of the Options preference (p. 138) to Axis Rotation Available. Using this setting, with the Rotate feature
active, the application activates the roll, yaw, and pitch cursor options in the Geometry window, as de-
scribed below.

Geometry Description
Window
Cursor
Icon
Free rotation.

Rotation around an axis that points out of the screen (roll).

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Geometry Description
Window
Cursor
Icon
Rotation around a vertical axis relative to the screen (yaw axis).

Rotation around a horizontal axis relative to the screen (pitch axis).

As illustrated below, the application displays these icons based upon where you position the
cursor in the Geometry window.

Model Orientation using the Triad

The Triad, located in the lower right corner of the Geometry window, enables you to reorient the position
of your model based on a desired axis as well as reset the isometric view (light blue ball). If you move
your cursor around the triad, you will see an arrow appear that shows the direction that corresponds to
the position of your cursor (+x, -x, +y, -y, +z, -z). If you click the arrow, it changes your view so that the
axis indicated by the arrow is facing outward.

Zooming In and Out on Your Model

There are a number of Zoom options available in the Graphics toolbar:

• Selecting the Zoom button enables you to drag your left mouse button up and down in the Geometry
window to zoom in and out on your model.

• Selecting the Box Zoom button displays a box selection area when you to drag your left mouse
button. The application zooms in on this area in the Geometry window. Note that the smaller area
that you select with this tool, the smaller area that is zoomed in upon.

Note:

• You can hold the Shift key and use the up and down arrow buttons respectively, to zoom in
and out on your model.

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• You can zoom in or out by rolling the mouse wheel.

Defining Direction
Orientation may be defined by any of the following geometric selections:

• A planar face (normal to).

• A straight edge.

• Cylindrical or revolved face (axis of ).

• Two vertices.

This section discusses the following topics:

Direction Defaults (p. 193)

Highlighting Geometry in Select Direction Mode (p. 193)
Selecting Direction by Face (p. 193)

Direction Defaults
If you insert a load on selected geometry that includes both a magnitude and a direction, the Direction
field in the Details view states a particular default direction. For example, a force applied to a planar
face by default acts normal to the face. One of the two directions is chosen automatically. The load
annotation displays the default direction.

Highlighting Geometry in Select Direction Mode

Unlike other picking filters (where one specific type of geometry highlights during selection) the Select
Direction filter highlights any of the following during selection:

• Planar faces

• Straight edges

• Cylindrical or revolved faces

• Vertices

If one vertex is selected, you must hold down the Ctrl key to select the other. When you press the
Ctrl key, only vertices highlight.

Selecting Direction by Face

The following figure shows the graphic display after choosing a face to define a direction. The same
display appears if you edit the Direction field later.

• The selection blip indicates the hit point on the face.

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• Two arrows show the possible orientations. They appear in the lower left corner of the Geometry Win-
dow (p. 76).

If either arrow is clicked, the direction flips.

When you finish editing the direction, the hit point (initially marked by the selection blip) becomes
the default location for the annotation. If the object has a location as well as a direction (e.g. Remote
Force), the location of the annotation will be the one that you specify, not the hit point.

Note:

The scope is indicated by painting the geometry.

Using Viewports
The Viewports feature enables you to split the Geometry window into multiple windows, up to four,
and perform independent actions in each window. The options of the drop-down menu are illustrated
below.

You activate a window by selecting it (clicking in the window or on the title bar). Once active, you
can move your model as desired, select an object to display its scoping, change property settings or
scoping, etc., independent of the other windows. For example, you can view multiple loading conditions,
results, Named Selections, contact conditions, and make changes to each separately.

By default, the Sync Viewports option is active. This option synchronizes the display in each window
to reorient/move (pan, zoom, rotate) your model in each window simultaneously. Note that If you
have multiple orientations configured with the Sync Viewports option inactive and then you activate

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it, the Geometry window that you select and manipulate first, becomes the window that all of the
other windows will synchronize to.

Note:

A figure can be viewed in a single viewport only. If multiple viewports are created with
the figure in focus, all other viewports display the parent of the figure.

Controlling Graphs and Charts

The following controls are available for Graphs/Charts for Adaptive Convergence (p. 1752), and Fatigue
Results (p. 1633) result items.

Feature Control
Pan Right Mouse Button
Zoom Middle Mouse Button
Box Zoom Alt+Left Mouse Button
Rotate (3D only) Left Mouse Button
Perspective Angle (3D Shift+Left Mouse Button
only)
Display Coordinates (2D Ctrl+Left Mouse Button along graph
only) line

Tips for working with graphs and charts:

• Some features are not available for certain graphs.

• Zoom will zoom to or away from the center of the graph. Pan so that your intended point of focus is in
the center prior to zooming.

• If the graph has a Pan/Zoom control box, this can be used to zoom (shrink box) or pan (drag box).

• Double-clicking the Pan/Zoom control box will return it to its maximum size.

Managing Graphical View Settings

Using the Manage View option of the Tools group (p. 11) on the Home tab, you can save graphical
views and return to a specific view at any time. This option displays an independent window that
you use to work with the feature. The feature enables you to create a list of desired views. You can
export your view list and import it into different projects and maintain a consistent model view
between multiple projects.

This section discusses the following topics:

Creating a View
Applying a View
Renaming a View
Deleting a View
Replacing a Saved View

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Exporting a Saved View List

Importing a Saved View List
Copying a View to Mechanical APDL

Creating a View
To save the current graphical view:

1. Click the Create a View option in the Manage Views window. A new entry with the naming convention
of “View #” is created.

2. As desired, enter a new name for the view.

You can now return to this view at any time using this view entry.

Note:

You must save the project to save your created views in the Manage Views window.

Applying a View
Saved graphical views are listed in the Manage Views window. You can return to a saved view at
any time.

To return to a saved graphical view:

1. In the Manage Views window, select the view.

2. Click the Apply View button.

The Geometry window reflects the saved graphical view.

Renaming a View
To rename a saved graphical view:

1. In the Manage Views window, select the view you want to rename.

2. Click the Rename button, or press F2.

3. Enter the new view name.

4. Click the Apply button.

Deleting a View
To delete a saved graphical view:

1. In the Manage Views window, select the view you want to delete.

2. Click the Delete button.

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Replacing a Saved View

To replace a saved view with the current graphical view:

1. In the Manage Views window, select the view you want to update.

2. Click the Replace saved view based on current graphics button.

Exporting a Saved View List

You can export a saved graphical view list to an XML file. This file can then be imported into other
projects.

To export a saved view list:

1. In the Manage Views window, click the Export button.

The Save As window appears.

2. Navigate to the file directory where you want to store the XML file and enter the desired file name.

3. Click Save.

Importing a Saved View List

Saved view lists can be exported to XML files. You can then import a saved view list from an XML
file to a different project.

To import a saved graphical view list:

1. In the Manage Views window, click the Import button.

The Open window appears.

2. Select the file you want to import.

3. Click Open.

Copying a View to Mechanical APDL

You can copy a saved graphical view as a Mechanical APDL command and insert the command
into a Mechanical APDL file. The view in Mechanical APDL will then be consistent with the selected
graphical view.

To copy a graphical view to Mechanical APDL:

1. In the Manage Views window, right-click a view and select Copy as MAPDL Command.

2. Create or open an existing Commands (APDL) file.

3. Paste the new Mechanical APDL command into the file. The settings structure is:
/FOC
/VIEW
/ANG
/DIST

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4. Select the Solve button, and the new view is available in the Commands (APDL) file.

Creating Section Planes

The Section Plane feature creates cuts or slices on your model so that you can view internal geometry,
mesh, and/or result displays. The graphical display and operation of the feature varies depending
upon whether you are displaying your model as geometry or if you are displaying the mesh or a
result. You can create as many as six active Section Planes for a model. Once this maximum is met,
you can add additional planes, but you cannot activate (or view) them until you have deactivated
(unchecked) an existing plane and then activated the desired plane.

See the next two sections, Understanding Section Plane Display Differences (p. 202) and Working with
Section Plane Results (p. 203), for information about display differences for section planes as well as
display characteristics for when you apply a Section Plane to a result.

Application
Select the Section Plane option from the Insert group of the Home tab (p. 9) to open the Section
Planes window illustrated below. The window displays a list of existing section planes (once created)
and also provides the tools used to add, modify, or delete you section planes.

Note:

The Section Planes tool supports up to six (6) defined planes. Once you exceed six, uncheck-
ing an existing plane enables you to activate any defined planes greater than six.

Section Plane Tools

The Section Planes window provides the following tools. You toggle these tools on and off by selecting
the button.

New Section Plane

Select this option and create a new Section Plane in the Geometry window. Drag the mouse pointer
across the geometry where you want to create a section plane. The new section plane automatically
displays in the Section Planes window with a default name of "Section Plane #." The checkmark next
to the plane's name indicates it is an active section plane. You can construct additional Section Planes

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by clicking the New Section Plane button and dragging additional lines across the model. Note that ac-
tivating multiple planes displays multiple sections.

Important:

Note that for incidences, such as very large models, where the accessible memory is
exhausted, the New Section Plane tool reverts to a Hardware Slice Mode that prohibits
the visualization of the mesh on the cut-plane.

Edit Section Plane

Highlight one of the Section Planes available in the window listing and then select this option to edit
the highlighted section plane.

To edit a section plane:

1. In the Section Planes window, select the plane you want to edit.

2. Click the Edit Section Plane button. The section plane's anchor appears.

3. Drag the Section Plane or Capping Plane anchor to change the position of the plane.

You can click on the line on either side of the anchor to view the exterior on that side of
the plane. The anchor displays a solid line on the side where the exterior is being displayed.
Clicking on the same side a second time toggles between solid line and dotted line, i.e.
exterior display back to section display.

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This animation shows the result of dragging the anchor (not visible for PDF versions of the Help).

Delete Section Plane

This option deletes a selected Section Plane from the listing.

Rename Section Plane

Select this option to rename a Section Plane.

Show Whole Elements

When you have the Mesh object selected or you have the Show Mesh feature activated, this selection
causes any partially sliced elements to display entirely.

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When you are viewing a Mesh display, you can use the Show Whole Elements button to display
the adjacent elements to the section plane which may be desirable in some cases.

Show Capping Faces

When only one Section Plane is contained in the window, by default, the slice is not capped and you can
see the interior of the geometry. Selecting this option caps the geometry.

Show Capping Faces by Body Color

This selection works in tandem with the Show Capping Faces option. Selecting this option changes the
color of the capped geometry surface to match the body color of the geometry.

Caution:

When using the Section Planes feature with shell bodies, make sure that the Thick Shells
and Beams view option is turned on (default). Turning this view feature off changes the

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graphical display. The coloring for the top and bottom surfaces can degrade. So much so
that the application could display both sides of a section plane simultaneously and as a
result, the application could display inaccurate results.

Understanding Section Plane Display Differences

The Section Plane acts differently depending if you are viewing a result, mesh, or geometry. When
viewing a result or a mesh, the cut is performed by a software algorithm. When viewing geometry,
the cut is performed using a hardware clipping method. This hardware clipping cuts away the
model in a subtractive method. The software algorithm cuts away the model but always starts with
the whole model. Examples of these methods are illustrated below.

Note:

The software algorithm always caps the surfaces created by the section plane as opposed
to the hardware clipping method that may or may not cap the surface depending on
the display options you have selected. See the Creating Section Planes (p. 198) section
for the capping display options. When capping, the software algorithm creates a visible
surface at the intersection of the object and the section plane.

Geometry Display Example Mesh Display Example

In addition, and as illustrated in the examples below, Section Planes do not cut the orientation or
element displays if you employ:

• Element Orientation (p. 739) feature

• Element-based, element face-based, or node-based selections

• Named Sections scoped to elements, element faces, or nodes

• Hit Point selections

Element Orientation Display Example Element Selections Example

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Element-Based Named Selection Display Node Selections Example

Example

Node-Based Named Selection Display Hit Point Display Example

Example

Working with Section Plane Results

View Options
When creating a Section Plane on a result, if the Section Plane feature is active, you can use the
following options from the Edges drop-down menu on the Result Context Tab (p. 24):

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• Show Undeformed WireFrame: displays the wireframe with the deformations added to the nodes.
This is intended to help you interpret the image when you drag the anchor across smaller portions
of the model.

• Show Undeformed Model: displays the portion of model behind the plane as a deformed gray
scale image. In order to not clutter the graphics display in this situation, the application does not
currently display undeformed bodies.

Deformation Scaling
When you create a Section Plane, the slice it creates is flat. If you create a Section Plane on a de-
formed shape and then change the scaling (p. 25) of the result, the Section Plane deforms accord-
ingly and the plane may no longer be flat. Furthermore, if you select a different object in the tree
and then return to the result that includes the Section Plane, the Section Plane re-plots as originally
defined and creates new flat surface on the new deformation scale. As a result, the display of the
result changes. This change can be significant.

Viewing Annotations
Annotations provide the following visual information:

• Boundary of the scope region by coloring the geometry for edges, faces or vertices.

• An explicit vertex within the scope.

• A 3D arrow to indicate direction, if applicable.

• Text description or a value.

• A color cue (structural vs. thermal, etc.).

Note:

Custom annotations that you create using the Label (p. 205) feature remain visible even
when you suppress the body.

This section addresses the following types of annotations:

Highlight and Select Graphics (p. 204)

Scope Graphics (p. 205)
Annotation Graphics and Positioning (p. 205)
Annotations of Multiple Objects (p. 206)
Rescaling Annotations (p. 207)

In addition, you can also specify preferences for your annotations. For more information, see Specifying
Annotation Preferences (p. 208).

Highlight and Select Graphics

You can interactively highlight and select topology, such as the face illustrated below. The topology
selection highlights when you click it.

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See Selecting Geometry (p. 169) for details on highlighting and selection.

Scope Graphics
In general, selecting an object in the Outline (p. 56) displays its Scope by painting the geometry and
displays text annotations and symbols as appropriate. The display of scope via annotation is carried
over into the Report Preview (p. 105) if you generate a figure.

Contours are painted for results on the scoped geometry. No boundary is drawn.

Annotation Graphics and Positioning

A label consists of a block arrow cross-referenced to a color-coded legend. For vector annotations, a
3D arrow originates from the tip of the label to visualize direction relative to the geometry.

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Use the pointer after selecting the Label option on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) for managing annota-
tions and to drag the annotation to a different location within the scope.

• If other geometry hides the 3D point (e.g. the point lies on a back face) the block arrow is unfilled
(transparent).

• The initial placement of an annotation is at the pick point. You can then move it by using the Label
toolbar button for managing annotations.

• Drag the label to adjust the placement of an annotation. During the drag operation the annotation
moves only if the tip lies within the scope. If the pointer moves outside the scope, the annotation
stops at the boundary.

Annotations of Multiple Objects

When multiple individual objects or a folder (such as environment, contact, or named selections) are
selected in the Outline (p. 56), an annotation for each one appears on the geometry. The default
number of annotations shown is 10, but you can change it to any value from 0 to 50 using the Max
Number of Annotations to Show property in the Graphics options (p. 146) of the Options dialog.
For more information, see the Annotations (p. 35) topic in the Selection Tab section.

Note:

If you have a large number of objects, you may want to display each object as a different
color. See the Random option of the Annotations (p. 35) group.

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Rescaling Annotations
This feature modifies the size of annotation symbols, such as load direction arrows, displayed in the
Mechanical application. For example, and as illustrated below, you can reduce the size of the pressure
direction arrow when zooming in on a geometry selection. To change the size of an annotation, select
the Rescale option in the Annotation group (p. 35) on the Display tab.

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Specifying Annotation Preferences

The Annotation Preferences dialog box controls the visibility of all annotations, including custom
annotations and annotation labels, annotations on objects such as cracks, point masses, and springs,
and the coordinate system display.

To set your annotation preferences:

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1. Click the Preferences option in the Annotation (p. 35) group on the Display tab.

The Annotation Preferences dialog box appears. By default, all annotations are selected, and
thus set to visible.

2. Under Basic Annotations, select or clear the check boxes for the following options:

• View Annotations: Toggles the visibility of annotations in the Geometry window.

• View User Defined Graphics Annotations: Toggles the visibility of custom user annotation in the
Geometry window.

• View Annotation Labels: Toggles the visibility of annotation labels (p. 205) in the Geometry window.

3. Under Remote Boundary Conditions, select or clear the check boxes for the following options:

• Point Masses: Toggles the visibility of annotations for point masses.

• Springs: Toggles the visibility of annotations for springs.

• Beam Connections: Toggles the visibility of annotations for beam connections.

• Bearings: Toggles the visibility of annotations for bearings.

Note:

The size range for Point Masses and Springs is from 0.2-2 (Small-0.2, Default-1, Large-
2).

4. Under Remote Boundary Conditions, slide the indicator to specify the size of the annotations for
Point Masses and Springs.

5. Under Additional Display Preferences, select or clear the check boxes for the following options:

• Crack Annotations: Toggles the visibility of annotations on crack objects.

• Individual Force Arrows on Surface Reactions: Toggles the visibility of individual force arrows
on surface reactions.

• Body Scoping Annotations: Toggles the visibility of annotations on body scoping.

6. Under Mesh Display, select or clear the check boxes for the following options:

• Mesh Annotations: Toggles the visibility of mesh node and mesh element annotations in Named
Selection displays.

• Node Numbers: Toggles the visibility of mesh node numbers in Named Selection, Mesh, and Result
displays. This selection also provides options to specify a numerical range of which nodes to display.
For example, display the nodes 1 (Min) through 200 (Max). An increment (Inc) property enables
you to further define the range so that it selects only every Nth value (e.g., every 5th node). The
default Minimum value is 1 and the default Maximum value is 100000.

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Depending upon the number of nodes that you are displaying as well as how you have
positioned your model in the Geometry window, Node Numbers may not fully display, as
illustrated below. The Rescale Annotation option, available in the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49),
adjusts the size of annotation symbols, as such, this option may improve the display issue.

• Element Numbers: Toggles the visibility of mesh element numbers in Named Selection, Mesh,
and Result displays. This selection also provides options to specify a numerical range of which
elements to display. Because Element Numbers are displayed at the centroid of the elements,
Wireframe mode is required to properly display all Element Numbers.

• Plot Elements Attached to Named Selections: Toggles the visibility of elements for all items in
the Named Selections group. For nodal Named Selections, this option shows the full elements,
while for face or body Named Selections this option shows just the element faces. This option does
not affect Line Bodies. You must have the Show Mesh button toggled off to see the elements in
the Named Selection.

7. When you are finished specifying your annotation preferences, click Apply Changes to apply your
preferences and leave the dialog box open, or click OK to apply and close.

Controlling Lighting
The Details view properties of the Model (p. 2139) object provide lighting controls that affect the display
in the Geometry window.

Note:

The application saves Lighting property settings with your analysis. Lighting changes
propagate throughout the features of the application and are used when you export images.

Inserting Comments, Images, and Figures

You can insert Comment (p. 1974) objects, Image (p. 2046) objects, or Figure (p. 2027) objects under
various parent objects in the Mechanical tree to add text or graphical information that pertain spe-
cifically to those parent objects. Refer to their individual objects reference pages for descriptions. The

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 Graphical Selection and Display

use of a Comment and/or an Image, is essentially intuitive. The Figure object however, has additional
capabilities and characteristics, as discussed below.

Figure
Figures allow you to:

• Preserve different ways of viewing an object (viewpoints and settings).

• Define illustrations and captions for a report.

• Capture result contours, mesh previews, environment annotations etc., for later display in Report (p. 105).

Clicking the Figure button in the Home Tab (p. 9) creates a new Figure object inside the selected
object in the Outline (p. 56). Any object that displays 3D graphics may contain figures. The new figure
object copies all current view settings, including those defined in the Options (p. 138), such as the
Font Magnification Factor, and gets focus in the Outline automatically.

View settings maintained by a figure include:

• Camera settings

• Result settings

• Legend configuration

A figure's view settings are fully independent from the global view settings. Global view settings are
maintained independently of figures.

Figure Behaviors
• If you select a figure after selecting its parent in the Outline, the Geometry window transforms to the figure's
stored view settings automatically (e.g. the graphics may automatically pan/zoom/rotate).

• If you change the view while a figure is selected in the Outline, the figure's view settings are updated.

• If you reselect the figure's parent in the Outline, the Geometry window resumes the global view settings.
That is, figure view settings override but do not change global view settings.

• Figures always display the data of their parent object. For example, following a geometry Update and
Solve, a result and its figures display different information but reuse the existing view and graphics options.
Figures may be moved or copied among objects in the Outline to display different information from the
same view with the same settings.

• You may delete a figure without affecting its parent object. Deleting a parent object deletes all figures
(and other children).

• In the Outline (p. 56), the name of a figure defaults to simply Figure appended by a number as needed.

• You may enter a caption for a figure as a string in the figure's details. It is your responsibility to maintain
custom captions when copying figures.

• For a result object that includes one or more Figure objects, if you clear (Clear Generated Data option)
the parent object's data or re-solve the analysis, the application also clears any result settings of the child

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Application Interface

Figure objects. The application does maintain Camera settings and legend configurations, as noted above,
such as the last viewing setting.

Key Assignments
The Key Assignments window is illustrated below. You access this window from the Tools (p. 11)
group of the Home tab. This dialog lists all of the keyboard key and key combination shortcuts available
in the application, either by categorized groups or by simply listing all available key assignments. Each
row of the dialog provides a delete option to remove the key assignment for the action. In addition,
the window includes options to Customize (p. 86) the assignment (specify desired key assignments
displayed), Reset the assignments to return them to the default, as well as options to Import and/or
Export (in .xml format) a list of key assignments that you have created. See below for addition ribbon
shortcut options.

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 Key Assignments

Activating Ribbon Shortcuts

In addition to the options of the Key Assignments window, selecting the [Alt] key displays additions
keyboard selection options. As illustrated below, when you select the [Alt] key, letters for each tab
display. When you select one of these letters, additional options also display for the given tab.

Keyboard Number Pad Support

Certain display functionalities are also available via the number pad on your keyboard provided the
NumLock key is enabled. The numbers correlate to the following functionality:

0 = View
Isometric
1 = +Z
Front
2 = -Y
Bottom
3 =+X
Right
4=
Previous
View
5 = Default
Isometric
6 = Next
View
7 = -X Left
8 = +Y Top
9 = -Z Back

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Application Interface

. (dot) =
Set
Isometric

Wizards
Wizards provide a layer of assistance above the standard user interface. They are made up of tasks or
steps that help you interpret and work with simulations. Conceptually, the wizards act as an agent
between you and the standard user interface.

Wizards include the following features:

• An interactive checklist for accomplishing a specific goal

• A reality check of the current simulation

• A list of a variety of high-level tasks, and guidance in performing the tasks

• Links to useful resources

• A series of Callout windows which provide guidance for each step

Note:

Callouts close automatically, or you may click inside a Callout to close it.

Wizards use hyperlinks (versus command buttons) because they generally represent links to locations
within the standard user interface, to content in the help system, or to a location accessible by a
standard HTML hyperlink. The status of each step is taken in context of the currently selected Out-
line (p. 56) object. Status is continually refreshed based on the Outline state (not on an internal wizard
state). As a result you may:

• Freely move about the Outline (p. 56) (including between branches).

• Make arbitrary edits without going through the wizards.

• Show or hide the wizards at any time.

Wizards are docked to the right side of the standard user interface for two reasons:

• The Outline (p. 56) sets the context for status determination. That is, the wizards interpret the Outline rather
than control it. (The user interface uses a top-down left-right convention for expressing dependencies.)

• Visual symmetry is maintained.

To close wizards, click the . To show/hide tasks or steps, click the section header. Options for wizards
are set in the Wizard (p. 156) section of the Options dialog box (p. 138) under the Mechanical application.

The Mechanical Wizard (p. 215) is available for your use in the Mechanical application.

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 Wizards

Mechanical Wizard
Display the Mechanical Wizard by selecting the wizard button in the Tools (p. 11) group on the
Home (p. 9) tab. You can close the wizard at any time by clicking the close button at the top of the
panel. To show or hide the sections of steps in the wizard, click the section header.

Note:

The Mechanical Wizard is not supported on the Linux platform.

Features of the Mechanical Wizard

The Mechanical Wizard works like a web page consisting of collapsible groups and tasks. Click a group
title to expand or collapse the group; click a task to activate the task.

When activated, a task navigates to a particular location in the user interface and displays a callout
with a message about the status of the task and information on how to proceed. Activating a task
may change your tab selection, cursor mode, and Outline (p. 56) selection as needed to set the
proper context for proceeding with the task.

You may freely click tasks to explore the Mechanical application. Standard tasks WILL NOT change
any information in your simulation.

Callouts close automatically based on your actions in the software. Click inside a callout to close it
manually.

Most tasks indicate a status via the icon to the left of the task name. Rest your mouse on a task for
a description of the status. Each task updates its status and behavior based on the current Out-
line (p. 56) selection and software status.

Tasks are optional. If you already know how to perform an operation, you don't need to activate the
task.

Click the Choose Wizard task at the top of the Mechanical Wizard to change the wizard goal. For
example, you may change the goal from Find safety factors to Find fatigue life. Changing the wizard
goal does not modify your simulation.

At your discretion, simulations may include any available feature not covered under Required Steps
for a wizard. The Mechanical Wizard does not restrict your use of the Mechanical application.

You may use the Mechanical Wizard with databases from previous versions of the Mechanical applic-
ation.

Types of the Mechanical Wizards

There are wizards that guide you through the following simulations:

• Safety factors, stresses and deformation

• Fatigue life and safety factor

• Natural frequencies and mode shapes

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Application Interface

• Optimizing the shape of a part

• Heat transfer and temperatures

• Magnetostatic results

• Contact region type and formulation

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Steps for Using the Mechanical Application
This section describes the overall workflow involved when performing any analysis in the Mechanical
application. The following workflow steps are described:
Create Analysis System
Define Engineering Data
Attach Geometry/Mesh
Define Part Behavior
Create a Simulation Template
Create a Geometry in Mechanical
Define Substructures
Define Connections
Apply Mesh Controls and Preview Mesh
Establish Analysis Settings
Define Initial Conditions
Apply Pre-Stress Effects for Implicit Analysis
Apply Loads and Supports
Perform Solution
Review Results
Create Report (optional)

Create Analysis System

There are a number of ways that you can open ANSYS Mechanical to create a simulation.

Important
Unit System Behavior: Whenever you do start the Mechanical application; it is important to know that
the unit system specified in the previous session becomes the active system in a new Mechanical session.
A good habit is to verify the active unit system whenever you open the application.

Opening Mechanical from the Start Menu

You can open Mechanical directly from the ANSYS 2020 R1 menu (of the Start Menu). The menu option,
Mechanical 2020 R1, opens Mechanical as well as Workbench (in the background) and automatically
inserts a Mechanical Model system into the Project Schematic.

In this scenario, you are free to begin developing a simulation without a geometry or a defined analysis
system but with the flexibility to add both or either at any time using the Attach Geometry/Replace
Geometry (p. 19) option and/or the Analysis (p. 10) drop-down menu.

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Steps for Using the Application

In addition, if you open Mechanical without importing a geometry (or mesh), you can use the File
tab (p. 7) option, Import, to import a geometry or mesh using the Geometry option or the Mesh
(External Model) option and then select from the Recent list or select Browse to open a file.

Opening Mechanical from ANSYS Workbench

In general, you initially configure your simulation from ANSYS Workbench. Review the Working Through
a System section of the Workbench User's Guide for the steps and background for creating an analysis
for use in Mechanical. That section outlines the necessary workflow and supported analysis types.

Geometry Not Required

When configuring your simulation in Workbench, it is not necessary that you include a geometry. You
can simply skip the step of specifying a geometry and open Mechanical. This can be done to create a
template (p. 227) for use with multiple geometries.

Define Engineering Data

A part's response is determined by the material properties assigned to the part.

• Depending on the application, material properties can be linear or nonlinear, as well as temperature-
dependent.

• Linear material properties can be constant or temperature-dependent, and isotropic or orthotropic.

• Nonlinear material properties are usually tabular data, such as plasticity data (stress-strain curves for
different hardening laws), hyperelastic material data.

• To define temperature-dependent material properties, you must input data to define a property-versus-
temperature graph.

• To define material-based damping properties, you must specify data in the Material Depending
Damping property group. Mechanical supports material-based damping in addition to damping specified
in the application. See below for a listing of the analysis types (p. 218) that support material-based
damping.

• Although you can define material properties separately for each analysis, you have the option of adding
your materials to a material library by using the Engineering Data tab. This enables quick access to
and re-use of material data in multiple analyses.

• For all orthotropic material properties, by default, the Global Coordinate System (p. 2045) is used when
you apply properties to a part in the Mechanical application. If desired, you can also apply a local co-
ordinate system (p. 877) to the part.

You open the Engineering Data Workspace from your Mechanical system on the Project Schematic.
See Overview for more information.

Material Dependent Damping Definition

In the Engineering Data workspace, you can specify Material Depending Damping using the Damping
Ratio and the Constant Structural Damping Coefficient properties.

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 Define Engineering Data

These Material Dependent Damping properties have the same name as the properties in the Damping
Controls (p. 1143) of Mechanical. The Damping Ratio property in Engineering Data generates the command
MP,DMPR. In Mechanical, the Damping Ratio property generates the command DMPRAT. Similarly,
the Constant Structural Damping Coefficient property defined in Engineering Data generates the
command MP,DMPS and if defined in Mechanical, the property generates the command DMPSTR. The
solver supports the use of these commands in combination or individually.

The following tables list the analysis types that support material-based damping defined in Engineering
Data. Note that some analyses require specific settings or conditions in order to support material
damping definitions. The Yes entries below indicate which command is written to the input file or
whether both commands are written to the input file, based on certain settings/conditions.

Modal Modal (Full Modal (Reduced

(without Damped) Damped)
Damping)
Damping Ratio (MP,DMPR) Yes No Yes [1] (p. 219)
Constant Structural No Yes Yes [2] (p. 219)
Damping Coefficient
(MP,DMPS)

Harmonic Response Transient

(MSUP) (MSUP)
Damping Ratio (MP,DMPR) Yes [3] (p. 219) Yes
[2] (p. 219)
Constant Structural Damping Coefficient No No
(MP,DMPS)

Harmonic Response Transient

(Full) (Full)
Damping Ratio (MP,DMPR) No No
Constant Structural Damping Coefficient Yes [3] (p. 219) Yes
(MP,DMPS) [3] (p. 219)

Response Random
Spectrum Vibration
Damping Ratio (MP,DMPR) Yes [3] (p. 219) Yes
[3] (p. 219)
Constant Structural Damping Coefficient No No
(MP,DMPS)

[1]: This analysis type requires that you set the Store Complex Solution property to No in Analysis
settings of Modal Analysis.

[2]: This analysis type requires that you set the Store Complex Solution property to Yes in Analysis
settings of Modal Analysis.

[3]: The application defines Damping Ratio (MP,DMPR) in the upstream Modal analysis. Therefore there
is no need redefine in this downstream analysis. For a stand-alone MSUP Harmonic Response analysis,
you define the Damping Ratio accordingly in the analysis.

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Steps for Using the Application

Attach Geometry/Mesh
There are several methods to open a geometry or mesh in the Mechanical application.

From Workbench
From Workbench, you can open a geometry/mesh using the methods listed below. Note that, prior to
selecting a geometry, the Properties of the Geometry cell provides an extensive list of options that
determine the characteristics of the geometry. See the Geometry Preferences section of the Workbench
User's Guide for descriptions of the available options as well as any requirements and/or restrictions.
The availability of the options may vary across supported CAD systems.

You can open a geometry or mesh from Workbench, using:

• SpaceClaim to create the geometry and/or the mesh. See the SpaceClaim Help for details on the use of
these geometry and mesh creation tools.

• DesignModeler to create the geometry. See the SpaceClaim or DesignModeler Help for details on the
use of these geometry creation tools.

• A supported CAD system or a CAD system that enables you to export a file that is supported by ANSYS
Workbench. See the CAD Systems (p. 2251) section for a complete list of the supported systems.

• The External Model Component System. This feature imports Mechanical APDL common database
(.cdb), Abaqus Input (.inp), NASTRAN Bulk Data (.bdf, .dat, .nas), Fluent Input (.msh, .cas), and ICEM CFD
Input (.uns) files. For more information, see the Importing Mesh-Based Geometry (p. 665) section.

• A link between the Solution cell of a supported analysis system and the Model cell of a downstream
system. This option transfers the deformed geometry from the upstream analysis. See the Geometry
from Deformation Results (p. 744) section of the Help for more information.

• Drag and drop. You can drag and drop a supported geometry or mesh file directly onto the Project
Schematic. The application automatically creates a Geometry system or an External Model system
(linked to a Mechanical Model system). Any further specification is still required.

From Mechanical
You can open a geometry or mesh from within Mechanical, using the:

• Attach Geometry option on the Geometry Context tab (p. 19). This option is available when you open
an analysis system without a geometry.

Note:

For Electronic Computer-Aided Design (ECAD) files, there is currently a beta option
to import .def or ODB++ (.tgz) file types using the Attach Geometry option. See
the beta documentation for this feature.

• Import option of the File tab. This option is available when you open Mechanical without importing
a geometry. For example, you may open the application using the Mechanical 2020 R1 option from the

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 Attach Geometry/Mesh

Start Menu, which also automatically opens Workbench (in the background) and inserts a Mechanical
Model system into the Project Schematic.

Note:

The Import option is not available on the Linux platform.

• Drag and drop. You can drag and drop a supported geometry or mesh file directly into the Geometry
window. The application automatically attaches the model to the analysis system. For mesh files, the
application automatically inserts an upstream External Model system linked to your analysis system.
Imported mesh files adopt the default unit system. For CAD models, you can replace the geometry as
desired using the Replace Geometry option on the Geometry Context tab (p. 19).

Note:

The drag and drop capability is not supported on the Linux platform.

Note:

• You are not required to import a geometry when you are beginning an analysis. You can create
an analysis system without importing a geometry, specify all of your desired environmental
conditions, and save your project for use with any desired model.

• By default, when you first import your model into Mechanical, any bodies that do not include
material assignment are assigned the application's default material. If you subsequently update
your geometry from the source application, Mechanical does not assign default materials to new
bodies. If the geometry update includes a new body without an assigned material, the body be-
comes underdefined and requires you to specify a material.

• You can change your geometry from within Mechanical using the Replace Geometry option (of
the Geometry object).

Related Procedures
Procedure Condition Procedural Steps
Specifying Optional task that can be 1. In an analysis system schematic, perform either of the
geometry done before attaching following:
options. geometry.
• Right-click the Geometry cell and choose Properties

OR

• Select the Geometry cell for your analysis and select

View > Properties.

2. Specify Geometry properties as desired.

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Steps for Using the Application

Procedure Condition Procedural Steps

Attaching You have created and Double-click the Model cell. Mechanical opens and displays
SpaceClaim generated a geometry the geometry and/or mesh.
geometry and/or mesh in SpaceClaim.
and/or mesh SpaceClaim is not running. 1. Select the Geometry cell in an analysis system schematic.
to the Your geometry and/or mesh
Mechanical is stored in an .scdoc file. 2. Browse to the .scdoc file by right-clicking the Geo-
application. metry cell and selecting Import Geometry > Browse.

3. Double-click the Model cell. Mechanical opens and

displays the geometry and/or mesh.

Attaching You have created and Double-click the Model cell. Mechanical opens and displays
DesignModeler generated a geometry in the geometry.
geometry to DesignModeler.
the DesignModeler is not 1. Select the Geometry cell in an analysis system schematic.
Mechanical running. Your geometry is
application. stored in an .agdb file. 2. Browse to the .agdb file by right-clicking the Geometry
cell and selecting Import Geometry > Browse.

3. Double-click the Model cell. Mechanical opens and

displays the geometry.

Attaching CAD system is running. 1. Select the Geometry cell in an analysis system schematic.
CAD
geometry to 2. Right-click the Geometry cell listed to select geometry
the for import.
Mechanical
application. 3. If required, set geometry options for import into the
Mechanical application by highlighting the Geometry
cell and choosing settings under Preferences in the
Properties Panel.

4. Double-click the Model cell in the same analysis system

schematic. The Mechanical application opens and
displays the geometry.

CAD system is not running. 1. Select the Geometry cell in an analysis system schematic.
Geometry is stored in a
native CAD system file, or 2. Browse to the CAD file by right-clicking on the Geometry
in a CAD “neutral” file such cell and selecting Import Geometry.
as Parasolid or IGES.
3. Double-click the Model cell in the Project Schematic.
The Mechanical application opens and displays the
geometry.

Open Specify the type of analysis Double-click the Model cell or right-click the cell and select
Mechanical you wish to perform. Edit. Mechanical opens without a geometry. You can attach
without a a geometry from within Mechanical as desired.
geometry.

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 Attach Geometry/Mesh

CAD Interface Terminology

The CAD interfaces can be run in either plug-in mode or in reader mode.

• Attaching geometry in plug-in mode: requires that the CAD system be running.

• Attaching geometry in reader mode: does not require that the CAD system be running.

Updating Geometry from Within the Mechanical Application

You can update all geometry by selecting the Update Geometry from Source context menu option,
accessible by right-clicking on the Geometry tree object or anywhere in the Geometry window. The
following update options are also available:

• Selective Update (p. 223)

• Smart CAD Update (p. 224)

Selective Update

Using the Geometry object right-click menu option Update Selected Parts>Update: Use Geometry
Parameter Values, you can selectively update individual parts and synchronize the Mechanical model
to the CAD model. This option reads the latest geometry and processes any other data (parameters,
attributes, etc.) based on the current user preferences for that model.

Note:

Changes to either the number of turns or the thickness properties associated with a body
do not update the CAD model.

This update feature only applies to part(s) that you select and other instances of the same part(s) that
were previously imported. It does not import new parts added in the CAD system following the original
import or last complete update. Assembly parameter values are always updated.

In addition, this feature is not a tool for removing parts from the Mechanical application tree, however;
it will remove parts which have been selected for update in WB, but that no longer exist in the CAD
model if an update is successful (if at least one valid part is updated).

The Update Selected Parts feature supports the associative geometry interfaces for:

• DesignModeler

• Autodesk Inventor

• CATIA V5

• Creo Elements/Direct Modeling

• Creo Parametric (formerly Pro/ENGINEER)

• Solid Edge

• NX

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Steps for Using the Application

• SOLIDWORKS

With the exception of AutoCAD, executing the selective update feature on any unsupported interface
will complete a full update of the model.

Smart CAD Update

Using the Geometry Preferences, you enable the Smart CAD Update. Note that Geometry Preferences
are supported by a limited number of CAD packages. See the Project Schematic Advanced Geometry
Options table for details.

Define Part Behavior

After attaching geometry, you can access settings related to part behavior by right-clicking on the
Model cell in the analysis system schematic and choosing Edit. The Mechanical application opens with
the environment representing the analysis system displayed under the Model object in the tree.

An Analysis Settings object is added to the tree. See the Establish Analysis Settings (p. 230) overall step
for details.

An Initial Condition object may also be added. See the Define Initial Conditions (p. 233) overall step
for details.

The Mechanical application uses the specific analysis system as a basis for filtering or making available
only components such as loads, supports and results that are compatible with the analysis. For example,
a Static Structural analysis type will allow only structural loads and results to be available.

Presented below are various options provided in the Details view for parts and bodies following import.

Stiffness Behavior
In addition to making changes to the material properties of a part, you may designate a part's Stiffness
Behavior as being flexible, rigid, as a gasket, and can specify a line body as a stiff beam, essentially
making the body rigid.

• Setting a part's behavior as rigid essentially reduces the representation of the part to a single point mass
thus significantly reducing the solution time.

• A rigid part will need only data about the density of the material to calculate mass characteristics. Note that
if density is temperature dependent, density will be evaluated at the reference temperature (p. 225). For
contact conditions, specify Young's modulus.

• Flexible and rigid behaviors are applicable only to static structural, transient structural, rigid dynamics, ex-
plicit dynamics, and modal analyses.

• Gaskets can be defined in one of two ways:

1. By setting the Stiffness Behavior as Gasket. In this case, a Gasket Mesh Control will be added as a child
of the gasket body in the model tree. You need to define the source face of the gasket in the Gasket
Mesh Control to define the gasket material orientation.

2. By setting the Stiffness Behavior as Flexible. In this case, you need to define a Gasket Mesh Con-
trol (p. 2034) in the mesh folder. The gasket mesh control in the mesh folder can be applied to multiple

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 Define Part Behavior

bodies, so if there are many gasket bodies this option may be a more convenient approach to setting
up the gaskets.

• Gasket Bodies (p. 632) are only applicable to static structural analyses. The Material Assignment of gasket
bodies should reference an appropriate gasket material.

Flexible is the default Stiffness Behavior. To change, simply select Rigid, Gasket, or Stiff Beam (for
a line body only) from the Stiffness Behavior drop-down menu. Also see the Rigid Bodies (p. 631),
Gasket Bodies (p. 632), and/or Stiff Beam (p. 635) sections.

Note:

Rigid behavior is not available for the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Coordinate Systems
The Coordinate Systems object and its child object, Global Coordinate System, is automatically placed
in the tree with a default location of 0, 0, 0, when a model is imported.

For solid parts and bodies: by default, a part and any associated bodies use the Global Coordinate Sys-
tem (p. 2045). If desired, you can apply a apply a local coordinate system (p. 877) to the part or body.
When a local coordinate system is assigned to a Part, by default, the bodies also assume this coordinate
system but you may modify the system on the bodies individually as desired.

For surface bodies, solid shell bodies, and line bodies: by default, these types of geometries generate
coordinates systems on a per element type basis. It is necessary for you to create a local coordinate
system and associated it with the parts and/or bodies using the Coordinate System setting in the Details
view for the part/body if you wish to orient those elements in a specific direction.

Reference Temperature
The default reference temperature is taken from the environment (By Environment), which occurs
when solving. This necessarily means that the reference temperature can change for different solutions.
The reference temperature can also be specified for a body and will be constant for each solution (By
Body). Selecting By Body will cause the Reference Temperature Value field to specify the reference
temperature for the body. It is important to recognize that any value set By Body will only set the ref-
erence temperature of the body and not actually cause the body to exist at that temperature (unlike
the Environment Temperature entry on an environment object, which does set the body's temperature).

Note:

Selecting By Environment can cause the body to exist at that temperature during the ana-
lysis but selecting By Body will only ever effect reference temperature. So if the environment
temperature and the body have a different specification, thermal expansion effects can occur
even if no other thermal loads are applied.

Note:

If the material density is temperature dependent, the mass that is displayed in the Details
view will either be computed at the body temperature, or at 22°C. Therefore, the mass

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Steps for Using the Application

computed during solution can be different from the value shown, if the Reference Temper-
ature is the Environment.

Note:

When nonlinear material effects are turned off, values for thermal conductivity, specific heat,
and thermal expansion are retrieved at the reference temperature of the body when creating
the ANSYS solver input.

Reference Frame
The Reference Frame determines the analysis treatment perspective of the body for an Explicit Dynamics
analysis. The Reference Frame property is available for solid bodies when an Explicit Dynamics system
is part of the solution. The valid values are Langrangian (default) and Eulerian (Virtual). Eulerian is
not a valid selection if Stiffness Behavior is set to Rigid.

Material Assignment
Once you have attached your geometry, you can change the material assigned to the parts and bodies
of your model. When you select a Part (p. 2154) or Body (p. 1960) object in the Outline, there is an Assign-
ment property available in the Details view for each. This property provides a selectable fly-out menu
that opens that opens the following Engineering Data Materials window. By default, this window lists
the materials included in the Engineering Data favorites, as symbolized with the star icon as well as any
other materials that you made available from the Engineering Data workspace, such as titanium and
aluminum alloy show below. Selecting a material from this window assigns it to the currently selected
part or body.

When you edit the currently assigned material, create a material, or import a material, you work in the
Material Data tab. Once you have completed any of those operations, you must refresh the Model cell
in the Project Schematic to bring new data into Mechanical.

Note:

To model a gasket, the material assignment should reference a valid Gasket Material Model.

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 Create a Simulation Template

Nonlinear Material Effects

You can also choose to ignore any nonlinear effects from the material properties.

• By default the program will use all applicable material properties including nonlinear properties such as
stress-strain curve data.

• Setting Nonlinear Effects to No will ignore any nonlinear properties only for that part.

• This option will allow you to assign the same material to two different parts but treat one of the parts as
linear.

• This option is applicable only for static structural, transient structural, steady state thermal and transient
thermal analyses.

Thermal Strain Effects

For structural analyses, you can choose to have Workbench calculate a Thermal Strain (p. 1524) result
by setting Thermal Strain Effects to Yes. Choosing this option enables the coefficient of thermal ex-
pansion to be sent to the solver.

Cross Section
When a line body is imported into the Mechanical application, the Details view displays the Cross
Section field and associated cross section data. These read-only fields display the name and data assigned
to the geometry in DesignModeler or the supported CAD system, if one was defined. See Line Bod-
ies (p. 650) for further information.

Model Dimensions
When you attach your geometry or model, the model dimensions display in the Details View (p. 67) in
the Bounding Box sections of the Geometry (p. 2040) or Part (p. 2154) objects. Dimensions have the following
characteristics:

• Units are created in your CAD system.

• ACIS model units, if available during import and/or update, are used.

• Other geometry units are automatically detected and set.

• Assemblies must have all parts dimensioned in the same units.

Create a Simulation Template

You can open the Mechanical application without importing a geometry and specify any number of
environmental conditions. To do so, select your desired analysis type in Workbench, select the Model
cell, and open Mechanical. After you have defined all the desired aspects of your analysis, you can then
save your simulation scenario. All without a geometry. This gives you the flexibility to simulate your
scenario against different geometries.

The ability to define Worksheet-based Named Selections (p. 764) in this situation has the most strategic
benefit. Specifically, once you specify criterion-based Named Selections, you can scope a wide range

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Steps for Using the Application

of objects, such as, Remote Points, Coordinate Systems, loading conditions, support conditions, results,
etc. Once you save your project, you can use with various models.

Limitations
Note the following conditions when importing a system that includes criteria-based Named Selections.
For an existing template, if you import a system that contains a:

• Remote Point scoped to a criteria-based Named Selection, the Remote Point does may not update
properly to include the location of the Named Selection. You can correct this condition by specifying
an appropriate Coordinate System for the Remote Point instead of using the default Global Coordinate
System setting.

• A loading condition scoped to criteria-based Named Selection and whose direction is defined by a
Vector, the loading direction may not be updated after attaching the geometry. You can correct this
condition by specifying the load by Components.

Create a Geometry in Mechanical

Using the Construction Geometry feature (Solid option), you can create and add a solid geometry
within Mechanical. An example is illustrated below. The cellular telephone model is being dropped onto
a solid body that was created in Mechanical. For more information, see the specifying a Solid (p. 874)
section of the Help.

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 Apply Mesh Controls and Preview Mesh

Define Substructures
Mechanical enables you to specify flexible bodies in your Rigid Dynamics analyses with the help of the
Condensed Part feature. This feature enables you to treat a set of bodies as a single superelement
consisting of matrices and load vectors with far fewer degrees of freedom, suitable for the Rigid Dynamics
solver.

Once you specify the flexible bodies, the application generally identifies the points of connection
(contact, joint, spring, etc.) on their interface and defines the Condensed Parts accordingly.

See the Working with Substructures (p. 1057) section of the Help for more information about, as well as
the specific steps for using this feature.

Define Connections
Once you have addressed the material properties and part behavior of your model, you may need to
apply connections to the bodies in the model so that they are connected as a unit in sustaining the
applied loads for analysis. Available connection features are:

• Contacts (p. 898): defines where two bodies are in contact or a user manually defines contact between two
bodies.

• Joints (p. 958): a contact condition in the application that is defined by a junction where bodies are joined
together that has rotational and translational degrees of freedom.

• Mesh Connections : used to join the meshes of topologically disconnected surface bodies that reside in
different parts.

• Springs (p. 1037): defines as an elastic element that connects two bodies or a body to “ground” that maintains
its original shape once the specified forces are removed.

• Bearings (p. 1051): are used to confine relative motion and rotation of a rotating machinery part.

• Beam Connections (p. 1045): used to establish body to body or body to ground connections.

• End Releases (p. 1048) are used to release degrees of freedoms at a vertex shared by two or more edges of
one or more line bodies.

• Spot Welds (p. 1047): connects individual surface body parts together to form surface body model assemblies.

Given the complex nature of bodies coming into contact with one another, especially if the bodies are
in motion, it is recommended that you review the Connections (p. 885) section of the documentation.

Apply Mesh Controls and Preview Mesh

Meshing is the process in which your geometry is spatially discretized into elements and nodes. This
mesh along with material properties is used to mathematically represent the stiffness and mass distri-
bution of your structure.

Your model is automatically meshed at solve time. The default element size is determined based on a
number of factors including the overall model size, the proximity of other topologies, body curvature,

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Steps for Using the Application

and the complexity of the feature. If necessary, the fineness of the mesh is adjusted up to four times
(eight times for an assembly) to achieve a successful mesh.

If desired, you can preview the mesh before solving. Mesh controls are available to assist you in fine
tuning the mesh to your analysis. Refer to the Meshing Help for further details.

To preview the mesh in the Mechanical Application:

See the Previewing Surface Mesh section.

To apply global mesh settings in the Mechanical Application:

See the Global Mesh Controls section.

To apply mesh control tools on specific geometry in the Mechanical Applica-

tion:
See the Local Mesh Controls section.

To use virtual topology:

All virtual topology operations in the Mechanical application are described in the Virtual Topology
section of the Meshing Help.

Establish Analysis Settings

Each analysis type includes a group of analysis settings that allow you to define various solution options
customized to the specific analysis type, such as large deflection for a stress analysis. Refer to the spe-
cific analysis types section (p. 243) for the customized options presented under “Preparing the Analysis”.
Default values are included for all settings. You can accept these default values or change them as ap-
plicable.

Some procedures below include animated presentations. View online if you are reading the PDF version of
the help. Interface names and other components shown in the demos may differ from those in the released
product.

To verify/change analysis settings in the Mechanical application:

1. Highlight the Analysis Settings object in the tree. This object was inserted automatically when you es-
tablished a new analysis in the Create Analysis System (p. 217) overall step.

2. Verify or change settings in the Details view of the Analysis Settings object. These settings include default
values that are specific to the analysis type. You can accept or change these defaults. If your analysis involves
the use of steps, refer to the procedures presented below.

Defining Multiple Analysis Steps

To create multiple steps (applies to structural static, transient structural, explicit dynamics, rigid dynamics,
steady-state thermal, transient thermal, magnetostatic, and electric analyses) use one of the following
methods:

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 Establish Analysis Settings

1. Highlight the Analysis Settings object in the tree. Modify the Number of Steps field in the Details view.
Each additional Step has a default Step End Time that is one second more than the previous step. These
step end times can be modified as needed in the Details view. You can also add more steps simply by
adding additional step End Time values in the Tabular Data window.

The following demonstration illustrates adding steps by modifying the Number of Steps field in
the Details view.

Or

2. Highlight the Analysis Settings object in the tree. Begin adding each step's end time values for the
various steps to the Tabular Data window. You can enter the data in any order but the step end time
points will be sorted into ascending order. The time span between the consecutive step end times will
form a step. You can also select a row(s) corresponding to a step end time, click the right mouse button
and choose Delete Rows from the context menu to delete the corresponding steps.

The following demonstration illustrates adding steps directly in the Tabular Data window.

Or

3. Highlight the Analysis Settings object in the tree. Choose a time point in the Graph window. This will
make the corresponding step active. Click the right mouse button and choose Insert Step from the context
menu to split the existing step into two steps, or choose Delete Step to delete the step.

The following demonstration illustrates inserting a step in the Graph window, changing the End
Time in the Tabular Data window, deleting a step in the Graph window, and deleting a step in
the Tabular Data window.

Specifying Analysis Settings for Multiple Steps

1. Create multiple steps following the procedure "To create multiple steps" above.

2. Most Step Controls, Nonlinear Controls, and Output Controls fields in the Details view of Analysis
Settings are step aware; that is, these settings can be different for each step. To activate a particular step,
select a time value in the Graph window or the Step bar displayed below the chart in the Graph window.

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Steps for Using the Application

The Step Controls grouping in the Details view indicates the active Step ID and corresponding Step End
Time.

Note:

A limited number of Explicit Dynamics settings are step aware.

The following demonstration illustrates turning on the legend in the Graph window, entering
analysis settings for a step, and entering different analysis settings for another step.

If you want to specify the same analysis setting(s) to several steps, you can select all the steps of
interest as follows and change the analysis settings details.

• To change analysis settings for a subset of all of the steps:

– From the Tabular Data window:

1. Highlight the Analysis Settings object.

2. Highlight steps in the Tabular Data window using either of the following standard windowing
techniques:

→ Ctrl key to highlight individual steps.

→ Shift key to highlight a continuous group of steps.

3. Click the right mouse button in the window and choose Select All Highlighted Steps from the
context menu.

4. Specify the analysis settings as needed. These settings will apply to all selected steps.

– From the Graph window:

1. Highlight the Analysis Settings object.

2. Highlight steps in the Graph window using either of the following standard windowing techniques:

→ Ctrl key to highlight individual steps.

→ Shift key to highlight a continuous group of steps.

3. Specify the analysis settings as needed. These settings will apply to all selected steps.

• To specify analysis settings for all the steps:

1. Click the right mouse button in either window and choose Select All Steps.

2. Specify the analysis settings as needed. These settings will apply to all selected steps.

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 Define Initial Conditions

The following demonstration illustrates multiple step selection using the bar in the Graph window,
entering analysis settings for all selected steps, selecting only highlighted steps in the Tabular
Data window, and selecting all steps.

The Worksheet for the Analysis Settings object provides a single display of pertinent settings in
the Details view for all steps.

Note:

For Explicit Dynamics, the Worksheet for the Analysis Settings object provides a single display
of pertinent step-aware settings in the Details view for all steps.

Details of various analysis settings are discussed in Configuring Analysis Settings (p. 1109).

Define Initial Conditions

Based on your analysis type, Mechanical enables you to begin your analysis with an initial specification
using one of the object types described below. Initial specifications include Initial Conditions, links to
an existing solved or associated environment, or an Initial Temperature. These objects are all default
objects (included with) of the individual analysis types.

Analysis
Object Description
Type
Coupled Initial By default, a transient analysis is at rest. However, you can define
Field Condi- velocity as an initial condition by inserting a Velocity object under
Transient (p. 244)tions the Initial Conditions folder.
and folder
Transient
Structural (p. 507)
Explicit Initial Because an Explicit Dynamics analysis is better suited for short
Dynamics Condi- duration events, preceding it with an implicit analysis may produce
tions a more efficient simulation especially for cases in which a generally
folder: slower (or rate-independent) phenomenon is followed by a much
Pre- faster event, such as the collision of a pressurized container. For an

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Steps for Using the Application

Analysis
Object Description
Type
Stress Explicit Dynamics system, the Initial Conditions folder includes a
object Pre-Stress object to control the transfer of data from an implicit
static or transient structural analysis to the explicit dynamics analysis.
Transferable data include the displacements, or the more complete
Material State (displacements, velocities, stresses, strains, and
temperature).

See Recommended Guidelines for Pre-Stress Explicit Dynamics for

more information.

An explicit dynamics analysis is at rest by default. However, for Ex-

plicit Dynamics systems, you can define velocity or angular velocity
as initial conditions by inserting a Velocity object, a Drop Height
object, or an Angular Velocity object under the Initial Conditions
folder.
Random Initial A Random Vibration, Response Spectrum, Harmonic
Vibration (p. 291),
Condi- (Mode-Superposition - MSUP) linked or a Transient (MSUP) linked
Response tions analysis must use the mode shapes derived in a Modal analysis.
Spectrum (p. 298),
folder:
Harmonic Modal
Response object
MSUP
(Mode-Superposition)
linked (p. 279),
or
Transient
(MSUP)
linked (p. 517)
Modal (p. 283) Pre- A Modal analysis can use the stress results from a Static Structural
Stress analysis to account for stress-stiffening effect. See the Modal
object Analysis (p. 283) section for details.
Eigenvalue Pre- An Eigenvalue Buckling analysis must use the stress-stiffening effects
Buckling (p. 257)Stress of a static structural analysis. See the Eigenvalue Buckling
object Analysis (p. 257) section for details.
Harmonic Pre- A Harmonic Response (p. 266) (Full) analysis linked to a Static
Response (p. 266)Stress Structural analysis can use the stress results to account for
(Full) object stress-stiffening effect.
Steady-State Initial For a Steady-State Thermal analysis, you have the ability to specify
Thermal (p. 439) Temper- an initial temperature.
ature
object

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 Define Initial Conditions

Analysis
Object Description
Type
Transient Initial For a Transient Thermal analysis, the initial temperature distribution
Thermal (p. 521) Temper- should be specified.
ature
object

Note:

When available in the Outline, you can apply temperatures from a Steady-State Thermal or
a Transient Thermal analysis to a Static Structural, Transient Structural, or Electric analysis as
a Imported Body Temperature load using the context (right-click) menu option Import
Load that is available on the Environment object of the structural or electric analysis. The
Import Load option provides a menu you can use to select the desired analysis you wish to
link to. You can also perform this linking by dragging and dropping the Solution object of
the Steady-State Thermal or a Transient Thermal analysis onto the Environment object of
the structural or electric analysis. You can also apply Heat Generation from an Electric ana-
lysis to a Steady-State Thermal or Transient Thermal analysis using these methods.

Requirements/Usage
Depending upon the analysis type, an appropriate object is automatically added to the Outline enabling
you to set an initial analysis specification:

• For a Transient Structural analysis, use the Initial Conditions object to insert Velocity. For an Explicit
Dynamics analysis, use the Initial Conditions object to insert Velocity, Angular Velocity, and Drop Height.
These values can be scoped to specific parts of the geometry.

• For a Harmonic Response, Modal, Eigenvalue Buckling, or Explicit Dynamics analysis, use the Details
view of the Pre-Stress object to define the associated Pre-Stress Environment (p. 236). For an Explicit
Dynamics analysis, use the Details view of this object to select either Material State (displacements, velo-
cities, strains and stresses) or Displacements only modes, as well as the analysis time from the implicit
analysis which to obtain the initial condition. For Displacements only, a Time Step Factor may be specified
to convert nodal DOF displacements in the implicit solution into constant velocities for the explicit analysis
according to the following expression:

Velocity = Implicit displacement/(Initial explicit time step x time step factor)

Note:

The Displacements only mode is applicable only to results from a linear, static structural
analysis.

• For a Random Vibration or Response Spectrum analysis, you must point to a modal analysis using the
drop-down list of the Modal Environment field in the Details view.

• For the Steady-State and Transient Thermal analyses, use the Details of the Initial Temperature object
to scope the initial temperature value. For a Transient Thermal analysis that has a non-uniform temperature,
you need to define an associated Initial Temperature Environment.

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Steps for Using the Application

• The Details view of the Modal (Initial Conditions) object for linked Mode-Superposition Harmonic and Mode-
Superposition Transient analyses displays the name of the pre-stress analysis system in the Pre-Stress En-
vironment field, otherwise the field indicates None or None Available.

Apply Pre-Stress Effects for Implicit Analysis

Mechanical leverages the power of linear perturbation technology for all pre-stress analyses performed
within Mechanical. This includes pre-stress Modal (p. 283) analyses, Full Harmonic Response analysis using
a Pre-Stressed Structural System (p. 277) analyses, as well as Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257) analyses.

The following features are available that are based on this technology:

• Large deflection static analysis followed by pre-stress modal analysis. Thus the static analysis can be linear
or nonlinear including large deflection effects.

Note:

– If performing a pre-stress modal analysis, it is recommended that you always include large
deflection effects to produce accurate results in the modal analysis.

– Pre-stress results should always originate from the same version of the application as that of
the modal solution.

– Although the modal results (including displacements, stresses, and strains) will be correctly
calculated in the modal analysis, the deformed shape picture inside Mechanical will be based
on the initial geometry, not the deformed geometry from the static analysis. If you desire to
see the mode shapes based on the deformed geometry, you can take the result file into
Mechanical APDL.

• True contact status as calculated at the time in the static analysis from which the eigen analysis is based.

• Support for cyclic analysis.

• Support for multiple result sets in the static analysis.

For a pre-stressed eigen analysis, you can insert a Commands object (p. 1823) beneath the Pre-Stress
initial conditions object. The commands in this object will be executed just before the first solve for
the pre-stressed modal analysis.

Pressure Load Stiffness

If the static analysis has a pressure load applied “normal to” faces (3D) or edges (2-D), this could result
in an additional stiffness contribution called the “pressure load stiffness” effect. This effect plays a signi-
ficant role in follow-on Modal analyses, Eigenvalue Buckling analyses, and in Harmonic Response (Full)
analyses, however, the effect can be more prominent in an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

Different buckling loads may be predicted from seemingly equivalent pressure and force loads in a
buckling analysis because in the Mechanical application a force and a pressure are not treated the same.
As with any numerical analysis, we recommend that you use the type of loading which best models
the in-service component. For more information, see the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference, under
Structures with Geometric Nonlinearities> Stress Stiffening> Pressure Load Stiffness.

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 Apply Pre-Stress Effects for Implicit Analysis

Restarts from Multiple Result Sets

A property called Pre-Stress Define By is available in the Details view of the Pre-Stress object in the
eigen analysis. It is set to Program Controlled by default which means that it uses the last solve point
available in the parent static structural analysis as the basis for the eigen analysis. There are three more
read only properties defined in the Details view of the Pre-Stress object – Reported Loadstep, Reported
Substep and Reported Time which are set to Last, Last, and End Time or None Available by default
depending on whether or not there are any restart points available in the parent static structural ana-
lysis. These read only properties show the actual load step, sub step and time used as the basis for the
eigen analysis.

You can change Pre-Stress Define By to Load Step, and then another property called Pre-Stress
Loadstep will appear in the Details view. Pre-Stress Loadstep gives you an option to start from any
load step in the static structural analysis. If you use this property, then Mechanical will always pick the
last substep available in that load step. You can see the actual reported substep and time as read only
properties. The input value of load step should be less than or equal to the number of load steps in
the parent static structural analysis. Loadstep 0 stands for the last load step available.

You can change Pre-Stress Define By to Time, and then another property called Pre-Stress Time will
appear in the Details view. Pre-Stress Time gives you an option to start from any time in the static
structural analysis. If there is no restart point available at the time of your input, then Mechanical will
pick the closest restart point available in the static structural analysis. You can see the actual reported
load step, sub step and time as read only properties. The input value of time should be non-negative
and it should be less than the end time of parent static structural analysis. Time 0 stands for end time
of the parent analysis. If there is no restart point available in the input loadstep and the number of restart
points in the parent analysis is not equal to zero, then the following error message appears:

“There is no restart point available at the requested loadstep. Change the restart controls in the parent
static structural analysis to use the requested loadstep.”

Note:

If you use Pre-Stress Time, then Mechanical will pick the closest restart point available. It
may not be the last sub step of a load step; and if it is some intermediate substep in a load
step, then the result may not be reproducible if you make any changes in the parent static
structural analysis or you solve it again.

If there is no restart point available in the parent static structural analysis, then Reported
Loadstep, Reported Substep and Reported Time are set to None Available regardless of
the user input of Load Step/Time but these will be updated to correct values once the
analysis is solved with the correct restart controls for the parent structural analysis.

Contact Status
You may choose contact status for the pre-stressed eigen analysis to be true contact status, force
sticking, or force bonded. A property called Contact Status is available in the Details view of the Pre-
Stress object in the eigen analysis. This property controls the CONTKEY field of the Mechanical APDL
PERTURB command.

• Use True Status (default): Uses the current contact status from the restart snapshot. If the previous run for
parent static structural is nonlinear, then the nonlinear contact status at the point of restart is frozen and
used throughout the linear perturbation analysis.

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Steps for Using the Application

• Force Sticking: Uses sticking contact stiffness for the frictional contact pairs, even when the status is sliding
(that is, the no sliding status is allowed). This option only applies to contact pairs whose frictional coefficient
is greater than zero.

• Force Bonding: Uses bonded contact stiffness and status for contact pairs that are in the closed (sticking/slid-
ing) state.

Apply Loads and Supports

You apply loads and support types based on the type of analysis. For example, a stress analysis may
involve pressures and forces for loads, and displacements for supports, while a thermal analysis may
involve convections and temperatures.

Loads applied to static structural, transient structural, rigid dynamics, steady-state thermal, transient
thermal, magnetostatic, electric, and thermal-electric analyses default to either step-applied or ramped.
That is, the values applied at the first substep stay constant for the rest of the analysis or they increase
gradually at each substep.

Load Load step (LS) Load Load step (LS) Load Load step (LS)
Substep Substep

Value at LS 1 Value at LS 1 Value at LS 1

end of end of end of
load step load step load step

Full change in load

value applied in
first substep of
LS 2 LS 2 each load step LS 2

Time Time Time

(a) Load as specified in two load steps (b) Load as applied - ramped (KBC,0) (c) Load as applied - stepped (KBC,1)

You can edit the table of load vs. time and modify this behavior as needed.

By default you have one step. However you may introduce multiple steps at time points where you
want to change the analysis settings such as the time step size or when you want to activate or deac-
tivate a load. An example is to delete a specified displacement at a point along the time history.

You do not need multiple steps simply to define a variation of load with respect to time. You can use
tables or functions to define such variation within a single step. You need steps only if you want to
guide the analysis settings or boundary conditions at specific time points.

When you add loads or supports in a static or transient analysis, the Tabular Data and Graph windows
appear. You can enter the load history, that is, Time vs Load tabular data in the tabular data grid. An-
other option is to apply loads as functions of time. In this case you will enter the equation of how the
load varies with respect to time. The procedures for applying tabular or function loads are outlined
under the Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437) section.

Note:

• You can also import or export load histories from or to any pre-existing libraries.

• If you have multiple steps (p. 1165) in your analysis, the end times of each of these steps will always
appear in the load history table. However you need not necessarily enter data for these time

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 Perform Solution

points. These time points are always displayed so that you can activate or deactivate the load
over each of the steps. Similarly the value at time = 0 is also always displayed.

• If you did not enter data at a time point then the value will be either a.) a linearly interpolated
value if the load is a tabular load or b.) an exact value determined from the function that defines
the load. An “=” sign is appended to such interpolated data so you can differentiate between
the data that you entered and the data calculated by the program as shown in the example below.
Here the user entered data at Time = 0 and Time = 5. The value at Time = 1e-3, the end time of
step 1, is interpolated.

To apply loads or supports in the Mechanical Application:

See the Setting Up Boundary Conditions (p. 1171) section.

Perform Solution
Mechanical uses the same solver kernels that ANSYS Mechanical APDL (MAPDL) uses. At the Solve step,
Mechanical passes its data to the appropriate MAPDL solver kernel, based on the type of analysis to be
performed. That kernel then passes the solution data back to Mechanical, where you are able to look
at the results. Because the same solver kernels are used, you will obtain the same results from Mechan-
ical that you would if doing the same analysis in MAPDL.

Based on the analysis type, the following solvers are available in Mechanical:

• Mechanical ANSYS Parametric Design Language (MAPDL) Solver.

• ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver: only available for Rigid Dynamics Analysis.

• LS-DYNA Solver: only available for Explicit Dynamics analysis.

• Explicit Dynamics Solver: only available for Explicit Dynamics analysis.

• Samcef Solver: only available for Static Structural, Transient Structural, Steady-State Thermal, Transient
Thermal, Modal, and Eigenvalue Buckling analyses.

• ABAQUS Solver: only available for Static Structural, Transient Structural, Steady-State Thermal, Transient
Thermal, and Modal analyses.

You can execute the solution process on your local machine or on a remote machine such as a powerful
server you might have access to. The Remote Solve Manager (RSM) feature allows you to perform
solutions on a remote machine. Once completed, results are transferred to your local machine for post
processing. Refer to the Solve Modes and Recommended Usage (p. 1715) section for more details.

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Steps for Using the Application

Solution Progress
Because nonlinear or transient solutions can take significant time to complete, a progress pane is dis-
played in the status bar (p. 80) to indicate the overall progress of solution. More detailed information
on solution status can be obtained from the Solution Information object (p. 1735) contained under the
Solution folder. The Solution Information object enables you to:

• View solver output.

• Monitor output such as convergence criteria for nonlinear problems.

• Diagnose possible reasons for convergence difficulties by plotting Newton-Raphson residuals.

• Monitor certain result items, such as displacement or temperature.

Solve References for the Mechanical Application

See the Understanding Solving (p. 1711) section for details on the above and other topics related to
solving.

Review Results
The analysis type determines the results available for you to examine after solution. For example, in a
structural analysis, you may be interested in equivalent stress results or maximum shear results, while
in a thermal analysis, you may be interested in temperature or total heat flux. The Using Results (p. 1447)
section lists various results available to you for postprocessing.

To add result objects in the Mechanical application:

1. Highlight a Solution object in the tree.

2. Select the appropriate result from the Solution Context Tab (p. 24) or use the right-mouse click option.

To review results in the Mechanical application:

1. Click on a result object in the tree.

2. After the solution has been calculated, you can review and interpret the results in the following ways:

• Contour results (p. 24) - Displays a contour plot of a result such as stress over geometry.

• Vector Plots (p. 31) - Displays certain results in the form of vectors (arrows).

• Probes (p. 1462) - Displays a result at a single time point, or as a variation over time, using a graph and a
table.

• Charts (p. 1449) - Displays different results over time, or displays one result against another result, for
example, force vs. displacement.

• Animation (p. 1677) - Animates the variation of results over geometry including the deformation of the
structure.

• Stress Tool (p. 1547) - to evaluate a design using various failure theories.

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 Create Report (optional)

• Fatigue Tool (p. 1554) - to perform advanced life prediction calculations.

• Contact Tool (p. 1565) - to review contact region behavior in complex assemblies.

• Beam Tool (p. 1573) - to evaluate stresses in line body representations.

Note:

Displacements of rigid bodies are shown correctly in transient structural and rigid dy-
namics analyses. If rigid bodies are used in other analyses such as static structural or
modal analyses, the results are correct, but the graphics will not show the deformed
configuration of the rigid bodies in either the result plots or animation.

Note:

If you resume a Mechanical model from a project or an archive that does not contain result
files, then results in the Solution tree can display contours but restrictions apply:

• The result object cannot show a deformed shape; that is, the node-based displacements are
not available to deform the mesh.

• The result object cannot animate.

• Contours are not available for harmonic results that depend upon both real and imaginary
result sets.

See the Using Results (p. 1447) section for more references on results.

Create Report (optional)

Workbench includes a provision for automatically creating a report based on your entire analysis. The
documents generated by the report are in HTML. The report generates documents containing content
and structure and uses an external Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) to provide virtually all of the formatting
information.

Report References for the Mechanical Application

See the Report Preview (p. 105) section.

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Analysis Types
You can perform analyses in the Mechanical application using pre-configured analysis systems (as listed
below). Each analysis description assumes that you are familiar with the analysis type as well as with
the information presented in Steps for Using the Mechanical Application (p. 217) section, specifically the
Create Analysis System (p. 217) topic. The availability of features for an analysis may differ based on the
solver you select.

Also note that it is not necessary to specify a geometry or mesh, or even an analysis type to initiate a
simulation. Mechanical provides options to perform these actions after you have opened the application.
Coupled Field Analysis Types
Design Assessment Analysis
Electric Analysis
Explicit Dynamics Analysis
Linear Dynamic Analysis Types
Acoustics Analysis Types
Magnetostatic Analysis
Rigid Dynamics Analysis
Static Structural Analysis
Steady-State Thermal Analysis
Thermal-Electric Analysis
Topology Optimization Analysis
Transient Structural Analysis
Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System
Transient Thermal Analysis
Special Analysis Topics

In addition, you can enhance your analysis and add capabilities using the Commands Object (p. 1823)
to execute Mechanical APDL commands in the Mechanical application.

Coupled Field Analysis Types

Introduction
The Coupled Field analyses in Mechanical enable you to perform either a static or transient analysis
where you would like to simulate interaction between structural and thermal physics. Coupling is only
supported for the Structural-Thermal field in Mechanical and is enabled by specifying the Structural
and Thermal physics definition using the Physics Region (p. 2162) object.

Structural-Thermal coupling, either static or transient, supports the following Coupling Methods:

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Analysis Types

• Strong: Strong coupling creates off-diagonal terms in the stiffness and damping matrices. It leads to
simultaneous coupling effects between structural and thermal fields and provides a coupled response
after one iteration.

• Weak: This coupling method only considers the coupling effects using the load vector term that is the
effect realized by separately computing the thermal strains due to the changes occurring in temperature
field which affects the displacement of the structure and the changes in material properties which can
lead to heat generation or heat loss. Therefore, Weak coupling requires a minimum of two iterations
to achieve a coupled response.

Review the equations in the Coupling Method section of the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

The following sections discuss the steps and requirements to perform, processing limitations of, and
industry-based applications for, coupled field simulations.
Coupled Field Static Analysis
Coupled Field Transient Analysis
Limitations
Application Examples and Background

Coupled Field Static Analysis

This section assumes that you have an understanding of the general workflow for performing a sim-
ulation. See the Application Examples and Background (p. 249) section for an overview of types of
problems that use coupled structural-thermal solutions as well as some examples.

Points to Remember
When beginning the analysis, you need to properly define the:

• Initial Physics Options (p. 2099) object. The application automatically inserts this object for this ana-
lysis type.

• Physics Region (p. 2162) object(s). This object, and any additional Physics Objects that are needed,
identify all of the active bodies that may belong to the structural and/or thermal physics types. The
application automatically inserts this object for this analysis type. When you select both structural
and thermal physics is, the thermoelasticity coupled effects are included through the Thermal Strain
coupling options that include Program Controlled, Strong, and Weak.

• To simulate the thermoviscoelasticity coupling effect, the Viscoelastic Heating condition (p. 1400)
must be scoped to a body whose material assignment includes the Viscoelastic material properties
Prony Shear Relaxation and Prony Volumetric Relaxation, as defined in Engineering Data.

• To simulate the thermoplasticity coupling effect, the Plastic Heating (p. 1399) condition object can
be added and must be scoped to bodies whose material properties has the Plasticity effects

As needed throughout the analysis, refer to the Steps for Using the Application (p. 217) section for an
overview the general analysis workflow.

Define Initial Physics Options

Specify the temperature settings and values of the Initial Physics Options object. You use the Initial
Physics Options object to specify the initial temperature and reference temperature of the

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 Coupled Field Analysis Types

parts/bodies specified as either Thermal or Structural (using the Physics Region object (p. 2162)) during
a Coupled Field Static (p. 244) analysis. For the Structural Settings, you specify a Reference Temperature.
Typically for most other analysis types in Mechanical, you define a Reference Temperature from the
Environment object.

Define Physics Region(s)

During a Coupled Field analysis, a Physics Region object is automatically included. You use this object
to specify the geometry bodies that belong to Structural or Thermal physics type. All of the bodies
of the model must have a physics type specified by a Physics Region object.

Specify the Thermal Strain property for your analysis. You use this property to specify the coupling
method for a structural-thermal physics problem. Options include Program Controlled (default),
Strong, and Weak.

You can add Physics Region objects as desired by:

1. Highlighting the Environment object and selecting the Physics Region option on the Environment
Context Tab (p. 23) or right-click the Environment object or within the Geometry window and select
Insert > Physics Region.

2. Define all of the properties for the new object.

For additional information, see the Physics Region (p. 2162) object reference section.

Specify Analysis Settings

The analysis type supports the following Analysis Settings:

• Step Controls (p. 1110)

• Solver Controls (p. 1117)

• Restart Controls (p. 1126)

• Restart Analysis (p. 1125)

• Radiosity Controls (p. 1132)

• Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

• Output Controls (p. 1151)

• Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

• Visibility (p. 1165)

Apply Loads and Supports

The Environment Context tab (p. 23) provides the various groups of loads, supports, and conditions.
In addition, the following Conditions (p. 1376) are specific to Coupled Field analyses:

• Plastic Heating (p. 1399)

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Analysis Types

• Viscoelastic Heating (p. 1400)

See the Boundary Conditions (p. 1174) section for additional information.

Results
The Solution Context tab (p. 24) provides the various groups of result options. The analysis supports
Structural (p. 1576) and Thermal (p. 1625) Probes. For many result objects, the default setting for geometry
is either All Structural Bodies or All Thermal Bodies, depending on the given result type.

See the Using Results (p. 1447) section for more information.

Coupled Field Transient Analysis

This section assumes that you have an understanding of the general workflow for performing a sim-
ulation. See the Application Examples and Background (p. 249) section for an overview of types of
problems that use coupled structural-thermal solutions as well as some examples.

Points to Remember
When beginning the analysis, you need to properly define the:

• Initial Physics Options (p. 2099) object. The application automatically inserts this object for this ana-
lysis type.

• Physics Region (p. 2162) object(s). This object, and any additional Physics Objects that are needed,
identify all of the active bodies that may belong to the structural and/or thermal physics types. The
application automatically inserts this object for this analysis type. When you select both structural
and thermal physics, the thermoelasticity coupled effects are included through the Thermal Strain
coupling options that include Program Controlled, Strong, and Weak.

• To simulate the thermoviscoelasticity coupling effect, the Viscoelastic Heating condition (p. 1400)
must be scoped to a body whose material assignment includes the Viscoelastic material properties
Prony Shear Relaxation and Prony Volumetric Relaxation, as defined in Engineering Data.

• To simulate the thermoplasticity coupling effect, the Plastic Heating (p. 1399) condition object can
be added and must be scoped to bodies whose material properties has the Plasticity effects

As needed throughout the analysis, refer to the Steps for Using the Application (p. 217) section for an
overview the of general analysis workflow.

Define Initial Physics Options

Specify the temperature settings and values of the Initial Physics Options object. You use the Initial
Physics Options object to specify the initial temperature and reference temperature of the
parts/bodies specified as either Thermal or Structural (using the Physics Region object (p. 2162)) during
a Coupled Field Transient (p. 246) analysis. For the thermal field, you specify an Initial Temperature as
either Uniform or Non-Uniform (Transient only). For the Structural Setting, you specify a Reference

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 Coupled Field Analysis Types

Temperature. Typically for most other analysis types in Mechanical, you define a Reference Temperature
from the Environment object.

Important:

Currently, the Coupled Field Transient analysis only supports the Uniform Temperature
option for the Initial Temperature property. However, the Non-Uniform Temperature
setting is available as a Beta feature.

Specify Analysis Settings

The analysis type supports the following Analysis Settings:

• Step Controls (p. 1110)

• Solver Controls (p. 1117)

• Restart Controls (p. 1126)

• Radiosity Controls (p. 1132)

• Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

• Output Controls (p. 1151)

• Damping Controls (p. 1143)

• Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

• Visibility (p. 1165)

For a Coupled Field Transient analysis when the Time Integration property is set to Yes, the following
additional properties display and enable you to specify whether to turn a physics field on or off:

• Structural Only: Options include No (default) and Yes.

• Thermal Only: Options include No and Yes (default) .

Define Physics Region(s)

During a Coupled Field analysis, a Physics Region object is automatically included. You use this object
to specify the geometry bodies that belong to Structural or Thermal physics type. All of the bodies
of the model must have a physics type specified by a Physics Region object.

In addition, specify:

• Thermal Strain property. You use this property to specify the coupling method for a structural-
thermal physics problem. Options include Program Controlled (default), Strong, and Weak.

• Thermoelastic Damping: Either No or Off (default).

You can add Physics Region objects as desired by:

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Analysis Types

1. Highlighting the Environment object and selecting the Physics Region option on the Environment
Context Tab (p. 23) or right-click the Environment object or within the Geometry window and select
Insert > Physics Region.

2. Define all of the properties for the new object.

For additional information, see the Physics Region (p. 2162) object reference section.

Apply Loads and Supports

The Environment Context tab (p. 23) provides the various groups of loads, supports, and conditions.
In addition, the following Conditions (p. 1376) are specific to Coupled Field analyses:

• Plastic Heating (p. 1399)

• Viscoelastic Heating (p. 1400)

As needed, see the Boundary Conditions (p. 1171) section for additional information.

Results
The Solution Context tab (p. 24) provides the various groups of result options. The analysis supports
Structural (p. 1576) and Thermal (p. 1625) Probes. For many result objects, the default setting for geometry
is either All Structural Bodies or All Thermal Bodies, depending on the given result type.

See the Using Results (p. 1447) section for more information.

Limitations
For surface and 2D bodies, if more than one physics definition is specified, the application assumes
that generated elements have a unit thickness.

Currently, Coupled Field analyses do not support:

• Fracture analysis features.

• Solution Combination.

• Fatigue Combination.

• Fatigue Tool.

• Condensed Parts.

• Fluid Surface Interface.

• System Coupling Region.

• General Axisymmetric Symmetry.

And, when importing data from an External Data (p. 552) system, only the following imported
loads (p. 1417) are supported:

• Imported Temperature

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 Coupled Field Analysis Types

• Imported Body Temperature (Imported Thermal Condition)

Application Examples and Background

You can employ coupled structural-thermal solutions for problems such as:

• Large mechanical deformations where contact is established between surfaces late in the solution.
These contact conditions form new heat flow pathways.

• Internal heat generation because of mechanical deformations.

• Heat generation due to relative sliding between contacting surfaces.

• Thermal properties problems where materials are dependent on the mechanical solution and vice-
versa.

• Fracture or delamination problems where the material or structure undergoes deformations that
modify heat flow pathways.

• Nonlinear thermal boundary conditions where the non-linearity is dependent on the Mechanical
solution.

• Pressure and gap cases that depend on contact thermal properties.

Specific coupled structural-thermal engineering applications include:

• Brake Pad Heating: Relative sliding between the disc and brake pads cause significant frictional heat
generation.

• Plastic Seals: Large plastic deformation of seals cause temperatures to rise because of plastic heating.
This may lead to relaxation in contact pressure. In addition, when subjected to cyclic pressure loads,
the contact surfaces may generate frictional heating.

• Arc Welding: High temperature material deposition (through element birth) and subsequent cooling
may lead to distortions in the final geometrical shape because of thermal expansion/contraction.

• Friction Stir Welding: The process relies on frictional heat generation between the tool and the
workpiece, this necessitates using coupled thermal-structural analysis.

• Cancerous Tissue Ablation: RF waves are used for internal heat generation in cancerous cells leading
to ablation. Coupled thermal-structural analysis may be utilized in addition to model this effect (in
addition to element death).

• Metal Forming: Plastic heat generation in regions undergoing large plastic deformations may result
in contraction/expansion leading to distortion of the final part.

• Vibration Isolation Pads: For high frequency applications there may be an increase in temperature
due to viscoelastic heating in vibration isolation pads leading to change in material response and
reduced fatigue life.

• Threaded Connectors: For high temperature applications local plastic heating near the threads and
frictional heating can lead to increase increased temperature, causing reduced fatigue life because
of thermomechanical fatigue.

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Analysis Types

• High-frequency Resonators: Thermoelastic damping may affect the harmonic response of the res-
onators, coupled field thermal-structural solutions allow for including this effect.

• Hyperelastic Seal Fatigue: For high frequency loading, viscoelastic heating may lead to changes in
material behavior and also reduce fatigue life, coupled thermal-structural solutions allow for including
this effect.

• Thermal Barrier/Coating Ablation: Surface heat generation at the coating surfaces (e.g. in ceramic
thermal protection systems in space shuttle) causes the surface to ablate. Coupled thermal-structural
analysis may be utilized in addition to model this effect (in addition to element death).

Design Assessment Analysis

Introduction
The Design Assessment (p. 1843) system enables the selection and combination of upstream results and
the ability to optionally further assess results with customizable scripts. Furthermore it enables the user
to associate attributes, which may be geometry linked but not necessarily a property of the geometry,
to the analysis via customizable items that can be added in the tree. Finally, custom results can be
defined from the script and presented in the Design Assessment system to enable complete integration
of a post finite element analysis process.

The Design Assessment system supports solution combinations for following analysis types:

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Explicit Dynamics

• Modal

• Harmonic Response

• Random Vibration

• Response Spectrum

The scripting language supported is python based. The location of the script and the available properties
for the additional attributes and results can be defined via an XML file (p. 1857) which can be easily created
in any text editor and then selected by right-clicking on the Setup cell on the system.

The Design Assessment system must be connected downstream of another analysis system (the allowed
system types are listed below in Preparing the Analysis).

An Assessment Type (p. 1845) must be set for each Design Assessment system.

Points to Remember
• Design Assessment is not supported on the SUSE 10 x64 platform.

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 Design Assessment Analysis

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because a design assessment analysis is a postprocessing analysis, one or more upstream

analysis systems (at this time, limited to Static Structural, Transient Structural, Harmonic
Response, Modal, Response Spectrum, Random Vibration, and Explicit Dynamics systems)
are a required prerequisite. The requirement then is for two or more analysis systems,
including a Design Assessment analysis system, that share resources, geometry, and
model data.

From the Toolbox, drag one of the allowed system templates to the Project Schematic.
Then, drag a Design Assessment template directly onto the first template, making sure
that all cells down to and including the Model cell are shared. If multiple upstream sys-
tems are included, all must share the cells above and including the Model cell.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a design assessment analysis.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a design assessment analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a design assessment analysis.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a design assessment analysis.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

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Analysis Types

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a design assessment analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a design assessment analysis.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

You must point to a structure analysis in the Initial Condition environment field.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a design assessment analysis.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

Solution Information (p. 1735) continuously updates any listing output from the Design
Assessment log files and provides valuable information on the behavior of the structure
during the analysis. The file solve.out is provided for log information from any ex-
ternal process your analysis may use. Solve script (p. 1862) and Evaluate script (p. 1862) log
files are produced by the solve and evaluate Python processes respectively. Select the
log information that you want to display from the Solution Output drop-down.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

The following Mechanical results are available when Solution Combination (p. 1850) is
enabled for the design assessment analysis:

• Stress Tool

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 Electric Analysis

• Fatigue Tool

• Contact Tool (for the following contact results: Frictional Stress, Penetration, Pressure, and
Sliding Distance)

• Beam Tool

• Beam Results

• Stresses

• Elastic Strains

• Deformations

The results available for insertion will depend on the types of the systems selected for
combination and the setting of the Results Availability field in the Details panel of the
Design Assessment Solution object in the tree.

In addition, DA Result (p. 1856) objects will be available if they are enabled for the design
assessment analysis.

Note:

Not all of the standard right-click menu options are available for DA
Result objects. Cut, Copy, Paste, Copy to Clipboard, Duplicate, Rename,
and Export are removed.

Electric Analysis

Introduction
An electric analysis supports Steady-State Electric Conduction. Primarily, this analysis type is used to
determine the electric potential in a conducting body created by the external application of voltage or
current loads. From the solution, other results items are computed such as conduction currents, electric
field, and joule heating.

An Electric Analysis supports single and multibody parts. Contact conditions are automatically established
between parts. In addition, an analysis can be scoped as a single step or in multiple steps.

An Electric analysis computes Joule Heating (p. 1632) from the electric resistance and current in the con-
ductor. This joule heating may be passed as a load to a Thermal analysis (p. 439) simulation using an
Imported Load (p. 1417) if the Electric analysis Solution data is to be transferred to Thermal analysis.
Similarly, an electric analysis can accept a Thermal Condition (p. 1424) from a thermal analysis to specify
temperatures in the body for material property evaluation of temperature-dependent materials.

Points to Remember
A steady-state electric analysis may be either linear (constant material properties) or nonlinear (temper-
ature dependent material properties). Additional details for scoping nonlinearities are described in the
Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147) section.

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Analysis Types

Once an Electric Analysis is created, Voltage (p. 1272) and Current (p. 1274) loads can be applied to any
conducting body. For material properties that are temperature dependent, a temperature distribution
can be imported using the Thermal Condition (p. 1424) option.

In addition, equipotential surfaces can be created using the Coupling Condition (p. 1376) load option.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag the Electric template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

When an Emag license is being used only the following material properties are allowed:
Isotropic Resistivity, Orthotropic Resistivity, Relative Permeability, Relative Permeability
(Orthotropic), Coercive Force & Residual Induction, B-H Curve, B-H Curve (Orthotropic),
Demagnetization B-H Curve. You may have to turn the filter off in the Engineering Data
tab to suppress or delete those material properties/models which are not supported for
this license.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

Note that 3D shell bodies and line bodies are not supported in an electric analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

Mechanical does not support Rigid Bodies in electric analyses. For more information,
see the Stiffness Behavior documentation for Rigid Bodies (p. 631).

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

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 Electric Analysis

In an electric analysis, only bonded, face-face contact is valid. Any joints or springs are
ignored. For perfect conduction across parts, use the MPC formulation. To model contact
resistance, use Augmented Lagrange or Pure Penalty with a defined Electric Conduct-
ance (p. 924).

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Only higher order elements are allowed for an electric analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For an electric analysis, the basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) include:

Step Controls (p. 1110)

These properties are used to specify the end time of a step in a single or multiple step
analysis.

Multiple steps are needed if you want to change load values, the solution settings,
or the solution output frequency over specific steps. Typically you do not need to
change the default values.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

These properties allow you to specify the time points at which results should be available
for postprocessing. A multi-step analysis involves calculating solutions at several time
points in the load history. However you may not be interested in all of the possible results
items and writing all the results can make the result file size unwieldy. You can restrict the
amount of output by requesting results only at certain time points or limit the results that
go onto the results file at each time point.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

Common Analysis Data Management properties are available for this analysis type.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

There is no initial condition specification for an Electric analysis.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

The following loads are supported in a Steady-State Electric analysis:

• Voltage (p. 1272)

• Current (p. 1274)

• Coupling Condition (p. 1376) (Electric)

• Thermal Condition (p. 1247)

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

The Solution Information (p. 1735) object provides some tools to monitor solution pro-
gress.

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the model during the analysis. Any convergence
data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the Solution
Information (p. 1735) section.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

Applicable results are all electric result types (p. 1632).

Once a solution is available, you can contour the results (p. 24) or animate the res-
ults (p. 1677) to review the responses of the model.

For the results of a multi-step analysis that has a solution at several time points, you can
use probes (p. 1462) to display variations of a result item over the steps.

You may also wish to use the Charts (p. 1449) feature to plot multiple result quantities
against time (steps). For example, you could compare current and joule heating. Charts
can also be useful when comparing the results between two analysis branches of the
same model.

Explicit Dynamics Analysis

ANSYS Explicit Dynamics is a transient explicit dynamics Workbench application that can perform a
variety of engineering simulations, including the modeling of nonlinear dynamic behavior of solids,
fluids, gases and their interaction. Additionally, the Workbench LS-DYNA ACT extension is available to
analyze a model using the LS-DYNA solver. Detailed information for running an Explicit Dynamics ana-
lysis can be found in the Explicit Dynamics Analysis Guide.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Applying external forces gradually to a structure does not cause it to experience any pulse or motion.
You can solve structural responses with a simple static equilibrium analysis. That is, the structural
elasticity forces and the external forces equilibrate one another.

In reality, however, structures are subject to rapidly applied forces (or so-called dynamic forces), e.g.,
high-rise buildings, airplane wings, and drilling platforms are subject to wind gusts, turbulences, and
ocean waves, respectively. These structures are in a state of motion as a result of the dynamic forces.
To simulate and solve for the structural responses in a logical manner, a dynamic equilibrium analysis,
or a dynamic analysis, is desirable. In a dynamic analysis, in addition to structural elasticity force, struc-
tural inertia and dissipative forces (or damping) are also considered in the equation of motion to equi-
librate the dynamic forces. Inertia forces are a product of structural mass and acceleration while dissip-
ative forces are a product of a structural damping coefficient and velocity.

When performing a linear dynamic analysis, the application calculates structural responses based the
assumption that a structure is linear.

The following sections discuss the steps and requirements to perform different linear dynamic simulations.
Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis
Harmonic Response Analysis
Harmonic Response (Full) Analysis Using Pre-Stressed Structural System
Harmonic Response Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System
Modal Analysis
Random Vibration Analysis
Response Spectrum Analysis

Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis

Background
An Eigenvalue Buckling analysis predicts the theoretical buckling strength of an ideal elastic structure.
This method corresponds to the textbook approach to an elastic buckling analysis: for instance, an
eigenvalue buckling analysis of a column matches the classical Euler solution. However, imperfections
and nonlinearities prevent most real-world structures from achieving their theoretical elastic buckling
strength. Therefore, an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis often yields quick but non-conservative results.

A more accurate approach to predicting instability is to perform a nonlinear buckling analysis. This
involves a static structural analysis with large deflection effects turned on. A gradually increasing load
is applied in this analysis to seek the load level at which your structure becomes unstable. Using the
nonlinear technique, your model can include features such as initial imperfections, plastic behavior,
gaps, and large-deflection response. In addition, using deflection-controlled loading, you can even
track the post-buckled performance of your structure (which can be useful in cases where the structure
buckles into a stable configuration, such as "snap-through" buckling of a shallow dome, as illustrated
below).

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Analysis Types

(a) Nonlinear load-deflection curve, (b) Eigenvalue buckling curve.

Eigenvalue Buckling in Mechanical

In Mechanical, an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis is a linear analysis and therefore cannot account for
nonlinearities. It employs the Linear Perturbation Analysis procedure of Mechanical APDL. This pro-
cedure requires a pre-loaded environment from which it draws solution data for use in the Eigenvalue
Buckling analysis. Based on this requirement, an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis can consider nonlinear-
ities that are present in the pre-stressed environment allowing you to attain a more accurate real-
world solution as compared to a traditional linear preloaded state.

Note:

The content of this Help page is based on the use of the ANSYS Mechanical APDL Solver.

Points to Remember
• An Eigenvalue Buckling analysis must be linked to (proceeded by) a Static Structural Analysis (p. 434). This
static analysis can be either linear or nonlinear and the linear perturbation procedure refers to it as the
"base analysis" (as either linear or nonlinear).

• The nonlinearities present in the static analysis can be the result of nonlinear:

– Geometry (the Large Deformation property is set to Yes)

– Contact status (a contact definition other than Bonded and No Separation type with MPC formulation)

– Material (e.g., definition of nonlinear material properties in Engineering Data, such as hyperelasticity,
plasticity, etc.)

– Connection (e.g., nonlinear joints and nonlinear springs)

• A structure can have an infinite number of buckling load factors. Each load factor is associated with a
different instability pattern. Typically the lowest load factor is of interest.

• Based upon how you apply loads to a structure, load factors can either be positive or negative. The applic-
ation sorts load factors from the most negative values to the most positive values. The minimum buckling
load factor may correspond to the smallest eigenvalue in absolute value.

• For Pressure boundary conditions in the Static Structural analysis: if you define the load with the Normal
To option for faces (3D) or edges (2-D), you could experience an additional stiffness contribution called
the "pressure load stiffness" effect. The Normal To option causes the pressure acts as a follower load,
which means that it continues to act in a direction normal to the scoped entity even as the structure de-
forms. Pressure loads defined with the Components or Vector options act in a constant direction even

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

as the structure deforms. For a same magnitude, the "normal to" pressure and the component/vector
pressure can result in a significantly different buckling load factor in the follow-on Eigenvalue Buckling
analysis.

• Buckling mode shapes do not represent actual displacements but help you to visualize how a part or an
assembly deforms when buckling.

• The procedure that the Mechanical APDL solver uses to evaluate buckling load factors is dependent upon
whether the pre-stressed Eigenvalue Buckling analysis is linear-based (linear prestress analysis) or nonlinear-
based (nonlinear prestress analysis). The subsequent Help topics examine each case.

Linear-based Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis

Note the following when you have created an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis when the base analysis is
linear:

• For a linear upstream Static Structural Analysis (p. 434), you can define loading conditions only in the
upstream analysis.

• The results calculated by the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis are buckling load factors that scale all of
the loads applied in the Static Structural analysis. Thus for example if you applied a 10 N compressive
load on a structure in the static analysis and if the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis calculates a load factor
of 1500, then the predicted buckling load is 1500x10 = 15000 N. Because of this it is typical to apply
unit loads in the static analysis that precedes the buckling analysis.

• The buckling load factor is to be applied to all the loads used in the static analysis.

• Note that the load factors represent scaling factors for all loads. If certain loads are constant (for ex-
ample, self-weight gravity loads) while other loads are variable (for example, externally applied loads),
you need to take special steps to ensure accurate results.

One strategy that you can use to achieve this end is to iterate on the Eigenvalue buckling
solution, adjusting the variable loads until the load factor becomes 1.0 (or nearly 1.0, within
some convergence tolerance).

Consider, for example, a pole having a self-weight W0, which supports an externally-applied
load, A. To determine the limiting value of A in an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis, you could solve
repetitively, using different values of A, until by iteration you find a load factor acceptably close
to 1.0.

• If you receive all negative buckling load factor values for your Eigenvalue Buckling analysis and you
wish to see them in the positive values, or vice versa, reverse the direction of all of the loads you applied
in Static Structural analysis.

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Analysis Types

• You can apply a nonzero constraint in the static analysis. The load factors calculated in the buckling
analysis should also be applied to these nonzero constraint values. However, the buckling mode shape
associated with this load will show the constraint to have zero value.

Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis

Note the following when you have created an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis when the base analysis is
nonlinear:

• At least one form of nonlinearity must be defined in the pre-requisite static analysis.

• In addition to the loads defined in Static Structural Analysis, you must define at least one load in the
buckling analysis to proceed with the solution. To enable this, setting the Keep Pre-Stress Load-
Pattern property to Yes (default setting) retains the loading pattern from the Static Structural Analysis
in the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis. Settings the property to No requires you to define a new loading
pattern for the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis. This new loading pattern can be completely different
from that of the prestress analysis.

• In a nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling analysis, load multipliers scale the loads applied in buckling
analysis ONLY. When estimating the ultimate buckling load for the structure, you must account for
the loading applied in both static structural and eigenvalue analyses. The equation to calculate the
ultimate buckling load for the Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling analysis is:

FBUCKLING = FRESTART + λi · FPERTRUB

where:

– FBUCKLING = The ultimate buckling load for the structure.

– FRESTART = Total loads in Static Structural analysis at the specified restart load step.

– λi = Buckling load factor for the "i'th" mode.

– FPERTRUB = Perturbation loads applied in buckling analysis.

For example, if you applied a 100 N compressive force on a structure in the static analysis and
a compressive force of 10 N in the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis and you get a load factor of
15, then the ultimate buckling load for the structure is 100 + (15 x 10) = 250 N.

Note:

You can verify the ultimate buckling load of the above equation using the buckling
of a one dimensional column. However, calculating the ultimate buckling load for
2D and 3D problems with different combinations of loads applied in the Static
Structural and Eigenvalue Buckling analyses may not be as straightforward as the
1D column example. This is because the FRESTART and FPERTRUB values are essentially
the effective loading values in the static and buckling analyses, respectively.

• Consider, for example, a cantilever beam that has a theoretical ultimate buckling strength of 1000N
and which is subjected to a compressive force (A) of 250N. The procedure to calculate the ultimate
buckling load (F), based on the load factors evaluated by Mechanical for Linear-Based and Nonlinear-
Based Eigenvalue Buckling analyses is illustrated in the following schematic.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Note:

As illustrated, cases (3) and (5) are identical. In Case (3), setting the Keep Pre-Stress
Load-Pattern property to Yes automatically retains the loading from pre-stress
analysis for the buckling analysis. As a result, there is no need to define new loads
for the buckling analysis in Case 3. For Case 5, the Keep Pre-Stress Load-Pattern
property is set to No, allowing you to define a new load pattern in the buckling
analysis which can be completely different from that of the Static Structural analysis.

• The buckling load factor evaluated in nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling should be applied to all
the loads used in the buckling analysis.

• If you receive all negative buckling load factor values for your Eigenvalue Buckling analysis and you
wish to see them in the positive values, or vice versa, reverse the direction of all of the loads you applied
in the Static Structural analysis when the Keep Pre-Stress Load-Pattern property is set to Yes. If this
property is set to No, reverse the direction of all of the loads that you applied in Eigenvalue Buckling
analysis.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because this analysis is based on the Static Structural solution, a Static Structural
analysis is a prerequisite. This linked setup allows the two analysis systems to share
resources such as engineering data, geometry, and boundary condition type definitions
made in Static Structural analysis.

From the Toolbox, drag a Static Structural template to the Project Schematic. Then,
drag an Eigenvalue Buckling template directly onto the Solution cell of the Static
Structural template.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

• Young's modulus (or stiffness in some form) must be defined.

• Material properties can be linear, nonlinear, isotropic or orthotropic, and constant or

temperature-dependent.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Linear-based Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis

The following contact settings are considered linear contact behaviors for Eigenvalue
Buckling analyses. If any other contact settings are used, the analysis will be considered
a Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

• The Formulation property is set to MPC or Beam.

Or...

• The Type property is set to Bonded or No Separation and Small Sliding is active.

Springs with linear stiffness definition are taken into account if they are present
in the static analysis.

Only Bushing and General joints enable you to solve an analysis with nonlinear
Joint Stiffness (p. 988). Mechanical considers all other joint types to be linear. The
application accounts for linear joints if they are present in the static analysis.

Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis

All nonlinear connections (including nonlinear springs and joints) are allowed. Any contact
options other than the ones mentioned above would trigger a nonlinear based Eigenvalue
Buckling analysis.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

There are no considerations specifically for an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis, the basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) include:

Options (p. 1139)

• Use the Max Modes to Find property to specify the number of buckling load factors
and corresponding buckling mode shapes of interest. Typically the first (lowest)
buckling load factor is of interest. The default value for this field is 2. You can change
this default setting under the Buckling category of the Frequency (p. 145) options in
the Options (p. 138) preference settings tool.

• The Keep Pre-Stress Load-Pattern property is available for nonlinear-based Eigenvalue

Buckling analyses. Use this property to specify whether you want to retain the pre-
stress loading pattern to generate the perturbation loads in the Eigenvalue Buckling
analysis. The default setting for this property is Yes, which automatically retains the
structural loading pattern for the buckling analysis (refer to the ALLKEEPLoadControl
key setting for PERTURB command). Setting the property to No requires you to define
a new loading pattern for the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis (refer to PARKEEPLoadCon-
trol key setting for PERTURB command).

Important:

The PARKEEPLoadControl key retains all displacements applied in

Static Structural analysis for reuse in Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.
Any non-zero displacements applied in static analysis act as loads in
Eigenvalue Buckling analysis. If you specifying different load types in
the buckling analysis that are scoped to the same geometric entities
and in the same direction, may be ignored. Define your new loading
pattern carefully.

Solver Controls (p. 1117)

• Solver Type: The default option, Program Controlled, allows the application to select
the appropriate solver type. Options include Program Controlled, Direct, and Sub-
space. By default, the Program Controlled option uses the Direct solver for Linear-
based Eigenvalue Buckling and Subspace solver for Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue
Buckling analyses.

Note:

Both the Direct and Subspace solvers evaluate the buckling solutions
for most engineering problems. If you experience a solution failure

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Analysis Types

using one of the solvers because it cannot find the requested modes,
it may help to switch the solvers. If both of the solvers fail to find
the solution, then review your model carefully for possible stringent
input specifications or loading conditions.

• Include Negative Load Multiplier: The default option Program Controlled and Yes
will extract both the negative and positive eigenvalues (load multipliers). Set the
property to No to extract only positive eigenvalues (load multipliers).

Output Controls (p. 1151)

By default, only buckling load factors and corresponding buckling mode shapes are cal-
culated. You can request Stress and Strain results to be calculated but note that “stress”
results only show the relative distribution of stress in the structure and are not real stress
values.

Note:

Output Controls are only exposed for the ANSYS solver.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

These properties enable you to define whether or not to save the Mechanical APDL ap-
plication database as well as automatically delete unneeded files.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

You must point to a static structural analysis of the same model in the initial condition
environment.

• An Eigenvalue Buckling analysis must be preceded by a Static Structural analysis and the
same solver type must be used for each (ANSYS or Samcef ).

• The Pre-Stress Environment property in the Pre-Stress (Static Structural) Initial Condition
object displays whether the pre-stress environment is considered linear or nonlinear for
the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

• If the Static Structural analysis has multiple result sets, the value from any restart point
available in the Static Structural analysis can be used as the basis for the Eigenvalue
Buckling analysis. See the Restarts from Multiple Result Sets (p. 237) topic in the Applying
Pre-Stress Effects (p. 236) Help section for more information.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

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Loads are supported by Eigenvalue Buckling analysis only when the pre-stressed en-
vironment has nonlinearities defined.

The following loads are allowed for a nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling analysis:

• Loads: Thermal Condition (p. 1247)

• Direct FE (p. 1402) (node-based Named Selection scoping and constant loading only):

– Nodal Force (p. 1404)

– Nodal Pressure (p. 1406)

– Nodal Displacement (p. 1409) - At least one non-zero Component is required for the
boundary condition to be fully defined.

Note:

• Choosing to keep the default setting (Yes) for the Keep Pre-Stress Load-Pat-
tern property retains the pre-stress loading pattern for the buckling analysis
and no additional load definition is necessary.

• For Nodal Pressure, the only definition option is Normal To. This results in the
"pressure load stiffness" effect. To avoid the pressure stiffness effect, apply an
equivalent Nodal Force load to the same surface and set the Divide Load by
Nodes property to Yes. The equivalent force is equal to the value of the pressure
multiplied by the area of the scoped surface.

• The node-based Named Selections used with the above Direct FE Loads (p. 1402)
cannot contain nodes scoped to a rigid body.

No loading conditions can be created in a linear-based Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

The supports as well as the stress state from the linked Static Structural analysis are
used in the linear-based Eigenvalue Buckling analysis. See the Apply Pre-Stress Effects
for Implicit Analysis (p. 236) Help section for more information about using a pre-
stressed environment.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

Solution Information (p. 1735) continuously updates any listing output from the
solver and provides valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the
analysis.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

You can view the buckling mode shape associated with a particular load factor by
displaying a contour plot (p. 24) or by animating (p. 1677) the deformed mode shape.
The contours represent relative displacement of the part.

Buckling mode shape displays are helpful in understanding how a part or an assembly
deforms when buckling, but do not represent actual displacements.

“Stresses” from an Eigenvalue Buckling analysis do not represent actual stresses in the
structure, but they give you an idea of the relative stress distributions for each mode.
You can make Stress and Strain results available in the buckling analysis by setting
the proper Output Controls (p. 1151)before the solution is processed.

Harmonic Response Analysis

Harmonic analyses are used to determine the steady-state response of a linear structure to loads that
vary sinusoidally (harmonically) with time, thus enabling you to verify whether or not your designs
will successfully overcome resonance, fatigue, and other harmful effects of forced vibrations.

Introduction
In a structural system, any sustained cyclic load will produce a sustained cyclic or harmonic response.
Harmonic analysis results are used to determine the steady-state response of a linear structure to
loads that vary sinusoidally (harmonically) with time, thus enabling you to verify whether or not your
designs will successfully overcome resonance, fatigue, and other harmful effects of forced vibrations.

This analysis technique calculates only the steady-state, forced vibrations of a structure. The transient
vibrations, which occur at the beginning of the excitation, are not accounted for in a harmonic ana-
lysis.

In this analysis all loads as well as the structure’s response vary sinusoidally at the same frequency.
A typical harmonic analysis will calculate the response of the structure to cyclic loads over a frequency
range (a sine sweep) and obtain a graph of some response quantity (usually displacements) versus
frequency. “Peak” responses are then identified from graphs of response vs. frequency and stresses
are then reviewed at those peak frequencies.

Points to Remember
A Harmonic Analysis is a linear analysis. Some nonlinearities, such as plasticity will be ignored, even
if they are defined.

All loads and displacements vary sinusoidally at the same known frequency (although not necessarily
in phase).

If the Reference Temperature is set as By Body and that temperature does not match the environment
temperature, a thermally induced harmonic load will result (from the thermal strain assuming a
nonzero thermal expansion coefficient). This thermal harmonic loading is ignored for all harmonic
analysis.

Mechanical offers the following solution methods for harmonic analyses:

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Mode Superposition (default)

For the Mode Superposition (MSUP) method, the harmonic response to a given loading condition is
obtained by performing the necessary linear combinations of the eigensolutions obtained from a Modal
analysis.

For MSUP, it is advantageous for you to select an existing modal analysis directly (although
Mechanical can automatically perform a modal analysis behind the scene) since calculating the
eigenvectors is usually the most computationally expensive portion of the method. In this way,
multiple harmonic analyses with different loading conditions could effectively reuse the eigen-
vectors. For more details, refer to Harmonic Response Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis Sys-
tem (p. 279).

Acceleration (p. 1175) and/or Displacement (p. 1348) applied as a base excitation uses the Enforced
Motion Method. See the Enforced Motion Method for Mode-Superposition Transient and Harmonic
Analyses section of the Mechanical APDL Structural Analysis Guide for additional information.

Full
Using the Full method, you obtain harmonic response through the direct solution of the simultaneous
equations of motion. In addition, a Harmonic Response analysis can be linked to, and use the structural
responses of, a Static-Structural analysis. See the Harmonic Analysis Using Pre-Stressed Structural Sys-
tem (p. 277) section of the Help for more information.

Include Residual Vector

This property is available when the Solution Method is set to Mode Superposition. You can turn the
Include Residual Vector property On to execute the RESVEC command and calculate residual vectors.

Note:

The following boundary conditions do not support residual vector calculations:

• Nodal Force

• Remote Force scoped to a Remote Point (created via Model object)

• Moment scoped to a Remote Point (created via Model object)

Variational Technology
This property is available when the Solution Method is set to Full. When this property is set to No, the
Harmonic Response analysis uses the Full method. The direct solution of the simultaneous equations
of motion is solved for each excitation frequency, i.e., frequency steps defined in the Solution Intervals.
When this property is set to Yes, it uses Variational Technology to evaluate harmonic response for each
excitation frequency based on one direct solution. This property is set to Program Controlled by default
allowing the application to select the best solution method based on the model. For more technical in-
formation about Variational Technology, see the Harmonic Analysis Variational Technology Method
section of the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

This option is an alternate Solution Method that is based on the harmonic sweep algorithm of
the Full method.

For additional information, see the HROPT command in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference.

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Analysis Types

If a Command (p. 1972) object is used with the MSUP method, object content is sent twice; one for the
modal solution and another for the harmonic solution. For that reason, harmonic responses are double
if a load command is defined in the object, e.g., F command.

Preparing the Analysis

As needed throughout the analysis, refer to the Steps for Using the Application (p. 217) section for an
overview the general analysis workflow.

Define Engineering Data

Both Young's modulus (or stiffness in some form) and density (or mass in some form) must be defined.
Material properties must be linear but can be isotropic or orthotropic, and constant or temperature-
dependent. Nonlinear properties, if any, are ignored.

Define Connections
Any nonlinear contact such as Frictional contact (p. 907) retains the initial status throughout the
harmonic analysis. The stiffness contribution from the contact is based on the initial status and never
changes.

The stiffness as well as damping of springs is taken into account in a Full method of harmonic ana-
lysis. In a Mode-Superposition harmonic analysis, the damping from springs is ignored.

Establish Analysis Settings

For a Harmonic Response analysis, the basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) include:

Step Controls
The Step Controls category (p. 1115) enables you to define step controls for an analysis that includes ro-
tational velocities in the form of revolutions per minute (RPMs). You use the properties of this category
to define RPM steps and their options. Each RPM load is considered as a load step, such as frequency
spacing, minimum frequencies, maximum frequencies, etc. When you select the Analysis Settings object,
the Step Controls category automatically displays in the Worksheet. You can modify certain properties
in either the Worksheet or in the Details view for the object. See the Step Controls for Harmonic Ana-
lysis Types (p. 1115) section for a description of the available properties.

Options
The Options category (p. 1134) enables you to specify the frequency range and the number of solution
points at which the harmonic analysis will be carried out as well as the solution method to use and the
relevant controls.

Described below, the solution methods available to perform harmonic analyses include: the Mode-
Superposition method, the Direct Integration (Full) method, and the Variational Technology
method.

• Mode Superposition (MSUP): This is the default method and generally provides results faster than
the other methods. Using this method, a modal analysis is first performed to compute the natural
frequencies and mode shapes. Then the mode superposition solution is carried out where these mode
shapes are combined to arrive at a solution.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

The Mode Superposition method cannot be used if you need to apply imposed (nonzero)
displacements.

This method also allows solutions to be clustered about the structure's natural frequencies.
This results in a smoother, more accurate tracing of the response curve. The default method
of equally spaced frequency points can result in missing the peak values.

Without Cluster Option:

With Cluster Option:

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Analysis Types

Note the following the following properties the MSUP method provides: Skip Expansion or
Store Results At All Frequencies.

Skip Expansion
Options for this property include No (default) and Yes. When set to Yes, the application does not
create a result file. Result content becomes calculated “on demand.”

Store Results At All Frequencies

When you set the Store Results At All Frequencies (p. 1138) property to No, the application requests
that only minimal data be retained. Only the harmonic results requested at the time of solution
are calculated. The availability of the results is therefore not determined by the settings in the
Output Controls.

Note:

With this option set to No, the addition of new frequency or phase responses
to a solved environment requires a new solution. Adding a new contour result
of any type (stress or strain) or a new probe result of any type (reaction force or
reaction moment) for the first time on a solved environment requires you to
solve, but adding additional contour results or probe results of the same type
does not share this requirement; data from the closest available frequency is
displayed (the reported frequency is noted on each result).

New and/or additional displacement contour results as well as bearing probe

results do not share this requirement. These results types are basic data and are
available by default.

The values of frequency, type of contour results (stress or strain) and type of
probe results (reaction force, reaction moment, or bearing) at the moment of

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

the solution determine the contents of the result file and the subsequent avail-
ability of data. Planning these choices can significantly reduce the need to re-
solve an analysis.

Caution:

Use caution when adding result objects to a solved analysis.

Adding a new result invalidates the solution and requires the
system to be re-solved, even if you were to add and then delete
a result object.

• Full method: Calculates all displacements and stresses in a single pass. Its main disadvantages are:

– It is more “expensive” in CPU time than the Mode Superposition method.

– It does not allow clustered results, but rather requires the results to be evenly spaced within the
specified frequency range.

Damping Controls (p. 1143)

These properties enable you to specify damping for the structure in the Harmonic Response analysis.
Controls include: Eqv. Damping Ratio From Modal (MSUP method), Damping Ratio (MSUP method),
Constant Structural Damping Coefficient(Full method), Stiffness Coefficient (beta damping), and a
Mass Coefficient (alpha damping). They can also be applied as Material Damping (p. 1146) using the En-
gineering Data tab.

Element Damping: You can also apply damping through spring-damper elements. The damping
from these elements is used only in a Full method harmonic analysis.

Note:

If multiple damping specifications are made the effect is cumulative.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

These properties enable you to save solution files from the harmonic analysis. The default behavior is
to only keep the files required for postprocessing. You can use these controls to keep all files created
during solution or to create and save the Mechanical APDL application database (db file).

Define Initial Conditions

Currently, the initial conditions Initial Displacement and Initial Velocity are not supported for Har-
monic analyses.

For a Pre-Stressed Full Harmonic analysis, the preloaded status of a structure is used as a starting
point for the Harmonic analysis. That is, the static structural analysis serves as an Initial Condition for

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Analysis Types

the Full Harmonic analysis. See the Applying Pre-Stress Effects (p. 236) section of the Help for more
information.

Note:

• In the Pre-Stressed MSUP Harmonic Analysis, the pre-stress effects are applied using a Modal
analysis.

• When you link your Harmonic (Full) analysis to a Structural analysis, all structural loading con-
ditions, including Inertial (p. 1174) loads, such as Acceleration and Rotational Velocity, are deleted
from the Full Harmonic Analysis portion of the simulation once the loads are applied as initial
conditions (p. 233) (via the Pre-Stress object). Refer to the Mechanical APDL command PER-
TURB,HARM,,,DZEROKEEP for more details.

• If displacement loading is defined with Displacement, Remote Displacement, Nodal Displace-

ment, or Bolt Pretension (specified as Lock, Adjustment, or Increment) loads in the Static
Structural analysis, these loads become fixed boundary conditions for the Harmonic solution.
This prevents the displacement loads from becoming a sinusoidal load during the Harmonic
solution.

Apply Loads and Supports

A Harmonic Response Analysis supports the following boundary conditions for a Solution Method
setting of either Full or MSUP:

Inertial
Acceleration (p. 1175) (Phase Anglenot supported.)

Loads

• Pressure (p. 1193)

• Pipe Pressure (p. 1199) (line bodies only) - Not supported for MSUP Solution Method.

• Force (p. 1210) (applied to a face, edge, or vertex)

• Moment (p. 1232)

• Remote Force (p. 1215)

• Bearing Load (p. 1222) (Phase Anglenot supported.)

• Line Pressure (p. 1239)

• Given a specified Displacement (p. 1348)

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Supports
Any type of linear Support (p. 1346) can be used in harmonic analyses.

Note:

The Compression Only (p. 1364) support is nonlinear but should not be utilized even
though it behaves linearly in harmonic analyses.

Conditions
Constraint Equation (p. 1378)

Direct FE (node-based Named Selection scoping and constant loading only)

• Nodal Orientation (p. 1403) (Phase Anglenot supported.)

• Nodal Force (p. 1404)

• Nodal Displacement (p. 1409)

Base Excitation (Not supported for Full Solution Method)

• Acceleration (p. 1175) as a base excitation.

• Displacement (p. 1348) as a base excitation.

Important:

If the Skip Expansion property is set to On, Acceleration and Displacement applied
as a Base Excitation are not supported.

Note:

Support for boundary conditions varies for a Harmonic Response analysis that is linked to
either a Static-Structural or Modal analysis. See the Harmonic Response Analysis Using
Linked Modal Analysis System (p. 279) or the Harmonic Analysis Using Pre-Stressed Struc-
tural System (p. 277) sections of the Help for specific boundary condition support information.

In a Harmonic Response Analysis, boundary condition application has the following requirements:

• You can apply multiple boundary conditions to the same face.

• All boundary conditions must be sinusoidally time-varying.

• Transient effects are not calculated.

• All boundary conditions must have the same frequency.

• Boundary conditions supported with the Phase Angle property allow you to specify a phase shift that
defines how the loads can be out of phase with one another. As illustrated in the example Phase Response
below, the pressure and force are 45o out of phase. You can specify the preferred unit for phase angle (in
fact all angular inputs) to be degrees or radians using the Units option in the Tools (p. 11) group of the
Home tab.

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Analysis Types

• An example of a Bearing Load (p. 1222) acting on a cylinder is illustrated below. The Bearing Load, acts on
one side of the cylinder. In a harmonic analysis, the expected behavior is that the other side of the cylinder
is loaded in reverse; however, that is not the case. The applied load simply reverses sign (becomes tension).
As a result, you should avoid the use of Bearing Loads in this analysis type.

Solve
Solution Information (p. 1735) continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the analysis.

Review Results
Result specification for Harmonic Response analyses includes:

Contour Plots
Contour plots include stress (p. 1520), elastic strain (p. 1520), and deformation (p. 1516), and are basically the
same as those for other analyses. If you wish to see the variation of contours over time for these results,
you must specify an excitation frequency and a phase. The Sweeping Phase property in the details view
for the result is the specified phase, in time domain, and it is equivalent to the product of the excitation
frequency and time. Because Frequency is already specified in the Details view, the Sweeping Phase
variation produces the contour results variation over time. The Sweeping Phase property defines the
parameter used for animating the results over time. You can then see the total response of the structure
at a given point in time, as shown below.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

By setting the Amplitude property to Yes, you can see the amplitude contour plots at a specified
frequency. For additional information about Amplitude calculation for derived results, see the
Amplitude Calculation in Harmonic Analysis (p. 275) section of the Help.

Since each node may have different phase angles from one another, the complex response can
also be animated to see the time-dependent motion.

Frequency Response and Phase Response

Frequency Response (p. 1538) and Phase Response (p. 1538) charts which give data at a particular location
over an excitation frequency range and a phase period (the duration of the Phase Response results, re-
spectively). Graphs can be either Frequency Response graphs that display how the response varies
with frequency or Phase Response plots that show how much a response lags behind the applied loads
over a phase period.

Note:

You can create a contour result from a Frequency Response result type in a
Harmonic Analysis using the Create Contour Result (p. 1544) feature. This feature
creates a new result object in the tree with the same Type, Orientation, and
Frequency as the Frequency Response result type. However, the Phase Angle
of the contour result has the same magnitude as the frequency result type but
an opposite sign (negative or positive). The sign of the phase angle in the contour
result is reversed so that the response amplitude of the frequency response plot
for that frequency and phase angle matches with the contour results.

Fatigue Tool
You can use the Fatigue Tool (p. 2022) to view fatigue results for the repeated loading of a particular
Frequency and Phase Angle.

Equivalent Radiated Power

If your analysis contains multiple RPM steps, you can use the Equivalent Radiated Power (p. 1613) and
Equivalent Radiated Power Level Waterfall Diagrams (p. 1613) result options to analyze the Noise Vi-
bration Harshness (NVH) footprint of the device for the frequencies of all RPMs.

Amplitude Calculation in Harmonic Analysis

A Harmonic analysis result can be expressed using the following complex notation:

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Analysis Types

(1)

The amplitude is calculated as:

(2)

You can verify Equation (2) for component results, such as a Directional Deformation, by solving
the equation using the real and imaginary components of the given result.

Amplitude of a Derived Result

A derived result is computed from the component results. For example, Total Deformation, ,
is a derived result because it is evaluated from the displacement components , , and in X,
Y, and Z directions, respectively, as shown in the following equation:

(3)

For derived results, the following procedure is employed to calculate Amplitude. Using the formula
for a particular derived result, the real and the imaginary parts of the derived quantity are evaluated
from the real and imaginary component results respectively. The Amplitude for the derived result
is then calculated using Equation (2).

For example, the Amplitude of Total Deformation is calculated using the formula for Total De-
formation, shown here:

(4)

(5)

The Amplitude of Total Deformation:

(6)

Caution:

Note that for the Amplitude results for Minimum, Middle, and Maximum Principal
Stresses, the application sorts the three values from highest to lowest before it reports
the results. To illustrate this, consider real and imaginary values for Minimum, Middle,
and Maximum Principal Stresses, as S1, S2, and S3, at a certain node and frequency. You
obtain the result values by setting the Sweeping Phase property to 0 and 90 degrees
respectively. The table below shows application generated result values for this example.
The amplitude values do not correspond, as applicable to Equation (2), for the real and
imaginary components. This is because the application sorts the three amplitude values
from highest to lowest, before reporting the result values.

Result REAL (Phase = 0°) COMPLEX (Phase = AMPLITUDE

90°)
S1 3142.8 1.92E-13 3142.8

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

S2 -124.39 -7.62E-15 145.8

S3 -145.8 -8.93E-15 124.39

Harmonic Response (Full) Analysis Using Pre-Stressed Structural System

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because this analysis is linked to (and based on) structural responses, a Static-Struc-
tural analysis is a prerequisite. This setup allows the two analysis systems to share
resources, such as engineering data, geometry, and the boundary condition type
definitions that are defined the in the structural analysis.

From the Toolbox, drag a Static-Structural template to the Project Schematic. Then,
drag a Harmonic Response template directly onto the Solution cell of the Structural
template.

Note:

You can create a pre-stress environment in a Harmonic Response system

that is already open in Mechanical by:

1. Selecting the Static Structural option from the Analysis drop-down

menu on the Home (p. 9) (or displayed) tab.

2. Setting the Pre-Stress Environment property (of the Pre-Stress object)

to the Static Structural system.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For this analysis configuration, the basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) include:

Step Controls (p. 1115)

This category enables you to define step controls for an analysis that includes rotational
velocities in the form of revolutions per minute (RPMs). You use the properties of this
category to define RPM steps and their options. Each RPM load is considered as a load
step, such as frequency spacing, minimum frequencies, maximum frequencies, etc.

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Analysis Types

Options (p. 1139)

See the Harmonic Analysis Options Group (p. 1134) section for a complete listing of the
Details properties for a Harmonic Response analysis. For a Harmonic Response Analysis
using a linked a structural analysis system, only the FullSolution Method option is ap-
plicable, and therefore it is read-only.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

This category enables you to request Stress, Strain, Nodal Force, and Reaction results
to be calculated.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

The Initial Conditions (Pre-Stress) object of the Harmonic Response analysis must
point to the linked Static Structural analysis.

Note:

• All structural loads, including Inertial (p. 1174) loads, such as Acceleration and
Rotational Velocity, are deleted from the Harmonic Analysis portion of the
simulation once the loads are applied as initial conditions (p. 233) (via the Pre-
Stress object). Refer to the Mechanical APDL command PERTURB,HARM,,,DZER-
OKEEP for more details.

• For Pressure boundary conditions in the Static Structural analysis: if you define
the load with the Normal To option for faces (3D) or edges (2-D), you could
experience an additional stiffness contribution called the "pressure load stiffness"
effect. The Normal To option causes the pressure acts as a follower load, which
means that it continues to act in a direction normal to the scoped entity even
as the structure deforms. Pressure loads defined with the Components or
Vector options act in a constant direction even as the structure deforms. For
a same magnitude, the "normal to" pressure and the component/vector pressure
can result in significantly different results in the follow-on Full-Harmonic Ana-
lysis. See the Pressure Load Stiffness (p. 236) topic in the Applying Pre-Stress
Effects for Implicit Analysis (p. 236) Help Section for more information about
using a pre-stressed environment.

• If displacement loading is defined with Displacement, Remote Displacement,

Nodal Displacement, or Bolt Pretension (specified as Lock, Adjustment, or
Increment) loads in the Static Structural analysis, these loads become fixed
boundary conditions for the Harmonic solution. This prevents the displacement
loads from becoming a sinusoidal load during the Harmonic solution. If you
define a Nodal Displacement in the Harmonic analysis at the same location
and in the same direction as in the Structural Static analysis, it overwrites the
previous loading condition and/or boundary condition in the Harmonic solution.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

The following loads are allowed for linked Harmonic Response (Full) analysis:

• Inertial: Acceleration (p. 1175) (Phase Anglenot supported.)

• Direct FE (node-based Named Selection scoping and constant loading only):

– Nodal Force (p. 1404)

– Nodal Pressure (p. 1406) (Phase Anglenot supported.)

– Nodal Displacement (p. 1409) - At least one non-zero Component is required for the
boundary condition to be fully defined.

Note:

Any other boundary conditions must be defined in the prerequisite (parent)

Structural Analysis, such as Support Type (p. 1346) boundary conditions.

Harmonic Response Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because this analysis is linked to (or based on) modal responses, a Modal analysis is
a prerequisite. This setup allows the two analysis systems to share resources such as
engineering data, geometry and boundary condition type definitions made in modal
analysis.

Note:

• The Mode Superposition harmonic is allowed to be linked to a pre-stressed

modal analysis.

• When solving a linked MSUP harmonic system database from a version prior
to the most current version of Mechanical, it is possible to encounter incompat-
ibility of the file file.full created by the modal system. This incompatibility can
cause the harmonic system’s solution to fail. In the event you experience this
issue, use the Clear Generated Data feature and resolve the modal system.

Refer to the Obtain the Mode Superposition Harmonic Solution section

of the MAPDL Structural Analysis Guide for more information.

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Analysis Types

From the Toolbox, drag a Modal template to the Project Schematic. Then, drag a
Harmonic Response template directly onto the Solution cell of the Modal template.

Note:

You can create a modal environment in a Harmonic Response system that

is already open in Mechanical by:

1. Selecting the Modal option from the Analysis drop-down menu on the
Home (p. 9) (or displayed) tab.

2. Setting the Modal Environment property (of the Pre-Stress/Modal ob-

ject) to the Modal system.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For this analysis configuration, the basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) include:

Step Controls (p. 1115)

This category enables you to define step controls for an analysis that includes rotational
velocities in the form of revolutions per minute (RPMs). You use the properties of this
category to define RPM steps and their options. Each RPM load is considered as a load
step, such as frequency spacing, minimum frequencies, maximum frequencies, etc.

Options (p. 1139)

See the Harmonic Analysis Options Group (p. 1134) section for a complete listing of the
Details properties for a Harmonic Response analysis. Note that for a Harmonic Analysis
Using Linked Modal Analysis System, only the Mode Superposition option is applicable
for the Solution Method property and it is therefore read-only.

In addition, you can turn on the following properties:

• Include Residual Vectors. Set this property to Yes to execute the RESVEC
command and calculate residual vectors.

• Cluster Results: Set this property to Yes to automatically cluster solution points
near the structure’s natural frequencies ensuring capture of behavior near the
peak responses. This results in a smoother, more accurate, response curve.

• Skip Expansion: If you set this property to Yes, the application does not create
a result file. Your results are evaluated using the Modal solution data and other-
wise calculated “on demand.” This property supports specific result types. See
the property's description in the Options (p. 1139) section for a listing.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Also, Mode Frequency Range is not applicable because available modes are
defined in the linked Modal system.

Note:

The following boundary conditions do not support residual vector cal-

culations:

• Nodal Force

• Remote Force scoped to global a Remote Point (created via Model

object)

• Moment scoped to global a Remote Point (created via Model object)

Output Controls (p. 1151)

This category enables you to request Stress, Strain, Nodal Force, and Reaction results
to be calculated. For better performance, you can also choose to have these results ex-
panded from Harmonic or Modal solutions. To expand reaction forces in the modal
solution, set the Nodal Force property to Yes or Constrained Nodes.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

The Harmonic analysis must point to a Modal analysis in the Modal (Initial Conditions)
object. This object also indicates whether the upstream Modal analysis is pre-stressed.
If it is a pre-stress analysis, the name of the pre-stress analysis system is displayed in
the Pre-Stress Environment field, otherwise the field indicates None. The Modal
Analysis (p. 283) must extract enough modes to cover the frequency range. A conser-
vative rule of thumb is to extract enough modes to cover 1.5 times the maximum
frequency in the excitation.

Note:

• Command objects can be inserted into Initial Conditions object to execute a

restart of the solution process for the Modal Analysis.

• If displacement loading is defined with Displacement, Remote Displacement,

or Bolt Pretension (specified as Lock, Adjustment, or Increment) loads in the
Static Structural analysis, these loads become fixed boundary conditions for
the Harmonic solution. This prevents the displacement loads from becoming
a sinusoidal load during the Harmonic solution.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

The following loads are allowed for the linked analysis:

Inertial
Acceleration (p. 1175) (Phase Anglenot supported.)

Loads

• Pressure (p. 1193)

• Pipe Pressure (p. 1199) (line bodies only)

• Force (p. 1210) (applied to a face, edge, or vertex)

• Moment (p. 1232)

• Remote Force (p. 1215)

• Bearing Load (p. 1222) (Phase Anglenot supported.)

• Line Pressure (p. 1239)

• Given a specified Displacement (p. 1348)

Direct FE
The Direct FE option Nodal Force (p. 1404) is supported for node-based Named Selection
scoping and constant loading only.

Acceleration (p. 1175) as a base excitation

Support Limitations
Note the following analysis requirements.

• Remote Force is not supported for vertex scoping.

• Moment is not supported for vertex scoping on 3D solid bodies because a beam entity
is created for the load application.

• During a linked MSUP Harmonic analysis, if a Remote Force or Moment scoped to

an internal remote point is specified with the Behavior property set to Deformable,
the boundary conditions cannot be scoped to the edges of line bodies such that all
of their nodes in combination are collinear.

• If the Skip Expansion property is set to On, Acceleration and Displacement applied
as a Base Excitation are not supported.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

Refer to the Review Results (p. 274) topic in the Harmonic Response Analysis (p. 266)
section for more information regarding how to set up the harmonic results.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Modal Analysis

Introduction
A modal analysis determines the vibration characteristics (natural frequencies and mode shapes) of
a structure or a machine component. It can also serve as a starting point for another, more detailed,
dynamic analysis, such as a transient dynamic analysis, a harmonic analysis, or a spectrum analysis.
The natural frequencies and mode shapes are important parameters in the design of a structure for
dynamic loading conditions. You can also perform a modal analysis on a pre-stressed structure, such
as a spinning turbine blade.

If there is damping in the structure or machine component, the system becomes a damped modal
analysis. For a damped modal system, the natural frequencies and mode shapes become complex.

For a rotating structure or machine component, the gyroscopic effects resulting from rotational velo-
cities are introduced into the modal system. These effects change the system's damping. The damping
can also be changed when a Bearing (p. 1051) is present, which is a common support used for rotating
structure or machine component. The evolution of the natural frequencies with the rotational velocity
can be studied with the aid of Campbell Diagram Chart Results.

A Modal analysis can be performed using the ANSYS, Samcef, or ABAQUS solver. Any differences are
noted in the sections below. Rotordynamic analysis is not available with the Samcef or ABAQUS
solver.

Points to Remember
• The Rotational Velocity load is not available in Modal analysis when the analysis is linked to a Static
Structural analysis.

• Pre-stressed Modal analysis requires performing a Static Structural analysis (p. 434) first. In the modal
analysis you can use the Initial Condition object (p. 233) to point to the Static Structural analysis to include
pre-stress effects.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag a Modal, Modal (Samcef), or Modal (ABAQUS) template to
the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

Due to the nature of modal analyses any nonlinearities in material behavior are ignored.
Optionally, orthotropic and temperature-dependent material properties may be used.

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Analysis Types

The critical requirement is to define stiffness as well as mass in some form. Stiffness
may be specified using isotropic and orthotropic elastic material models (for example,
Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio), using hyperelastic material models (they are
linearized to an equivalent combination of initial bulk and shear moduli), or using
spring constants, for example. Mass may be derived from material density or from re-
mote masses.

Note:

Hyperelastic materials are supported for pre-stress modal analyses. They

are not supported for standalone modal analyses.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

When 2D geometry is used, Generalized Plane Strain is not supported for the Samcef
or ABAQUS solver.

When performing a Rotordynamic Analysis, the rotors can be easily generated using
the Import Shaft Geometry feature of ANSYS DesignModeler. The feature uses a text
file to generate a collection of line bodies with circular or circular tube cross sections.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

You can define a Point Mass (p. 658) for this analysis type.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

• Joints are allowed in a modal analysis. They restrain degrees of freedom as defined by the
joint definition.

• The stiffness of any spring is taken into account and if specified, damping is also considered.

• For the Samcef and ABAQUS solvers, only contacts, springs, and beams are supported.
Joints are not supported.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

There are no special considerations for this analysis type.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Modal analysis, the basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) include:

Options (p. 1133)

Using the Max Modes to Find property, specify the number of frequencies of interest.
The default is to extract the first 6 natural frequencies. The number of frequencies can
be specified in two ways:

1. The first N frequencies (N > 0), or...

2. The first N frequencies in a selected range of frequencies.

Solver Controls (p. 1117)

Two properties are available for this category:

• Damped: use this property to specify if the modal system is undamped or damped.
Depending upon your selection, different solver options are provided. Damped by
default, it is set No and assumes the modal system is an undamped system.

• Solver Type (p. 1118): it is generally recommended that you allow the program to select
the type of solver appropriate for your model in both undamped and damped modal
systems. When the Solver Type is set to Reduced Damped, the following additional
properties become available:

– Store Complex Solution: This property is only available when the Solver Type
property is set to Reduced Damped. This property enables you to solve and store
a damped modal system as an undamped modal system. By default, it is set to Yes.

– Mode Reuse: This property allows the solver to compute complex eigensolutions
efficiently during subsequent solve points by reusing the undamped eigensolution
that is calculated at the first solve point. The default setting is Program Controlled.
Set this property to Yes to enable it or No to disable it.

Note:

– If a solver type of Unsymmetric, Full Damped or Reduced Damped is

selected, the modal system cannot be followed by a Transient Structural,
Harmonic Response, Random Vibration, or Response Spectrum system.
However, for a MSUP Harmonic Analysis and a MSUP Transient Analysis,
you can use the Reduced Damped solver with the Store Complex
Solution property set to No. In this case, regular (non-complex) mode
shapes are calculated and are used for Mode Superposition. Although
complex frequencies are used for Mode Superposition, regular (non-
complex) frequencies are reported in tabular data. In the presence of
damping, the Reduced Damped solver with Store Complex Solution
set to No is not equivalent to the Undamped solver.

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Analysis Types

– If an undamped Modal analysis has a pre-stressed environment from a

Static Structural Analysis with the Newton-Raphson Option set to Un-
symmetric, the Program Controlled option selects Unsymmetric as
the Solver Type setting (the Mechanical APDL command MODOPT,UN-
SYM is issued).

Cyclic Controls (p. 1132)

When running a cyclic symmetry (p. 818) analysis, set the Harmonic Index Range to
Program Controlled to solve for all harmonic indices, or to Manual to solve for a specific
range of harmonic indices.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

By default, only mode shapes are calculated. You can request Stress and Strain results
to be calculated but note that “stress” results only show the relative distribution of stress
in the structure and are not real stress values. You can also choose whether or not to
have these results stored for faster result calculations in linked systems.

Damping Controls (p. 1143)

The options of the Stiffness Coefficient Defined By property, Direct Input or Damping
vs. Frequency, enable you to define the method used to define the Stiffness Coefficient.
If you select Damping vs. Frequency, the Frequency and Damping Ratio properties
appear requiring you to enter values to calculate the Stiffness Coefficient. Otherwise,
you specify the Stiffness Coefficient manually. The Mass Coefficient property requires
a manual entry.

Rotordynamics Controls (p. 1164)

Specify these properties as needed when setting up a Rotordynamic Analysis.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

This category is only applicable to Modal systems. These properties enable you to save
specific solution files from the Modal analysis for use in other analyses. You can set the
Future Analysis field to MSUP Analyses if you intend to use the modal results in a
subsequent Transient Structural, Harmonic Response, Random Vibration (PSD), or Re-
sponse Spectrum (RS) analysis. If you link a Modal system to another analysis type in
advance, the Future Analysis property defaults to the setting, MSUP Analyses. When
a PSD analysis is linked to a modal analysis, additional solver files must be saved to
achieve the PSD solution. If the files were not saved, then the modal analysis has to be
solved again and the files saved.

Note:

• Solver Type, Damping Controls, and Rotordynamic Controls are not available
to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

• Solver Type, Scratch Solver Files, Save ANSYS db, Solver Units, and Solver
Unit System are only applicable to Modal systems.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

You can point to a Static Structural analysis in the Initial Condition environment
field if you want to include pre-stress effects. A typical example is the large tensile
stress induced in a turbine blade under centrifugal load that can be captured by a
static structural analysis. This causes significant stiffening of the blade. Including this
pre-stress effect will result in much higher, realistic natural frequencies in a modal
analysis.

If the Modal analysis is linked to a Static Structural analysis for initial conditions and
the parent static structural analysis has multiple result sets (multiple restart points at
load steps/sub steps), you can start the Modal analysis from any restart point available
in the Static Structural analysis. By default, the values from the last solve point are
used as the basis for the modal analysis. See Restarts from Multiple Result Sets (p. 237)
in the Applying Pre-Stress Effects for Implicit Analysis (p. 236) Help section for more
information.

Note:

• When you perform a pre-stressed Modal analysis, the support conditions from
the static analysis are used in the Modal analysis. You cannot apply any new
supports in the Modal analysis portion of a pre-stressed modal analysis. When
you link your Modal analysis to a Structural analysis, all structural loading con-
ditions, including Inertial (p. 1174) loads, such as Acceleration and Rotational
Velocity, are deleted from the Modal portion of the simulation once the loads
are applied as initial conditions (p. 233) (via the Pre-Stress object). Refer to the
Mechanical APDL command PERTURB,HARM,,,DZEROKEEP for more details.

• To account for the Coriolis Effect of rotational velocity applied in the Static
analysis, you need to re-apply the rotational velocity in the Modal analysis.

• For Pressure boundary conditions in the Static Structural analysis: if you define
the load with the Normal To option for faces (3D) or edges (2-D), you could
experience an additional stiffness contribution called the "pressure load stiffness"
effect. The Normal To option causes the pressure acts as a follower load, which
means that it continues to act in a direction normal to the scoped entity even
as the structure deforms. Pressure loads defined with the Components or
Vector options act in a constant direction even as the structure deforms. For
a same magnitude, the "normal to" pressure and the component/vector pressure
can result in significantly different modal results in the follow-on Modal Analysis.
See the Pressure Load Stiffness (p. 236) topic in the Applying Pre-Stress Effects
for Implicit Analysis (p. 236) Help Section for more information about using a
pre-stressed environment.

• If displacement loading is defined with Displacement, Remote Displacement,

Nodal Displacement or Bolt Pretension (specified as Lock, Adjustment, or
Increment) loads in the Static Structural analysis, these loads become fixed
boundary conditions for the Modal solution. If the Modal solution is followed
by a Harmonic solution, these displacement loads become fixed boundary
conditions for the Harmonic solution as well. This prevents the displacement
loads from becoming a sinusoidal load during the Harmonic solution.

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Analysis Types

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

Only the Rotational Velocity (p. 1183) and Thermal Condition (p. 1247) boundary conditions
are supported for a stand-alone modal analysis. All structural supports (p. 1346) can be
applied except a non-zero Displacement, a Remote Displacement, and the Velocity
support. Due to its nonlinear nature, a Compression Only Support is not recommen-
ded for a modal analysis. Use of compression only supports may result in extraneous
or missed natural frequencies.

For the Samcef and ABAQUS solvers, the following supports are not available: Com-
pression Only Support, Elastic Support. When using line bodies, the following Pipe
Pressure and Pipe Temperature loads are not available to the Samcef solver. Addition-
ally, the Pipe Idealization object is also unavailable for the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Note:

In a pre-stressed modal analysis:

• Any structural supports used in the static analysis persist. Therefore, you
are not allowed to add new supports in the pre-stressed modal analysis.

• When creating a Campbell diagram, the Rotational Velocity (p. 1183) in the
Static Structural Analysis is used to create normal stress stiffening effects
in the Modal Analysis. It is not used to create centrifugal force effects for
generating the Campbell diagram.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

Solution Information (p. 1735) continuously updates any listing output from the
solver and provides valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the
analysis.

Important:

If you specify the Distribute Solution setting (the default setting on the
Advanced Properties dialog of the Solve Process Settings (p. 1716)), the files
file.full, file.esav and file.emat may not be combined at the end of the
Modal analysis solution. As a result, any downstream system, including a
Response Spectrum, Mode Superposition Harmonic Respoonse, Mode Su-
perposition Transient, or Random Vibration analysis, or a follow on Mech-
anical APDL (turn on the Distributed property in Project Schematic), must
also use a Distributed Solution setting as opposed to a shared memory
solution, when the setting is turned off.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

Highlight the Solution object in the tree to view a bar chart of the frequencies obtained
in the modal analysis. A tabular data grid is also displayed that shows the list of fre-
quencies, stabilities, modal damping ratios and logarithm decrements of each mode.

Note:

In a Modal Analysis (and other eigenvalue-based analyses such as buckling),

the solution consists of a deformed shape scaled by an arbitrary factor. The
actual magnitudes of the deformations and any derived quantities, such as
strains and stresses, are therefore meaningless. Only the relative values of
such quantities throughout the model should be considered meaningful.
The arbitrary scaling factor is numerically sensitive to slight perturbations
in the analysis; choosing a different unit system, for example, can cause a
significantly different scaling factor to be calculated.

For an undamped modal analysis, only frequencies are available in the Tabular Data
window. For a damped modal analysis, real and imaginary parts of the eigenvalues of
each mode are listed as Stability and Damped Frequency, respectively, in the Tabular
Data window. If the real/stability value is negative, the eigenmode is considered to
be stable. For the damped modal analysis, Modal Damping Ratio and Logarithmic
Decrement are also included in the Tabular Data window. Like the stability value,
these values are an indicator of eigenmode stability commonly used in rotordynamics.

If you select the Reduced Damped solver and set the Store Complex Solution
property to No, then the application solves and stores the damped modal system as
an undamped modal system. In addition to the undamped Frequency, the Damped
Frequency, Stability, Modal Damping Ratio and Logarithmic Decrement result
values are available in the Tabular Data window.

Note:

For the Reduced Damped solver with the Store Complex Solution property
set to No, the Mechanical APDL Solver only writes undamped frequencies
into result file. The solver retrieves the Damped Frequency, Stability,
Modal Damping Ratio and Logarithmic Decrement from the ANSYS
database on the fly during the solution process. Use extra caution when
using the /POST1 in a Command object and make sure that your command
entries and syntax are correct (especially if using the *GET command). In-
correct command entries can cause zero values for the Damped Frequency
and Stability. Check the Solution Information (p. 1735) and error/warning
messages to troubleshooting issues.

If Campbell Diagram (p. 1164) is set to On, a Campbell diagram chart result is available
for insert under Solution. A Campbell diagram chart result conveys information as to
how damped frequencies and stabilities of a rotating structural component

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Analysis Types

evolve/change in response to increased rotational velocities. More detailed information

about the result can be found in Campbell Diagram Chart Results (p. 1609). The Campbell
Diagram function is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Note:

The Campbell diagram result chart is only appropriate for a rotating struc-
tural component that is axis-symmetrical. It is supported for all body types:
solid, shell, and line bodies, but limited to single spool systems. For a single
spool system, all bodies in the modal system are subjected to one and only
single rotational velocity.

The contour and probe results are post-processed using set number, instead of mode
number. The total set number is equal to number of modes requested multiplied by
number of rotational velocity solve points. You can use the Set, Solve Point and Mode
columns in the table to navigate between the set number and mode, and rotational
velocity solve point and mode.

The ABAQUS solver does not allow modal expansion when post-processing mode
shapes.

You can choose to review the mode shapes corresponding to any of these natural
frequencies by selecting the frequency from the bar chart or tabular data and using
the context sensitive menu (right-click) to choose Create Mode Shape Results. You
can also view a range of mode shapes.

“Stresses” from a Modal analysis do not represent actual stresses in the structure, but
they give you an idea of the relative stress distributions for each mode. Stress and
Strain results are available only if requested before solution using Output Controls.

You can view the mode shape associated with a particular frequency as a contour
plot (p. 24). You can also animate (p. 1677) the deformed shape including, for a damped
analysis, the option to allow or ignore the time decay animation for complex modes.
The contours represent relative displacement of the part as it vibrates.

For complex modes, the Phase Angle associated with a particular frequency represents
the specified angle in time domain and is equivalent to the product of frequency and
time. Since the frequency is already specified in the results details view for a specific
mode, the phase angle variation produces the relative variation of contour results over
time.

When running a cyclic symmetry (p. 818) analysis, additional result object settings in
the Details view are available, as well as enhanced animations and graph displays. See
Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal Analysis (p. 825) for more information.

Note:

The use of construction geometry is not supported for the postprocessing

of cyclic symmetry results.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Random Vibration Analysis

Introduction
This analysis enables you to determine the response of structures to vibration loads that are random
in nature. An example would be the response of a sensitive electronic component mounted in a car
subjected to the vibration from the engine, pavement roughness, and acoustic pressure.

Loads such as the acceleration caused by the pavement roughness are not deterministic, that is, the
time history of the load is unique every time the car runs over the same stretch of road. Hence it is
not possible to predict precisely the value of the load at a point in its time history. Such load histories,
however, can be characterized statistically (mean, root mean square, standard deviation). Also random
loads are non-periodic and contain a multitude of frequencies. The frequency content of the time
history (spectrum) is captured along with the statistics and used as the load in the random vibration
analysis. This spectrum, for historical reasons, is called Power Spectral Density or PSD.

In a random vibration analysis since the input excitations are statistical in nature, so are the output
responses such as displacements, stresses, and so on.

Typical applications include aerospace and electronic packaging components subject to engine vibra-
tion, turbulence and acoustic pressures, tall buildings under wind load, structures subject to earth-
quakes, and ocean wave loading on offshore structures.

Points to Remember
• The excitation is applied in the form of Power Spectral Density (PSD). The PSD is a table of spectral values
vs. frequency that captures the frequency content. The PSD captures the frequency and mean square
amplitude content of the load’s time history.

• The square root of the area under a PSD curve represents the root mean square (rms) value of the excitation.
The unit of the spectral value of acceleration, for example, is G2/Hertz.

• The input excitation is expected to be stationary (the average mean square value does not change with
time) with a zero mean.

• This analysis is based on the Mode Superposition method. Hence a modal analysis (p. 283) that extracts
the natural frequencies and mode shapes is a prerequisite.

• This feature covers one type of PSD excitation only- base excitation.

• The base excitation could be an acceleration PSD (either in acceleration2 units or in G2 units), velocity PSD
or displacement PSD.

• The base excitation is applied in the specified direction to all entities that have a Fixed Support (p. 1346)
boundary condition. Other support points in a structure such as Frictionless Surface are not excited by
the PSD.

• Multiple uncorrelated PSDs can be applied. This is useful if different, simultaneous excitations occur in
different directions.

• If stress/strain results are of interest from the random vibration analysis then you will need to request
stress/strain calculations in the modal analysis itself. Only displacement results are available by default.

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Analysis Types

• Postprocessing:

– The results output by the solver are one sigma or one standard deviation values (with zero mean value).
These results follow a Gaussian distribution. The interpretation is that 68.3% of the time the response
will be less than the standard deviation value.

– You can scale the result by 2 times to get the 2 sigma values. The response will be less than the 2 sigma
values 95.45% of the time and 3 sigma values 99.73% of the time.

– The Coordinate System setting for result objects is, by default, set to Solution Coordinate System
and cannot be changed because the results only have meaning when viewed in the solution coordinate
system.

– Since the directional results from the solver are statistical in nature they cannot be combined in the
usual way. For example the X, Y, and Z displacements cannot be combined to get the magnitude of
the total displacement. The same holds true for other derived quantities such as principal stresses.

– A special algorithm by Segalman-Fulcher is used to compute a meaningful value for equivalent stress.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because a random vibration analysis is based on modal responses, a modal analysis

is a required prerequisite. The requirement then is for two analysis systems, a modal
analysis system and a random vibration analysis system that share resources, geometry,
and model data.

From the Toolbox, drag a Modal template to the Project Schematic. Then, drag a
Random Vibration template directly onto the Modal template.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

Both Young's modulus (or stiffness in some form) and density (or mass in some form)
must be defined in the modal analysis. Material properties must be linear but can be
isotropic or orthotropic, and constant or temperature-dependent. Nonlinear properties,
if any, are ignored.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a random vibration analysis.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

You can define rigid bodies for this analysis type.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Only linear behavior is valid in a random vibration analysis. Nonlinear elements, if any,
are treated as linear. If you include contact elements, for example, their stiffnesses are
calculated based on their initial status and are never changed.

Only the stiffness of springs is taken into account in a random vibration analysis.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a random vibration analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Random Vibration analysis the basic Analysis Settings include:

Options for Analyses (p. 1133)

You can specify the number of modes to use from the modal analysis. A conservative
rule of thumb is to include modes that cover 1.5 times the maximum frequency in the
PSD excitation table. You can also exclude insignificant modes by setting the Mode
Significance Level property to between 0 (all modes selected) and 1 (no modes selected).

Note:

If you set the Mode Significance Level property to 0.0, the application
considers all modes in mode superposition of random vibration re-
sponses. This can require significant computation time for large systems
that use a large number of modes to obtain random vibration displace-
ment responses.

In this case, a Mode Significance Level setting that excludes insignific-

ant modes from superimposing random vibration displacement re-
sponses is recommended. However, this performance improvement

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Analysis Types

reduces solution accuracy. As a result, you need to use caution and

carefully check your solution. Set the Mode Significance Level to 1e-
4 when you are concerned about solution processing time. During
Random Vibration analyses, the velocity and acceleration responses are
separate calculations, in addition to displacement responses.

To further improve your solution time, do not request velocity and ac-
celeration responses unless needed. The velocity and acceleration re-
sponses require approximately the same computation time.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

By default, Displacement is the only response calculated. To include velocity (Calculate
Velocity property) and/or acceleration (Calculate Acceleration property) responses,
set their respective Output Controls to Yes. By default, modal results are removed from
result file to reduce its size. To keep modal results, set the Keep Modal Results property
to Yes.

Note:

Default settings can be modified using the Options dialog box. See the
Specifying Options (p. 138) section of the Help under Analysis Settings
and Solution (p. 152).

Damping Controls (p. 1143)

Damping Controls enable you to specify damping for the structure in the Random Vibra-
tion analysis. Controls include: Constant Damping, Damping Ratio, Stiffness Coefficient
(beta damping), and a Mass Coefficient (alpha damping). They can also be applied as
Material Damping (p. 1146) using the Engineering Data tab. A non-zero damping is re-
quired. The Damping Ratio has a default setting of 0.01. This value can be modified by
setting the Damping property to Manual.

Note:

For a Random Vibration system, if you choose the Manual setting for
the Constant Damping property and do not define damping for one
of the above controls, the solver uses a default damping value of 0.01.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

These settings enable you to save solution files from the Random Vibration analysis.
The default behavior is to only keep the files required for postprocessing. You can use
these controls to keep all files created during solution or to create and save a Mechanical
APDL application database (db file).

Note:

The Inertia Relief option (under Analysis Settings) for an upstream Static
Structural analysis is not supported in a Random Vibration analysis.

Define Initial Conditions

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

You must point to a modal analysis in the Initial Condition environment field. The
modal analysis (p. 283) must extract enough modes to cover the PSD frequency range.
A conservative rule of thumb is to extract enough modes to cover 1.5 times the max-
imum frequency in the PSD excitation. When a PSD analysis is linked to a modal ana-
lysis, additional solver files must be saved to achieve the PSD solution. (See Analysis
Data Management (p. 1160).) If the files were not saved, then the modal analysis has to
be solved again and the files saved.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

• Any Support Type (p. 1346) boundary condition must be defined in the prerequisite Modal
Analysis.

• The only applicable load is a PSD Base Excitation (p. 1243) of spectral value vs. frequency.

• Remote displacement cannot coexist with other boundary condition types (for example,
fixed support or displacement) on the same location for excitation. The remote displace-
ment will be ignored due to conflict with other boundary conditions.

• Four types of base excitation are supported: PSD Acceleration, PSD G Acceleration, PSD
Velocity, and PSD Displacement.

• Each PSD base excitation should be given a direction in the nodal coordinate of the excit-
ation points.

• Multiple PSD excitations (uncorrelated) can be applied. Typical usage is to apply 3 different
PSDs in the X, Y, and Z directions. Correlation between PSD excitations is not supported.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

Solution Information (p. 1735) continuously updates any listing output from the
solver and provides valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the
analysis. In addition to solution progress you will also find the participation factors
for each PSD excitation. The solver output also has a list of the relative importance of
each mode in the modal covariance matrix listing.

Note:

When using a random vibration system database from a version prior to

the most current version of Mechanical, it is possible to encounter incom-
patibility of the file(s) file.mode, file.full, and/or file.esav, created by the

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Analysis Types

modal system. This incompatibility can cause the random vibration system’s
solution to fail. In the event you experience this issue, use the Clear Gen-
erated Data feature and resolve the modal system.

Refer to the Obtain the PSD Solution section of the MAPDL Structural Ana-
lysis Guide for more information.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

• If stress/strain results are of interest from the Random Vibration analysis then you will
need to request stress/strain calculations in the modal analysis itself. You can use the
Output Controls under Analysis Settings in the modal analysis for this purpose. Only
displacement results are available by default.

• Linking a Random Vibration analysis system to a fully solved Modal analysis may result in
zero equivalent stress. To evaluate correct equivalent stress in this situation, you need to
re-solve the Modal analysis.

• Applicable results are Directional (X/Y/Z) Displacement/Velocity/Acceleration, normal and

shear stresses/strains and equivalent stress. These results can be displayed as contour (p. 24)
plots.

• The displacement results are relative to the base of the structure (the fixed supports).

• The velocity and acceleration results include base motion effects (absolute).

• Since the directional results from the solver are statistical in nature they cannot be com-
bined in the usual way. For example the X, Y, and Z displacements cannot be combined
to get the magnitude of the total displacement. The same holds true for other derived
quantities such as principal stresses.

• For directional acceleration results, an option is provided to display the Transient Structural
Analysis Using Linked in G (gravity) by selecting Yes in the Acceleration in G field.

• By default the 1 σ results are displayed. You can apply a scale factor to review any multiples
of σ such as 2 σ or 3 σ. The Details view as well as the legend for contour results also reflects
the percentage (using Gaussian distribution) of time the response is expected to be below
the displayed values.

• Meaningful equivalent stress is computed using a special algorithm by Segalman-Fulcher.

Note that the probability distribution for this equivalent stress is neither Gaussian nor is
the mean value zero. However, the “3 σ” rule (multiplying the RMS value by 3) yields a
conservative estimate on the upper bound of the equivalent stress.

• The Fatigue Tool (p. 2022) enables you to perform a Spectral Fatigue analysis using the 1,
2, 3 σ stresses.

• For a User Defined result, if you want to request equivalent stress, you must specify SPSD
for the Expression property (not SEQV). The SPSD Type uses the Segalman-Fulcher al-

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

gorithm. SEQV uses a standard method to calculate equivalent stress, and in this instance,
is incorrect for the desired 1 Sigma calculation.

To ensure you properly select the SPSD expression, display results in the Solution
Worksheet (p. 1656) and generate your result from the list of solution quantities. See
the User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL Solver (p. 1666) section for additional
information.

• Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes can be scoped to a Remote Displacement,
Fixed Support, or Displacement boundary conditions to view Reactions Results.

Note:

– When you scope a Moment Reaction probe to a Fixed Support or a Dis-

placement, the Summation property must be set to Centroid.

– The results of Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes scoped to a

Fixed Support or Displacement are calculated using the FSUM Mechanical
APDL solver command. This command reports the vector sum of the element-
al nodal forces in the global coordinate system. See the FSUM command in
the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more information.

• The use of nodal averaging may not be appropriate in a random vibration analysis because
the result values are not actual values but standard deviations. Moreover, the element
coordinate system for the shell elements in a surface body may not all be aligned consist-
ently when using the Default Coordinate System. Consider using unaveraged results for
postprocessing instead.

File Management
When solving a Random Vibration analysis in an "In Process" solve mode, the pre-requisite files from
the upstream Modal system are referenced by specifying the full path of their location (refer to RESUME
and MODDIR commands) instead of making copies in order to improve solution time and disk usage.
See the Solve Modes and Recommended Usage (p. 1715) section of the Help for more information
about the different solve modes.

When you are solving in the "Out of Process" mode or when the Keep Modal Results property is set
to Yes, the application copies the pre-requisite files from the Modal analysis to the Random Vibration
Solver Files Directory. This may increase the required solution time for large models.

Using Command Objects within a Random Vibration Analysis

In an effort to minimize disk space usage, only the results from the Random Vibration analysis are
kept in the result file. The results from the Modal analysis are removed during the solution.

If your command object contains commands which require this data, set the Keep Modal Results
property in the Output Controls (p. 1151) to Yes.

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Analysis Types

Response Spectrum Analysis

Introduction
Response spectrum analyses are widely used in civil structure designs, for example, high-rise buildings
under wind loads. Another prime application is for nuclear power plant designs under seismic loads.

A Response Spectrum analysis has similarities to a Random Vibration Analysis (p. 291). However, unlike
a Random Vibration analysis, responses from a Response Spectrum analysis are deterministic maxima.
For a given excitation, the maximum response is calculated based upon the input Response Spectrum
and the method used to combine the modal responses. The combination methods available are: the
Square Root of the Sum of the Squares (SRSS), the Complete Quadratic Combination (CQC) and the
Rosenblueth's Double Sum Combination (ROSE). See Response Spectrum Options Category (p. 1141)
for further details.

Points to Remember
• The excitation is applied in the form of a response spectrum. The response spectrum can have displacement,
velocity or acceleration units. For each spectrum value, there is one corresponding frequency.

• The excitation must be applied at fixed degrees of freedom.

• The response spectrum is calculated based on modal responses. A modal analysis is therefore a prerequisite.

• If response strain/stress is of interest, then the modal strain and the modal stress need to be determined
in the modal analysis.

• Because a new solve is required for each requested output, for example, displacement, velocity and accel-
eration, the content of Commands objects inserted in a response spectrum analysis is limited to SOLUTION
commands.

• The results from the ANSYS solver are displayed as the model’s contour plot. The results are in terms of
the maximum response.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because a response spectrum analysis is based on modal responses, a modal analysis

is a required prerequisite. The modal analysis system and the response spectrum
analysis system must share resources, geometry, and model data.

From the Toolbox, drag a Modal template to the Project Schematic. Then, drag a
Response Spectrum template directly onto the Modal template.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

Material properties must be defined in a modal analysis. Nonlinear material properties

are not allowed.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a response spectrum analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

You can define rigid bodies for this analysis type.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Nonlinear element types are not supported. They will be treated as linear. For example,
the contact stiffness is calculated using the initial status without convergence check.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a response spectrum analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Response Spectrum analysis, the basic Analysis Settings include:

Options for Analyses - Response Spectrum Analyses (p. 1141)

Perform the following settings for a Response Spectrum analysis:

• Specify the Number of Modes To Use for the response spectrum calculation. It is re-
commended to include the modes whose frequencies span 1.5 times the maximum
frequency defined in the input response spectrum.

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Analysis Types

• Specify the Spectrum Type to be used for response spectrum calculation as either
Single Point or Multiple Points. If the input response spectrum is applied to all fixed
degrees of freedom, use Single Point, otherwise use Multiple Points.

• Specify the Modes Combination Type to be used for response spectrum calculation.
In general, the SRSS method is more conservative than the CQC and the ROSE methods.

Note:

The Inertia Relief option (under Analysis Settings) for an upstream

static structural analysis is not supported in a response spectrum ana-
lysis.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

By default, only displacement responses are calculated. To include velocity and/or accel-
eration responses, set their respective Output Controls to Yes.

Damping Controls (p. 1143)

allow you to specify damping for the structure in the response spectrum analysis. Controls
include: Damping Ratio, Stiffness Coefficient (beta damping), and a Mass Coefficient
(alpha damping). They can also be applied as Material Damping (p. 1146) using the Engin-
eering Data tab. For the CQC mode combination type, non-zero damping is required.

Note:

Damping is not applicable to the SRSS combination method. Damping

Controls are not available when the Modes Combination Type property
is set to SRSS.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

These settings enable you to save solution files from the response spectrum analysis. An
option to save the Mechanical APDL application database (db file) from the analysis is
provided.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

A specific Modal Environment must be set as an initial condition/environment for

response spectrum analysis to be solved.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

• Supported boundary condition types include fixed support, displacement, remote displace-
ment and body-to-ground spring. If one or more fixed supports are defined in the model,
the input excitation response can be applied to all fixed supports.

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 Linear Dynamic Analysis Types

• Remote displacement cannot coexist with other boundary condition types (for example,
fixed support or displacement) on the same location for excitation. The remote displace-
ment will be ignored due to conflict with other boundary conditions.

• Note that the All boundary condition types for Single Point Response Spectrum only in-
cludes those fixed degree of freedoms defined using Fixed Support, Displacement, Remote
Displacement and Body-to-Ground Spring. To apply an RS load to All boundary condition
types for Single Point Response Spectrum, at least one allowed boundary condition must
be defined.

• For a Single Point spectrum type, input excitation spectrums are applied to all boundary
condition types defined in the model. For Multiple Points however, each input excitation
spectrum is associated to only one boundary condition type.

• Three types of input excitation spectrum are supported: displacement input excitation
(RS Displacement), velocity input excitation (RS Velocity) and acceleration input excitation
(RS Acceleration). See RS Base Excitation (p. 1244) for further details.

• The input excitation spectrum direction is defined in the global coordinate system for
Single Point spectrum analysis. For Multiple Points spectrum analysis, however, the input
excitation is defined in the nodal coordinate systems (if any) attached to the constrained
nodes.

• More than one input excitation, with any different combination of spectrum types, is al-
lowed for the response spectrum analysis.

• Specify option to include or not include contribution of high frequency modes in the total
response calculation by setting Missing Mass Effect (p. 1244) to Yes or No. The option for
including the modes is normally required for nuclear power plant design.

• Specify option to include or not include rigid responses to the total response calculation
by setting Rigid Response Effect (p. 1244) to Yes or No. The rigid responses normally occur
in the frequency range that is lower than that of missing mass responses, but is higher
than that of periodic responses.

• Missing Mass Effect is only applicable to RS Acceleration excitation. See the RS Base
Excitation (p. 1244) section of the Help for more information.

• For a Single Point spectrum type, the entire table of input excitation spectrum can be
scaled using the Scale Factor setting. The factor must be greater than 0.0. The default is
1.0.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

It is recommended that you review the Solution Information (p. 1735) page for any
warnings or errors that might occur during the ANSYS solve. You may receive some
warning messages and still be able to solve the analysis.

Note:

When using a Response Spectrum system database from a version prior to

the most current version of Mechanical, it is possible to encounter incom-
patibility of the file(s) file.mode, file.full, and/or file.esav, created by the
modal system. This incompatibility can cause the Response Spectrum sys-
tem’s solution to fail. In the event you experience this issue, use the Clear
Generated Data feature and resolve the modal system.

Refer to the Obtain the Spectrum Solution section of the MAPDL Structural
Analysis Guide for more information.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

• To view strain/stress results, a selection must be made in Output Controls of the Modal
analysis. By default, only Deformation drop-down menu results are available.

• Applicable Deformation results are Total, Directional (X/Y/Z), Directional Velocity and
Directional Acceleration. If strain/stress are requested, applicable results are normal strain
and stress, shear strain and stress, and equivalent stress.

• Equivalent stress is a derived stress calculated using component stresses.

• Results are displayed as a contour plot on the model.

• In addition to standard files generated by the Mechanical APDL application after the solve,
the file Displacement.mcom is also made available. If the Output Controls are set to
Yes for Calculate Velocity and/or Calculate Acceleration, the corresponding Velo-
city.mcom and/or Acceleration.mcom are also made available. These files contain
the combination instructions including mode coefficients.

• Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes can be scoped to a Remote Displacement,
Fixed Support, or Displacement boundary conditions to view Reactions Results.

Note:

– When you scope a Moment Reaction probe to a Fixed Support or a Dis-

placement, the Summation property must be set to Centroid.

– The results of Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes scoped to a

Fixed Support or Displacement are calculated using the FSUM Mechanical
APDL solver command. This command reports the vector sum of the element-
al nodal forces in the global coordinate system. See the FSUM command in
the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more information.

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

• These probe results are not supported when the Missing Mass Effect and/or Rigid Re-
sponse Effect properties of the RS Acceleration base excitation are set to Yes.

• When the Missing Mass Effect property is set to Yes, the Deformation results that include
the data from property in their result calculation are the Directional (Deformation/Dis-
placement) and Directional Acceleration results. Note that the application supports the
Directional Velocity result; however, it does not incorporate Missing Mass Effect condi-
tions for its calculation.

• The Directional (Deformation/Displacement) result is a relative result whereas Directional

Velocity and Directional Acceleration are absolute results.

• A Directional Acceleration result at or near fixed supports scoped to an RS Acceleration

are correctly calculated by setting the Missing Mass Effect property and the Rigid Re-
sponse Effect property to Yes. Corresponding properties display and require definition
when these two properties are included.

File Management
When solving a Response Spectrum analysis in "In Process" solve mode, the pre-requisite files from
the upstream Modal system are referenced by specifying the full path of their location (refer to RESUME
and MODDIR commands) instead of making copies in order to improve solution time and disk usage.
Please see the Solve Modes and Recommended Usage (p. 1715) section of the Help for more information
about the different solve modes.

When you are solving in the "Out of Process" mode, the application copies the pre-requisite files from
the Modal analysis to the Response Spectrum Solver Files Directory. This may increase the required
solution time for large models.

For additional technical information, refer to the Spectrum Analysis section of the Mechanical APDL
Structural Analysis Guide as well as the MMASS command and the RIGRESP command in the Mechan-
ical APDL Command Reference.

Acoustics Analysis Types

Guidelines for Performing an Acoustic Simulation

Acoustic analyses and simulations examine how acoustic waves are propagated in enclosed or open
volumes. Acoustics is a special type of fluid analysis, one in which the fluid is essentially at rest (or in
relatively restricted movement with no gross transport of the fluid, such as water sloshing in a tank).
The variation of pressure throughout the acoustic medium is assumed to be small relative to the average
pressure of the field.

Using acoustic simulations, you can explore various properties of an acoustic field, such as the pressure
levels and how they vary throughout the field as a result of the geometry of the enclosure, the type of
acoustic excitation present, the materials used in the space, and so on. You can also include the effects
of how the acoustic waves interact with the solid structures that surround the space to predict sound
transmission levels through walls, determine the sound levels produced by a vibrating structure, calculate
the deformations and stresses in solids due to acoustic pressures, etc.

Acoustic simulations are valuable in a wide range of applications, including the design and analysis of
hearing aids, vehicle interiors, acoustic sensors and actuators, sonar devices, wave guides, auditoriums,

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Analysis Types

musical instruments, load speakers and microphones, acoustic test facilities, highway sound barriers,
piping systems, environmental control systems, consumer devices of almost any type, noise mufflers,
fire alarms, and on and on. Any application where sound levels are of concern is a candidate for
acoustic analysis.

ANSYS Mechanical provides a number of acoustic analyses: static acoustics, acoustic harmonic, and
acoustic modal analyses. Within the scope of these analysis types, options are available to enable a
wide variety of acoustic behaviors. The documentation sections listed below for each analysis type de-
scribe the specifics.

The basic workflow of an acoustic analysis is similar to the other workflows in Mechanical. Acoustic
simulations do require some different material properties, such as the propagation of the speed of
sound in the acoustic medium or the acoustic absorption characteristics of the materials in the space
or at the boundaries. The types of boundary conditions are also different: you may have enclosing surfaces
that bounce the sound energy back into the acoustic field, or you may have open boundaries that allow
the energy to escape completely from the model. Loadings can include pressures, displacement con-
straints, or flexible surfaces that allow the sound energy to be transmitted into the surrounding structure.
Each of these acoustic-specific modeling considerations are discussed in the documentation.

The following sections discuss the steps and requirements to perform the different acoustics simulations.
Modal Acoustics Analysis
Harmonic Acoustics Analysis
Static Acoustics Analysis
Harmonic Acoustics Analysis Using Prestressed Structural System

Modal Acoustics Analysis

Introduction
A Modal Acoustic analysis models a structure and the surrounding the fluid medium to determine
frequencies and standing wave patterns within a structure. Examples of acoustics include Sonar (the
acoustic counterpart of radar), the design of concert halls, the minimization of noise in a machine
shop, noise cancellation in automobiles, audio speaker design, speaker housing design, acoustic filters,
mufflers, and Geophysical exploration.

A Modal Acoustic analysis usually involves modeling the fluid medium as well as the surrounding
structure in order to determine frequencies and standing wave patterns within a structure. Typical
quantities of interest are the pressure distribution in the fluid at different frequencies, pressure
gradient, and particle velocity of acoustic waves.

Mechanical enables you to model pure acoustic problems and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problems.
A coupled acoustic analysis accounts for FSI. An uncoupled acoustic analysis simulates the fluid only
and ignores any fluid-structure interaction. You can also perform a FSI modal analysis on a prestressed
structure using a Static Acoustics Analysis (p. 325).

Points to Remember
Note that:

• This analysis supports 3D geometries only.

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

• If possible, model your fluid region as a single solid multibody part.

• This analysis requires that the air surrounding the physical geometry be modeled as part of the
overall geometry. The air domain can be easily modeled in DesignModeler using the Enclosure feature.

• The Physics Region (p. 2162) object(s) need to identify all of the active bodies that may belong to the
acoustic and structural (if FSI) physics types. For your convenience, when you open a Modal Acoustics
system, the application automatically inserts a Physics Region object and scopes it to all bodies. You
need to specify the physics selection.

• To perform a prestressed Modal Acoustics analysis you need to first perform a Static Acoustics (p. 325)
analysis and properly link it to the Modal Acoustics analysis. When performing this type of linked
analysis, the Modal Acoustics analysis uses the Physics Regions (Acoustic and Structural) defined in
the Static Acoustics analysis. Therefore, you need to remove the Acoustics Region from your Modal
Acoustics analysis when you first create the linked systems.

Automatic Boundary Condition Detection

In order to assist your analysis, the Environment object (p. 2017) contains context menu (right-click)
options that enable you to automatically generate interfaces based on physics region definitions. The
Modal Acoustics analysis includes the option Create Automatic > FSI. This selection automatically
creates a Fluid Solid Interface object with all possible Fluid Solid Interface face selections.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

If you have not already created a Modal Acoustics system in the Project Schematic,
see the Modal Acoustics section in the Workbench User's Guide for the steps to create
this system.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

All of your acoustic bodies must be assigned a material that contains the properties
Density and Speed of Sound.

Important:

The Fluid Materials library in the Engineering Data workspace includes

the fluid materials Air and Water Liquid. Each of these materials includes
the property Speed of Sound. Any other material to be used in the Acoustics

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Analysis Types

Region requires you to specify the properties Density and Speed of Sound
in Engineering Data workspace (Toolbox > Physical Properties).

Note:

The acoustic damping material properties like Viscosity and/or Thermal

Conductivity are applicable only for a damped modal solver. You need to
set Damped property under Solver Controls to Yes and select from the
available damped modal solver types.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific geometry considerations for a modal acoustic analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

A Structural Physics Region may contain bodies with the Stiffness Behavior set to
Rigid. Acoustics Regions cannot contain rigid bodies.

If the Structural Region has the Stiffness Behavior property set to Rigid and if it is
in contact with acoustic regions, then fluid-structure interaction may not behave as
expected.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Only the Bonded (p. 907) contact Type setting and the MPC Formulation (p. 913) are
valid when defining contact between two acoustic bodies or an acoustic and a struc-
tural body (FSI contact) which have non-conforming meshes. In addition, for FSI contact,
the Contact side must be on the acoustic body and the Target must be on the
structural body.

Note:

Contact settings other than Bonded using MPC are ignored and are
overwritten with the following preferred key options of Bonded/MPC
contact:

• For fluid-fluid contact: keyo,cid,1,10 ! select only PRES dof

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

• For FSI contact:

– keyo,cid,8,2 ! auto create asymmetric contact

– keyo,tid,5,2 ! For case of solid-shell body contact

– keyo,tid,5,1 ! For case of solid-solid body contact

• Bonded Always: keyo,cid,12,5

• MPC Formulation: keyo,cid,2,2

Important:

The application overwrites user-defined contact settings

between fluid-fluid and fluid-solid bodies using the
above criterion.

Refer to Matrix-Coupled FSI Solutions section from the Mechanical

APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

Important:

Joints, Springs, Bearings, and/or Beams are not supported on acoustic

bodies.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no special mesh considerations for this analysis type.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

Basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) for this analysis include the following:

Options (p. 1133)

Using the Max Modes to Find property, specify the number of frequencies of interest.
The default is to extract the first 6 natural frequencies. The number of frequencies can
be specified in two ways:

1. The first N frequencies (N > 0).

Or...

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Analysis Types

2. The first N frequencies in a selected range of frequencies.

Note:

The Limit Search to Range property is set to Yes by default and the
Range Minimum property is set to greater than or equal to 0.01 Hz.

Solver Controls (p. 1117)

This Solver Controls category includes the following properties:

• Damped: Use this property to specify if the modal system is undamped (No) or damped
(Yes). Depending upon your selection, different solver options are provided. The default
setting of the Damped property is No, which assumes that the modal acoustics system
is an undamped system.

• Solver Type: It is generally recommended that you allow the application to select the
solver type (Program Controlled) for your analysis, be it an undamped and damped
system.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

The properties of the Output Controls enable you to different quantities to be written
to the result file for use during post-processing. During acoustics analyses, these quant-
ities are based on the specified Acoustics or Structural Physics Regions.

For specified Acoustics Regions:

By default, the application calculates and stores Acoustic Pressure in the result file.
No specific property is associated with this quantity.

In addition, setting the Calculate Velocity and Calculate Energy properties

to Yes enables you to request acoustic velocity and acoustic energy.

For specified Structural Regions:

When your analysis is solving an FSI problem in order to control the results calculated
on structural domain, by default, only mode shapes are calculated. You can also re-
quest Stress and Strain results, using the corresponding properties. These properties
only show the relative distribution of stress in the structure and are not real stress
values. Furthermore, you can generate node-based force reactions using the Calculate
Reactions property. This property requires you to set the Nodal Forces property to
On.

General Miscellaneous Property (p. 1154)

This property includes options specific to Acoustics analyses based on the acoustics
analysis type, either Harmonic or Modal, and enable you to produce element-based
miscellaneous solution data.

Damping Controls
The properties of the Damping Controls category depend upon the setting of the
Damped property of the Solver Controls category.

Undamped System
When the Damped property is set to No the Ignore Acoustic Damping property
displays. This property provides the options No (default) and Yes. Setting this property

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

to Yes instructs the application to ignore material properties that create damping
effects, specifically Specific Heat, Thermal Conductivity, and Viscosity. Ignoring these
material-based damping effects enables the application to use undamped eigensolvers
without the need to suppress these material properties in Engineering Data.

Damped System
When the Damped property is set to Yes (Full Damped) and the Structural property
of the Environment (Modal Acoustics) object is set to Yes, the Stiffness Coefficient
Defined By property displays. The options for this property include Direct Input
(default) or Damping vs. Frequency. The options of this property enable you to
define the method used to define the Stiffness Coefficient. If you select Damping
vs. Frequency, the Frequency and Damping Ratio properties display and require
you to enter values to calculate the Stiffness Coefficient. Otherwise, you specify the
Stiffness Coefficient manually. The Mass Coefficient property also requires a
manual entry.

Analysis Data Management

These properties enable you to define whether or not to save the Mechanical APDL ap-
plication database as well as automatically delete unneeded files.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

You can point to a Static Acoustics analysis in the Initial Condition environment
field if you want to include pre-stress effects. A typical example is the large tensile
stress induced in a turbine blade under centrifugal load that can be captured by a
static structural analysis. This causes significant stiffening of the blade. Including this
pre-stress effect will result in much higher, realistic natural frequencies in a modal
analysis.

If the Modal analysis is linked to a Static Acoustics analysis for initial conditions and
the parent static analysis has multiple result sets (multiple restart points at load
steps/sub steps), you can start the Modal analysis from any restart point available in
the Static Acoustics analysis. By default, the values from the last solve point are used
as the basis for the modal analysis. See Restarts from Multiple Result Sets (p. 237) in
the Applying Pre-Stress Effects for Implicit Analysis (p. 236) Help section for more in-
formation.

Note:

• When you perform a prestressed Modal analysis, the support conditions from
the static analysis are used in the Modal analysis. You cannot apply any new
supports in the Modal analysis portion of a prestressed modal analysis. When
you link your Modal analysis to a Structural Acoustics analysis, all structural
loading conditions, including Inertial (p. 1174) loads, such as Acceleration and
Rotational Velocity, are deleted from the Modal portion of the simulation once
the loads are applied as initial conditions (p. 233) (via the Pre-Stress ob-
ject (p. 2172)). Refer to the Mechanical APDL command PERTURB,HARM,,,DZER-
OKEEP for more details.

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Analysis Types

• For Pressure boundary conditions in the Static Acoustics analysis: if you define
the load with the Normal To option for faces (3D) or edges (2-D), you could
experience an additional stiffness contribution called the "pressure load stiffness"
effect. The Normal To option causes the pressure acts as a follower load, which
means that it continues to act in a direction normal to the scoped entity even
as the structure deforms. Pressure loads defined with the Components or
Vector options act in a constant direction even as the structure deforms. For
a same magnitude, the "normal to" pressure and the component/vector pressure
can result in significantly different modal results in the follow-on Modal Analysis.
See the Pressure Load Stiffness (p. 236) topic in the Applying Pre-Stress Effects
for Implicit Analysis (p. 236) Help Section for more information about using a
prestressed environment.

• If displacement loading is defined with Displacement, Remote Displacement,

Nodal Displacement or Bolt Pretension (specified as Lock, Adjustment, or
Increment) loads in the Static Acoustics analysis, these loads become fixed
boundary conditions for the Modal Acoustics solution.

Define Physics Region(s)

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

To create a Physics Region:

1. Highlight the Environment object and select the Physics Region button on the En-
vironment Context Tab (p. 23) or right-click the Environment object or within the
Geometry window and select Insert > Physics Region.

2. Define all of the properties for the new object. For additional information, see the
Physics Region (p. 2162) object reference section.

A Structural Physics Region may contain bodies with the Stiffness Behavior
set to Rigid. Acoustics Regions do not support a Stiffness Behavior setting of
Rigid.

If the Structural Region has the Stiffness Behavior property set to Rigid and
if it is in contact with acoustic regions, then fluid-structure interaction may
not behave as expected.

Note the following context menu (right-click) options you may wish to use while
specifying a Physics Region:

• Select Bodies > Without Physics Region:

• Select Bodies > With Multiple Physics Region

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

Important:

If you are performing a prestressed Modal Acoustics analysis, any structural

supports you created in the Static Acoustics analysis are automatically
specified in the Modal Acoustics analysis. As a result, no new supports can
be added to the prestressed Modal Acoustics analysis.

The following loading conditions are supported for this analysis type:

Inertial

Acceleration (p. 1175)

Acoustic Loads

Temperature (p. 1313)

Impedance Sheet (p. 1315)
Static Pressure (p. 1317)

Acoustic Boundary Conditions

Pressure (p. 1319)

Impedance Boundary (p. 1321)
Absorption Surface (p. 1324)
Radiation Boundary (p. 1326)
Absorbing Element (p. 1328)
Free Surface (p. 1330)

The following loading conditions are supported if the analysis has structural physics:

Loads

Thermal Condition (p. 1247)

Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290): Use the Create Automatic FSI option on the
Environment context (right-click) menu to auto generate the applicable Fluid
Solid Interfaces.

Supports

Fixed Support (p. 1346)

Displacement (p. 1348)
Remote Displacement (p. 1356)
Frictionless Support (p. 1362)
Compression Only Support (p. 1364)
Cylindrical Support (p. 1368)

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Analysis Types

Elastic Support (p. 1374)

Conditions

Constraint Equation (p. 1378)

Direct FE

Nodal Orientation (p. 1403)

Nodal Force (p. 1404)
Nodal Displacement (p. 1409)

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

Selecting the Solution Information (p. 1735) object enables you to view continuously
updates any listing output from the solver and provides valuable information on the
behavior of the fluid (and structure, if FSI) during the analysis.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

See the Acoustic Results (p. 1616) section for descriptions of all supported result types.

Modal Acoustic results generally default to the setting All Acoustic Bodies. You can
individually scope most of the Acoustic analysis results (p. 1616) to mesh or geometric
entities on acoustic bodies.

If you set the Amplitude property to Yes for contour plots, you can see the amplitude
contours at a specified frequency. This field is available only when complex results
are available for a Modal Acoustics analysis while using the damped or Unsymmetric
Solver Type. The Amplitude calculation procedure for derived results when complex
result sets are available for Modal analysis is similar to that of the Harmonic Analysis.
For additional information about Amplitude calculation, see the Amplitude Calculation
in Harmonic Analysis (p. 275) section of the Help.

Note:

In a Modal Acoustic Analysis (and other eigenvalue-based analyses such as

buckling), the solution consists of a deformed shape scaled by an arbitrary
factor. The actual magnitudes of the pressures, deformations (if FSI) and
any derived quantities, such as energy, strains and stresses, are therefore
meaningless. Only the relative values of such quantities throughout the
model should be considered meaningful. The arbitrary scaling factor is nu-
merically sensitive to slight perturbations in the analysis; choosing a different

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

unit system, for example, can cause a significantly different scaling factor
to be calculated.

Harmonic Acoustics Analysis

Introduction
Harmonic Acoustics analyses are used to determine the steady-state response of a structure and the
surrounding fluid medium to loads and excitations that vary sinusoidally (harmonically) with time.
Examples of harmonic acoustics include Sonar (the acoustic counterpart of radar), the design of concert
halls, the minimization of noise in a machine shop, noise cancellation in automobiles, audio speaker
design, speaker housing design, acoustic filters, mufflers, and Geophysical exploration. Typical
quantities of interest in the fluid and far-field location at different frequencies are pressure distribution,
pressure gradient, sound power, and particle velocity of acoustic waves.

In Harmonic Response analyses, the following equation is resolved for pure acoustic problems:

For fluid structure interaction problems, the acoustic and the structural matrices are coupled using
the following equation:

Points to Remember
Note that:

• This analysis supports 3D geometries only.

• If possible, model your fluid region as a single solid multibody part.

• This analysis requires that the air surrounding the physical geometry be modeled as part of the
overall geometry. The air domain can be easily modeled in DesignModeler using the Enclosure feature.

• The Physics Region (p. 2162) object(s) need to identify all of the active bodies that may belong to the
acoustic and structural (if FSI) physics types. For your convenience, when you open a Modal Acoustics
or Harmonic Acoustics system, the application automatically inserts a Physics Region object and
scopes it to all bodies. You need to specify the physics selection.

Automatic Boundary Condition Detection

The Harmonic AcousticsEnvironment object (p. 2017) provides the following context menu (right-
click) options:

• Create Automatic > FSI: This selection creates a Fluid Solid Interface object with all possible Fluid
Solid Interface face selections based on the physics region definitions.

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Analysis Types

• Create Automatic > Far-field Radiation Surface: This selection automatically creates an Far-field
Radiation Surface object that includes all possible Far-field Radiation Surfaces available in the ana-
lysis. Mechanical identifies the following faces as Far-field Radiation Surfaces:

– Interface between the normal acoustic element and PML acoustic element (Interface between
Normal Acoustic and PML Acoustic Region)

– Face selections of Radiation Boundary (faces of elements flagged with SF,,INF)

– Face selections of Impedance Boundary (faces of element flagged with SF,,IMPD)

– Face selection of Absorption Element (faces of elements of type FLUID130)

– Face selection of Absorption Surface (faces of element flagged with SF,,ATTN)

• Create Automatic > FSI and Far-field Radiation Surface: This selection performs both of the above
object generation options.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

If you have not already created a Harmonic Acoustics system in the Project Schem-
atic, see the Harmonic Acoustics section in the Workbench User's Guide for the steps
to create this system.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

All of your acoustic bodies must be assigned a material that contains the properties
Density and Speed of Sound.

Important:

The Fluid Materials library in the Engineering Data workspace includes

the fluid materials Air and Water Liquid. Each of these materials includes
the property Speed of Sound. Any other material to be used in the Acoustics
Region requires you to specify the properties Density and Speed of Sound
in Engineering Data workspace (Toolbox > Physical Properties).

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

A Structural Physics Region may contain bodies with the Stiffness Behavior set to
Rigid. Acoustics Regions do not support a Stiffness Behavior setting of Rigid.

If the Structural Region has the Stiffness Behavior property set to Rigid and if it is
in contact with acoustic regions, then fluid-structure interaction may not behave as
expected.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Only the Bonded (p. 907) contact Type setting and the MPC Formulation (p. 913) are
valid when defining contact between two acoustic bodies or an acoustic and a struc-
tural body (FSI contact) which have non-conforming meshes. In addition, for FSI contact,
the Contact side must be on the acoustic body and the Target must be on the
structural body.

Note:

Contact settings other than Bonded using MPC are ignored and are
overwritten with the following preferred key options of Bonded/MPC
contact:

• For fluid-fluid contact: keyo,cid,1,10 ! select only PRES dof

• For FSI contact:

– keyo,cid,8,2 ! auto create asymmetric contact

– keyo,tid,5,2 ! For case of solid-shell body contact

– keyo,tid,5,1 ! For case of solid-solid body contact

• Bonded Always: keyo,cid,12,5

• MPC Formulation: keyo,cid,2,2

Important:

The application overwrites user-defined contact settings

between fluid-fluid and fluid-solid bodies using the
above criterion.

Refer to Matrix-Coupled FSI Solutions section from the Mechanical

APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

Important:

Joints, Springs, Bearings, and/or Beams are not supported on acoustic

bodies.

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Analysis Types

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific mesh considerations for a harmonic acoustics analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Harmonic Acoustics analysis, the basic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) include:

Step Controls
This category enables you to define step controls for an analysis that includes rota-
tional velocities in the form of revolutions per minute (RPMs). You use the properties
of this category to define RPM steps and their options. Each RPM load is considered
as a load step, such as frequency spacing, minimum frequencies, maximum frequen-
cies, etc. When you select the Analysis Settings object, the Step Controls category
automatically displays in the Worksheet. You can modify certain properties in either
the Worksheet or in the Details view for the object. See the Step Controls for Har-
monic Analysis Types (p. 1115) section for a description of the available properties.

Options (p. 1133)

The Options category enables you to specify the frequency range and the number
of solution points at which the harmonic analysis will be carried out as well as the
solution method to use and the relevant controls.

Only the Direct Integration (p. 1135) (Full) Solution Method is available to per-
form a Harmonic Acoustics analysis.

Scattering Controls (p. 1141)

The Scattering Controls category includes the Scattered Field Formulation
property. The options for this property include:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Off: Selecting this option turns scattering controls off.

• On: Selecting this option turns scattering controls on and also displays the Scat-
tering Output Type property.

The Scattering Output Type property is used to specify the output type
for an acoustic scattering analysis. The options for this property include
Total and Scattered. Select the Total option when you wish to output the
total pressure field and the Scattered option when you want to output the
scattered pressure field.

If you specify an Incident Wave Source excitation and also specify the In-
cident Wave Location property as Inside the Model, then the application
uses the Total setting for the Scattering Output Type property only.

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

For more information, refer to the ASOL and ASCRES commands in the
Mechanical APDL Command Reference.

Advanced
The Advanced category includes the property Far-field Radiation Surface. Far-
field result calculations are based on the Far-field Radiation Surfaces. Therefore, this
field controls far-field result definitions and results. The options include:

• Program Controlled (default): If your analysis does not include a user-defined

Far-field Radiation Surface boundary condition object, this setting identifies
the Far-field Radiation Surfaces automatically created by the application using
the environment option Create Automatic > Far-field Radiation Surface. In this
case, the application applies the surface flag MXWF on them. If the analysis does
include a user-defined Far-field Radiation Surface object, this settings defined
by that object are used.

• Manual: This option requires the definition of at least one user-defined Far-field
Radiation Surface object.

• No: This setting invalidates all Far-field Radiation Surface objects and Far-field
Result objects.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Summary

The properties of the Output Controls enable you to different quantities to

be written to the result file for use during post-processing. During acoustics
analyses, these quantities are based on the specified Acoustics or Structural
Physics Regions.

For specified Acoustics Regions:

By default, the application calculates and stores Acoustic Pressure in the result
file. No specific property is associated with this quantity.

In addition, setting the Calculate Velocity and Calculate Energy proper-

ties to Yes enables you to request acoustic velocity and acoustic energy.

For specified Structural Regions:

When your analysis is solving an FSI problem in order to control the results cal-
culated on structural domain, by default, only deformations are calculated. You
can also request Stress and Strain results, using the corresponding properties.
Furthermore, you can generate node-based force reactions using the Calculate
Reactions property. This property requires you to set the Nodal Forces property
to On.

General Miscellaneous Property (p. 1154)

This property includes options specific to Acoustics analyses based on the

acoustics analysis type, either Harmonic or Modal, and enable you to produce
element-based miscellaneous solution data.

Damping Controls (p. 1143)

The Damping Controls category is visible when Structural Physics is turned On.
These properties enable you to specify damping for the structure in the Harmonic

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Analysis Types

Acoustics analysis. Controls include: Structural Damping Coefficient, Stiffness

Coefficient (beta damping), and a Mass Coefficient (alpha damping). They can also
be applied as Material Damping using the Engineering Data tab.

Element Damping: You can also apply damping through spring-damper

elements. The damping from these elements is used only in a Full method
harmonic analysis.

Important:

If multiple damping specifications are made the effect is cumulative.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

These properties enable you to save solution files from the harmonic analysis. The
default behavior is to only keep the files required for postprocessing. You can use
these controls to keep all files created during solution or to create and save the
Mechanical APDL application database (db file).

Define Physics Region(s)

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

To create a Physics Region:

1. Highlight the Environment object and select the Physics Region button on the En-
vironment Context Tab (p. 23) or right-click the Environment object or within the
Geometry window and select Insert > Physics Region.

2. Define all of the properties for the new object. For additional information, see the
Physics Region (p. 2162) object reference section.

A Structural Physics Region may contain bodies with the Stiffness Behavior
set to Rigid. Acoustics Regions do not support a Stiffness Behavior setting of
Rigid.

If the Structural Region has the Stiffness Behavior property set to Rigid and
if it is in contact with acoustic regions, then fluid-structure interaction may
not behave as expected.

Note the following context menu (right-click) options you may wish to use while
specifying a Physics Region:

• Select Bodies > Without Physics Region:

• Select Bodies > With Multiple Physics Region

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

The following loading conditions are supported for this analysis type:

Inertial

Acceleration (p. 1175)

Acoustic Excitations

Mass Source (p. 1301)

Surface Velocity (p. 1303)
Diffuse Sound Field (p. 1306)
Incident Wave Source (p. 1308)
Port in Duct (p. 1311)

Acoustic Loads

Temperature (p. 1313)

Impedance Sheet (p. 1315)
Static Pressure (p. 1317)

Acoustic Boundary Conditions

Pressure (p. 1319)

Impedance Boundary (p. 1321)
Absorption Surface (p. 1324)
Radiation Boundary (p. 1326)
Absorbing Element (p. 1328)
Free Surface (p. 1330)
Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary (p. 1332)
Rigid Wall (p. 1334)
Symmetry Plane (p. 1336)
Port (p. 1337)
Far-field Radiation Surface (p. 1340)

Acoustic Models

Transfer Admittance Matrix (p. 1342)

Low Reduced Frequency Model (p. 1344)

The following loading conditions are supported if the analysis has structural physics:

Loads

Pressure (p. 1193)

Force (p. 1210)
Remote Force (p. 1215)

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Analysis Types

Moment (p. 1232)

Line Pressure (p. 1239)
Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290): Use the Create Automatic FSI option on the
Environment context (right-click) menu to auto generate the applicable Fluid
Solid Interfaces.

Supports

Fixed Support (p. 1346)

Displacement (p. 1348)
Remote Displacement (p. 1356)
Frictionless Support (p. 1362)
Compression Only Support (p. 1364)
Cylindrical Support (p. 1368)
Elastic Support (p. 1374)

Conditions

Constraint Equation (p. 1378)

Direct FE

Nodal Orientation (p. 1403)

Nodal Force (p. 1404)
Nodal Displacement (p. 1409)

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

The Solution Information (p. 1735) object provides some tools to monitor solution
progress.

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the model during the analysis. Any conver-
gence data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the
Solution Information section.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

See the Acoustic Results (p. 1616) section for descriptions of all supported result types.

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

Harmonic Acoustic results generally default to the setting All Acoustic Bodies. You
can individually scope most of the Harmonic Acoustic analysis results (p. 1616) to mesh
or geometric entities on acoustic bodies.

Additional results are available for structural domain when solving Fluid Structural
Interaction (FSI) problems. Refer to the Review Results topic in the Harmonic Response
Analysis (p. 266) for more information regarding how to set up the harmonic results.

One-way Acoustic Coupling Analysis

The Mechanical application enables you to apply velocities from a structural Harmonic Response
analysis or a FSI Harmonic Acoustics analysis as loads in a Harmonic Acoustics analysis. Options are
available that enable you to import individual velocity loads or to automatically generate multiple
velocity loads from the upstream system.

The load transfer is applicable for the cases where the Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic
Acoustics and acoustic analyses are solved using different meshes. When different meshes are used,
the velocity values are mapped and interpolated between the source and target meshes.

Workflows
Specify Analysis Systems in Workbench
Review the following steps to create and define your upstream system and property configure your
downstream acoustics analysis.

1. From the toolbox, drag and drop a Harmonic Response or Harmonic Acoustics template onto
the Project Schematic. Open the model in Mechanical and perform all steps to set up a Harmonic
Response (p. 266) or Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) analysis. Specify mesh controls, boundary conditions,
and solution settings as you normally would and solve the analysis.

2. Return to the Project Schematic and drag and drop a Harmonic Acoustics template onto the
Project Schematic. Drag the Solution cell of the structural or FSI acoustics system onto the Setup
cell of the acoustic system. Examples are illustrated below.

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Analysis Types

3. Open the downstream system in Mechanical.

Import Velocities

1. You may perform prerequisite property definitions as needed, such as making necessary entries
for the Analysis Setting and the Acoustics Region.

2. Select the Imported Load folder/object, and:

• Open the folder. By default, the application inserts a Imported Velocity object. As needed, you
can add Imported Velocity objects by right-clicking on the Imported Load folder and selecting
Insert > Velocity.

Or...

• Right-click on the folder and select the option Create Velocities and Sync Analysis Settings
to import all of the velocity loads available in the upstream system.

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

3. Select appropriate geometry in the Details view of the imported velocity object(s) using the
Geometry or Named Selection scoping option.

4. The Source Bodies property in the Details view enables you to select the bodies, from the upstream
analysis, that makeup the source mesh for mapping the data. The options for this property include:

• All: The source mesh in this case will comprise all the bodies that were used in the upstream
analysis.

• Manual: This option enables you to select one or more source bodies to make up the source
mesh. The source body selections are made in the Material IDs field by entering the material
IDs that correspond to the source bodies that you would like to use. Type material IDs and/or
material ID ranges separated by commas to specify your selection. For example, type 1, 2, 5–10.
The material IDs for the source bodies can be seen in Solution Information Object (p. 1735) of the
source analysis. In the example below, text is taken from a solver output,
***********Elements for Body 1 "coil" ***********
***********Elements for Body 2 "core" ***********
***********Elements for Body 3 "bar" ************

Body ‘coil’ has material ID 1, body ‘core’ has material ID 2 and body ‘bar’ has material ID
3.

5. If your upstream system includes multiple RPMs, The RPM Selection property enables you to select
the RPM for which the data is imported.

6. Change any of the columns in the Data View pane as needed:

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Analysis Types

• Source Frequency: Frequency at which the velocities will be imported from the structural ana-
lysis.

• Analysis Frequency: Choose the analysis frequency at which the load will be applied.

Note:

The Data View can automatically be populated with the source and analysis
frequencies using the Source Frequency property in the Details view. Use All
to import data at all frequencies in the source analysis, or Range to import
data for a range specified by a Minimum and Maximum. The default Worksheet
option requires users to manually input the Source Frequency and Analysis
Frequency.

7. You can transform the source mesh used in the mapping process by using the Rigid Transformation
properties. This option is useful if the source geometry was defined with respect to a coordinate
system that is not aligned with the target geometry system.

You can modify the Mapper Settings (p. 2283) to achieve the desired mapping accuracy.
Mapping can be validated by using Mapping Validation (p. 2303) objects.

8. Right-click the Imported Velocity object or on the Imported Load folder and click Import Load
to import the load(s). Following successful import, vectors plot (All), or contour plot (Total/X/Y/Z)
of the real/imaginary components of velocities can be displayed in the Geometry window using
the Component property in the details of imported load.

Note:

The range of data displayed in the graphics window can be controlled using the
Legend controls options. See Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) for additional
information.

9. If multiple rows are defined in the Data View, it is possible to preview imported load vectors/contour
applied to a given row or analysis frequency in the Data view. Choose Active Row or Analysis
Frequency using the By property under Graphics Controls in the details of the imported load
and then specify the Active Row/Analysis Frequency to preview the data.

Note:

If the Analysis Frequency specified by the user does not match the list of ana-
lysis frequencies in the Data View, the data is displayed at the analysis frequency
closest to the specified frequency.

Note:

• If the upstream (Structural or FSI Acoustics) system is modified and re-solved after importing
the load, a refresh operation on the Acoustic system’s Setup cell is required to notify Mech-
anical that source data has changed and re-import is required. Alternatively, the source data

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

can be refreshed using the right-click operation on the Imported Load folder and choosing
the Refresh Imported Load option.

• If an upstream Harmonic Acoustics system is used, it must contain Structural Physics Region(s).

• If the upstream system contains Condensed Parts (p. 1057), the velocities of these parts are
ignored during data transfer.

Static Acoustics Analysis

Introduction
You use the Static Acoustics analysis as a method for applying stresses to a downstream analysis. This
is a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) analysis incorporating two different physics phenomena that can
then interact with one another. The static analysis can be linear or nonlinear. It creates a pre-stress
environment for the downstream dynamic acoustics analysis.

The Acoustics Regions of the Static Acoustics analysis do not effect the results of the downstream
Modal or Harmonic Acoustics analysis, except that the mesh can be morphed during the solution.

Points to Remember
Note that:

• This analysis supports 3D geometries only.

• If possible, model your fluid region as a single solid multibody part.

• The Physics Region (p. 2162) object(s) need to identify all of the active bodies that may belong to the
acoustic and structural physics types. For your convenience, when you open a Static Acoustics system,
the application automatically inserts a Acoustics Region object and a Structural Region object.

• Only Structural Results are supported for this analysis type.

Automatic Boundary Condition Detection

In order to assist your analysis, the Environment object (p. 2017) contains context menu (right-click)
options that enable you to automatically generate interfaces based on physics region definitions. The
Static Acoustics analysis includes the option Create Automatic > FSI. This selection automatically
creates a Fluid Solid Interface object with all possible Fluid Solid Interface face selections.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

If you have not already created a Static Acoustics system in the Project Schematic,
see the Static Acoustics section in the Workbench User's Guide for the steps to create
this system.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

All of your acoustic bodies must be assigned a material that contains the properties
Density and Speed of Sound.

Important:

The Fluid Materials library in the Engineering Data workspace includes

the fluid materials Air and Water Liquid. Each of these materials includes
the property Speed of Sound. Any other material to be used in the Acoustics
Region requires you to specify the property Speed of Sound and Density
in Engineering Data workspace (Toolbox > Physical Properties).

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific geometry considerations for a static acoustic analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

A Structural Physics Region may contain bodies with the Stiffness Behavior set to
Rigid. Acoustics Regions cannot contain rigid bodies.

If the Structural Region has the Stiffness Behavior property set to Rigid and if it is
in contact with acoustic regions, then fluid-structure interaction may not behave as
expected.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Only the Bonded (p. 907) contact Type setting and the MPC Formulation (p. 913) are
valid when defining contact between two acoustic bodies or an acoustic and a struc-
tural body (FSI contact) which have non-conforming meshes. In addition, for FSI contact,

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

the Contact side must be on the acoustic body and the Target must be on the
structural body.

Note:

Contact settings other than Bonded using MPC are ignored and are
overwritten with the following preferred key options of Bonded/MPC
contact:

• For fluid-fluid contact: keyo,cid,1,10 ! select only PRES dof

• For FSI contact:

– keyo,cid,8,2 ! auto create asymmetric contact

– keyo,tid,5,2 ! For case of solid-shell body contact

– keyo,tid,5,1 ! For case of solid-solid body contact

• Bonded Always: keyo,cid,12,5

• MPC Formulation: keyo,cid,2,2

Important:

The application overwrites user-defined contact settings

between fluid-fluid and fluid-solid bodies using the
above criterion.

Refer to Matrix-Coupled FSI Solutions section from the Mechanical

APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

Important:

Joints, Springs, Bearings, and/or Beams are not supported on acoustic

bodies.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no special mesh considerations for this analysis type.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

For simple linear static analyses, you typically do not need to change the default
Analysis Settings. For more complex analyses the basic Analysis Settings include:

Large Deflection (p. 1122)

Large Deflection is typically needed for slender structures. Use large deflection if the
transverse displacements in a slender structure are more than 10% of the thickness.

Small deflection and small strain analyses assume that displacements are small
enough that the resulting stiffness changes are insignificant. Setting Large Deflec-
tion to On will take into account stiffness changes resulting from changes in ele-
ment shape and orientation due to large deflection, large rotation, and large strain.
Therefore, the results will be more accurate. However, this effect requires an iter-
ative solution. In addition, it may also need the load to be applied in small incre-
ments. As a result, the solution may take longer to solve.

You also need to turn on large deflection if you suspect instability (buckling) in
the system. Use of hyperelastic materials also requires large deflection to be turned
on.

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110)

Step Controls are used to i) control the time step size and other solution controls and
ii) create multiple steps when needed. Typically analyses that include nonlinearities such
as large deflection or plasticity require control over time step sizes as outlined in the
Automatic Time Stepping (p. 1167) section. Multiple steps are required for activation/deac-
tivation of displacement loads or pretension bolt loads. This group can be modified on
a per step basis.

Note:

Time Stepping is available for any solver.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Output Controls enable you to specify the time points at which structural results should
be available for postprocessing. In a nonlinear analysis it may be necessary to perform
many solutions at intermediate load values. However i) you may not be interested in all
the intermediate results and ii) writing all the results can make the results file size un-
wieldy. This group can be modified on a per step basis except for Stress and Strain.

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

Nonlinear Controls enable you to modify convergence criteria and other specialized
solution controls. Typically you will not need to change the default values for this control.
This group can be modified on a per step basis. If you are performing a nonlinear Static
Acoustics analysis, the Newton-Raphson Type property becomes available. This property
only affects nonlinear analyses. Your selections execute the Mechanical APDL NROPT
command. The default option, Program Controlled, allows the application to select the
appropriate NROPT option or you can make a manual selection and choose Full, Modi-
fied, or Unsymmetric.

See the Help section for the NROPT command in the Mechanical APDL Command
Reference for additional information about the operation of the Newton-Raphson
Type property.

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

Damping Controls (Pre-Stress Modal Acoustics)

When you pre-stress a Modal Acoustics analysis with a Static Acoustics analysis, the
Damping Controls category of the Analysis Settings displays. It includes the property
Ignore Acoustic Damping. This property provides the options No (default) and Yes.
Setting this property to Yes instructs the application to ignore material properties that
create damping effects, specifically Specific Heat, Thermal Conductivity, and Viscosity in
your downstream Modal system. Ignoring these material-based damping effects enables
the application to use undamped eigensolvers without the need to suppress these ma-
terial properties in Engineering Data.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

Settings enable you to save specific solution files from the Static Acoustics analysis for
use in other analyses. You can set the Future Analysis field to Pre-Stressed Analysis if
you intend to use the static acoustics results in a subsequent Modal or Harmonic analysis.
If you link a structural system to another analysis type in advance, the Future Analysis
field defaults to Pre-Stressed Analysis.

Note:

Scratch Solver Files, Save ANSYS db, Solver Units, and Solver Unit
System are applicable to static systems only.

Define Physics Region(s)

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

To create a Physics Region:

1. Highlight the Environment object and select the Physics Region button on the
Environment Context Tab (p. 23) or right-click the Environment object or within the
Geometry window and select Insert > Physics Region.

2. Define all of the properties for the new object. For additional information, see the
Physics Region (p. 2162) object reference section.

A Structural Physics Region may contain bodies with the Stiffness Behavior
set to Rigid. Acoustics Regions do not support a Stiffness Behavior setting of
Rigid.

If the Structural Region has the Stiffness Behavior property set to Rigid and
if it is in contact with acoustic regions, then fluid-structure interaction may
not behave as expected.

Note the following context menu (right-click) options you may wish to use while
specifying a Physics Region:

• Select Bodies > Without Physics Region:

• Select Bodies > With Multiple Physics Region

Apply Loads and Supports

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Analysis Types

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

The following loading conditions are supported for this analysis type:

Inertial

Acceleration (p. 1175)

Standard Earth Gravity (p. 1181)

Acoustic Boundary Conditions

Absorbing Element (p. 1328)

Port (p. 1337)

Note:

If you are linking to a Harmonic Acoustics analysis, Incident Wave

Source and Port in Duct boundary conditions must use a Port defined
in the Harmonic Acoustics analysis.

Acoustic Models

Transfer Admittance Matrix (p. 1342)

Low Reduced Frequency Model (p. 1344)

Loads

Pressure (p. 1193)

Pipe Pressure (p. 1199)
Pipe Temperature (p. 1202)
Hydrostatic Pressure (p. 1204)
Force (p. 1210)
Remote Force (p. 1215)
Bolt Pretension (p. 1226)
Moment (p. 1232)
Line Pressure (p. 1239)
Joint Load (p. 1245)
Thermal Condition (p. 1247)
Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290): Use the Create Automatic FSI option on the
Environment context (right-click) menu to auto generate the applicable Fluid
Solid Interfaces.

Supports

Fixed Support (p. 1346)

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

Displacement (p. 1348)

Remote Displacement (p. 1356)
Frictionless Support (p. 1362)
Compression Only Support (p. 1364)
Cylindrical Support (p. 1368)
Simply Supported (p. 1370)
Fixed Rotation (p. 1371)
Elastic Support (p. 1374)

Conditions

Constraint Equation (p. 1378)

Pipe Idealization (p. 1380)

Direct FE

Nodal Orientation (p. 1403)

Nodal Force (p. 1404)
Nodal Pressure (p. 1406)
Nodal Displacement (p. 1409)
Nodal Rotation (p. 1411)
EM (Electro-Mechanical) Transducer (p. 1413)

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

Selecting the Solution Information (p. 1735) object enables you to view continuously
updates any listing output from the solver and provides valuable information on the
behavior of the fluid and structure during the analysis.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

This analysis type does not provide Acoustic Results. All structural result types (p. 1514)
are available. You can use a Solution Information (p. 1735) object to track, monitor, or
diagnose problems that arise during a solution.

Once a solution is available you can contour the results (p. 24) or animate the res-
ults (p. 1677) to review the response of the structure.

As a result of a nonlinear static analysis you may have a solution at several time points.
You can use probes (p. 1462) to display the variation of a result item as the load increases.
An example might be large deformation analyses that result in buckling of the structure.

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Analysis Types

In these cases it is also of interest to plot one result quantity (for example, displacement
at a vertex) against another results item (for example, applied load). You can use the
Charts (p. 1449) feature to develop such charts.

Harmonic Acoustics Analysis Using Prestressed Structural System

Introduction
Mechanical enables you to perform a FSI Harmonic analysis on a pre-stressed structure using a Static
Acoustics Analysis.

Points to Remember
To perform a prestressed Harmonic Acoustics analysis you need to first perform a Static Acoustics
analysis and properly link it to the Harmonic Acoustics analysis. When performing this type of linked
analysis, the Harmonic Acoustics analysis uses the Physics Regions (Acoustic and Structural) defined
in the Static Acoustics analysis. Therefore, you need to remove the Acoustics Region from your Har-
monic Acoustics analysis when you first create the linked systems.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because this analysis is linked to (and based on) structural responses, a Static Acous-
tics (p. 325) analysis is a prerequisite. This setup allows the two analysis systems to
share resources, such as engineering data, geometry, and the boundary condition type
definitions that are defined the in the static acoustics analysis.

From the Toolbox, drag a Static Acoustics template to the Project Schematic. Then,
drag a Harmonic Acoustics template directly onto the Solution cell of the Static
Acoustics template.

Note:

You can create a pre-stress environment in a Harmonic Acoustics system

that is already open in Mechanical by:

1. Selecting the Static Structural option from the New Analysis drop-down
menu on the Home (p. 9) tab.

2. Setting the Pre-Stress Environment property (of the Pre-Stress object)

to the Static Structural system.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

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 Acoustics Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

See the Establish Analysis Settings topic in the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) section
for a complete listing of the Analysis Settings.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

The Initial Conditions (Pre-Stress) object of the Harmonic Acoustics analysis must
point to the linked Structural Acoustics analysis.

Note:

• All structural loads, including Inertial (p. 1174) loads, such as Acceleration and
Rotational Velocity, are deleted from the Harmonic Analysis portion of the
simulation once the loads are applied as initial conditions (p. 233) (via the Pre-
Stress object). Refer to the Mechanical APDL command PERTURB,HARM,,,DZER-
OKEEP for more details.

• For Pressure boundary conditions in the Structural Acoustics analysis: if you

define the load with the Normal To option for faces (3D) or edges (2D), you
could experience an additional stiffness contribution called the "pressure load
stiffness" effect. The Normal To option causes the pressure acts as a follower
load, which means that it continues to act in a direction normal to the scoped
entity even as the structure deforms. Pressure loads defined with the Compon-
ents or Vector options act in a constant direction even as the structure deforms.
For a same magnitude, the "normal to" pressure and the component/vector
pressure can result in significantly different results in the follow-on Harmonic
Acoustics analysis. See the Pressure Load Stiffness (p. 236) topic in the Applying
Pre-Stress Effects for Implicit Analysis (p. 236) Help section for more information
about using a prestressed environment.

• If displacement loading is defined with Displacement, Remote Displacement,

Nodal Displacement, or Bolt Pretension (specified as Lock, Adjustment, or
Increment) loads in the Structural Acoustics analysis, these loads become fixed
boundary conditions for the Harmonic solution. This prevents the displacement
loads from becoming a sinusoidal load during the Harmonic solution. If you
define a Nodal Displacement in the Harmonic analysis at the same location
and in the same direction as in the Structural analysis, it overwrites the previous
loading condition and/or boundary condition in the Harmonic solution.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

The following loading conditions are supported for this analysis type:

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Analysis Types

Inertial

Acceleration (p. 1175) (Phase Angle not supported)

Acoustic Excitations

Mass Source (p. 1301)

Surface Velocity (p. 1303)
Diffuse Sound Field (p. 1306)
Incident Wave Source (p. 1308)
Port in Duct (p. 1311)

Note:

Incident Wave Source and Port in Duct must use a Port defined in
the Harmonic Acoustics analysis.

Acoustic Loads

Temperature (p. 1313)

Impedance Sheet (p. 1315)
Static Pressure (p. 1317)

Acoustic Boundary Conditions

Pressure (p. 1319)

Impedance Boundary (p. 1321)
Absorption Surface (p. 1324)
Radiation Boundary (p. 1326)
Free Surface (p. 1330)
Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary (p. 1332)
Rigid Wall (p. 1334)
Symmetry Plane (p. 1336)
Port (p. 1337)
Far-field Radiation Surface (p. 1340)

Direct FE

Nodal Force (p. 1404)

Nodal Pressure (p. 1406) (Phase Angle not supported)

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 Magnetostatic Analysis

Nodal Displacement (p. 1409): At least one non-zero Component is required

for the boundary condition to be fully defined.

Note:

Any other boundary conditions must be defined in the prerequisite

(parent) Static Acoustics (p. 325) Analysis, such as Support Type (p. 1346)
boundary conditions.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

The Solution Information (p. 1735) object provides some tools to monitor solution
progress.

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the model during the analysis. Any conver-
gence data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the
Solution Information section.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

See the Acoustic Results (p. 1616) section for descriptions of all supported result types.

Harmonic Acoustic results generally default to the setting All Acoustic Bodies. You
can individually scope most of the Harmonic Acoustic analysis results (p. 1616) to mesh
or geometric entities on acoustic bodies.

Additional results are available for structural domain when solving Fluid Structural
Interaction (FSI) problems. Refer to the Review Results topic in the Harmonic Response
Analysis (p. 266) for more information regarding how to set up the harmonic results.

Magnetostatic Analysis

Introduction
Magnetic fields may exist as a result of a current or a permanent magnet. In the Mechanical application
you can perform 3D static magnetic field analysis. You can model various physical regions including
iron, air, permanent magnets, and conductors.

Typical uses for a magnetostatic analysis are as follows:

• Electric machines

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Analysis Types

• Transformers

• Induction heating

• Solenoid actuators

• High-field magnets

• Nondestructive testing

• Magnetic stirring

• Electrolyzing cells

• Particle accelerators

• Medical and geophysical instruments.

Points to Remember
• This analysis is applicable only to 3D geometry.

• The geometry must consist of a single solid multibody part (p. 627).

• A magnetic field simulation requires that air surrounding the physical geometry be modeled as part of the
overall geometry. The air domain can be easily modeled in DesignModeler using the Enclosure feature. Ensure
that the resulting model is a single multibody part which includes the physical geometry and the air.

• In many cases, only a symmetric portion of a magnetic device is required for simulation. The geometry can
either be modeled in full symmetry in the CAD system, or in partial symmetry. DesignModeler has a Symmetry
feature that can slice a full symmetry model, or identify planes of symmetry for a partial symmetry model.
This information is passed to the Mechanical application for convenient application of symmetry plane
boundary conditions.

• A Magnetostatic analysis supports a multi-step solution.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag the Magnetostatic template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

• Magnetic field simulation supports 4 categories of material properties:

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 Magnetostatic Analysis

1. Linear “soft” magnetic materials - typically used in low saturation cases. A Relative Per-
meability is required. This may be constant, or orthotropic with respect to the coordinate
system of the body (See Details view). Orthotropic properties are often used to simulate
laminate materials.

2. Linear “hard” magnetic materials - used to model permanent magnets. The demagnetiz-
ation curve of the magnet is assumed to be linear. Residual Induction and Coercive
Force are required.

3. Nonlinear “soft” magnetic material - used to model devices which undergo magnetic
saturation. A B-H curve is required. For orthotropic materials, you can assign the B-H
curve in any of the orthotropic directions, while specifying a constant Relative Permeab-
ility in the other directions. (Specifying a value of “0” for Relative Permeability will make
use of the B-H curve in that direction.)

4. Nonlinear “hard” magnetic material - used to model nonlinear permanent magnets. A B-

H curve modeling the material demagnetization curve is required.

• When an Emag license is being used only the following material properties are allowed:
Isotropic Resistivity, Orthotropic Resistivity, Relative Permeability, Relative Permeability (Or-
thotropic), Coercive Force & Residual Induction, B-H Curve, B-H Curve (Orthotropic), Demag-
netization B-H Curve. You may have to turn the filter off in the Engineering Data tab to
suppress or delete those material properties/models which are not supported for this license.

• Conductor bodies require a Resistivity material property. Solid source conductor bodies
can be constant or orthotropic with respect to the coordinate system of the body. Stranded
source conductor bodies can only be modeled as isotropic materials.

• For convenience, a library of common B-H curves for soft magnetic material is supplied with
the product. Use the Import tool in Engineering Data to review and retrieve curves for use.

Note:

In a magnetostatic analysis, you can orient a polarization axis for a Linear or

Nonlinear Hard material in either the positive or negative x direction with
respect to a local or global coordinate system (p. 877). Use the Material Po-
larization setting in the Details view for each body to establish this direction.
The Material Polarization setting appears only if a hard material property
is defined for the body. For a cylindrical coordinate system, a positive x polar-
ization is in the positive radial direction, and a negative x polarization is in
the negative radial direction.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a magnetostatic analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

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Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

Mechanical does not support Rigid Bodies in Magnetostatic analyses. For more informa-
tion, see the Stiffness Behavior documentation for Rigid Bodies (p. 631).

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Connections are not supported in a magnetostatic analysis.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

• Although your body is automatically meshed at solve time, it is recommended that you select
the Electromagnetic Physics Preference in the Details view of the Mesh (p. 2120) object
folder.

• Solution accuracy is dependent on mesh density. Accurate force or torque calculations require
a fine mesh in the air regions surrounding the bodies of interest.

• The use of pyramid elements in critical regions should be minimized. Pyramid elements are
used to transition from hexagonal to tetrahedral elements. You can eliminate pyramid ele-
ments from the model by specifying Tetrahedrons using a Method mesh control tool.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Magnetostatic Analysis, the basic Analysis Settings include:

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110)

Step Controls are used to specify the end time of a step in a single or multiple step analysis.

Multiple steps are needed if you want to change load values, the solution settings,
or the solution output frequency over specific steps. Typically you do not need to
change the default values.

Solver Controls (p. 1117)

Solver Controls enable you to select either a direct or iterative solver. By default the pro-
gram will use the direct solver. Convergence is guaranteed with the direct solver. Use the
Iterative solver only in cases where machine memory is an issue. The solution is not guar-
anteed to converge for the iterative solver.

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

Nonlinear Controls enable you to modify convergence criteria and other specialized
solution controls. These controls are used when your solution is nonlinear such as with the

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 Magnetostatic Analysis

use of nonlinear material properties (B-H curve). Typically you will not need to change the
default values for this control. CSG convergence is the criteria used to converge the mag-
netic field. CSG represents magnetic flux. AMPS convergence is only used for temperature-
dependent electric current conduction for solid conductor bodies. AMPS represents current.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Output Controls enable you to specify the time points at which results should be available
for postprocessing. A multi-step analysis involves calculating solutions at several time
points in the load history. However you may not be interested in all of the possible results
items and writing all the results can make the result file size unwieldy. You can restrict the
amount of output by requesting results only at certain time points or limit the results that
go onto the results file at each time point.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

The Analysis Data Management settings enable you to save solution files from the mag-
netostatic analysis. The default behavior is to only keep the files required for postprocessing.
You can use these controls to keep all files created during solution or to create and save
the Mechanical APDL application database (db file).

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

There is no initial condition specification for a magnetostatic analysis.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

• You can apply electromagnetic boundary conditions and excitations in the Mechanical ap-
plication. See Electromagnetic Boundary Conditions and Excitations (p. 1277) for details.

• Boundary conditions may also be applied on symmetry planes via a Symmetry (p. 801). A
Symmetry folder allows support for Electromagnetic Symmetry (p. 804), Electromagnetic
Anti-Symmetry (p. 805), and Electromagnetic Periodicity (p. 805) conditions.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

The Solution Information (p. 1735) object provides some tools to monitor solution progress
in the case of a nonlinear magnetostatic analysis.

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the analysis. Any conver-
gence data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the
Solution Information (p. 1735) section.

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Analysis Types

Adaptive mesh refinement (p. 1753) is available for magnetostatic analyses.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

A magnetostatic analysis offers several results (p. 1627) for viewing. Results may be scoped
to bodies and, by default, all bodies will compute results for display. For Inductance or
Flux Linkage, define these objects prior to solution. If you define these after a solution,
you will need to re-solve.

Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Introduction
You can perform a rigid dynamics analysis in the Mechanical application using the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics
solver. This type of analysis is used to determine the dynamic response of an assembly of rigid bodies
linked by joints and springs. You can use this type of analysis to study the kinematics of a robot arm
or a crankshaft system for example.

Points to Remember
• Inputs and outputs are joint forces, moments, displacements, velocities and accelerations.

• On rigid parts, there are no stresses and strain results produced, only forces, moments, displacements, velo-
cities and accelerations.

• The solver is tuned to automatically adjust the time step. Doing it manually is often inefficient and results
in longer run times.

This section contains the following topics:

Preparing a Rigid Dynamics Analysis
Command Reference for Rigid Dynamics Systems
Using the Rigid Dynamics Variable Load Extension
Using the Rigid Dynamics Motion Loads Extension
Multibody Dynamics Theory Guide

Preparing a Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag a Rigid Dynamics template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

Density is the only material property utilized by rigid bodies. Models that use zero or
nearly zero density fail to solve with the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

Sheet, solid, and line bodies are supported by the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver, but
line bodies can only be flexible and included in a condensed part (p. 1057). Plane bodies
cannot be used.

Rigid line bodies are not supported in RBD because the mass moment of inertia is not
available.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

You can define a Point Mass (p. 658) for this analysis type.

Stiffness behavior can be rigid or flexible.

Note:

If the part behavior is flexible, it must be included in a condensed part.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Applicable connections are joints (p. 958), springs (p. 1037), and contacts (p. 908).

When an assembly is imported from a CAD system, joints or constraints are not impor-
ted, but joints may be created automatically after the model is imported. You can also
choose to create the joints manually.

Each joint is defined by its coordinate system of reference. The orientation of this co-
ordinate system is essential as the free and fixed degrees of freedom are defined in
this coordinate system.

Automatic contact generation is also available after the model is imported.

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Analysis Types

For information on contact specifically oriented for rigid dynamics, see Contact in Rigid
Dynamics (p. 941) and Best Practices for Contact in Rigid Body Analyses (p. 944).

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Mesh controls apply to surfaces where contact is defined as well as to deformable

parts.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For rigid dynamics analyses the basic controls are:

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110) allow you to create multiple
steps. Multiple steps (p. 1110) are useful if new loads are introduced or removed at dif-
ferent times in the load history.

A rigid dynamics analysis can use an explicit time integration scheme, especially if the
model is made only of rigid parts. Unlike the implicit time integration, there are no
iterations to converge in an explicit time integration scheme. The solution at the end
of the time step is a function of the derivatives during the time step. As a consequence,
the time step required to get accurate results is usually smaller than is necessary for
an implicit time integration scheme. Another consequence is that the time step is
governed by the highest frequency of the system. A very smooth and slow model that
has a very stiff spring will require the time step needed for the stiff spring itself, which
generates the high frequencies that will govern the required time step. Stiff models
can be more efficiently solved using the Implicit Generalized-α or MJ Time Stepping
time integration schemes.

Because it is not easy to determine the frequency content of the system, an automatic
time stepping algorithm is available, and should be used for the vast majority of
models. This automatic time stepping algorithm is governed by Initial Time Step,
Minimum Time Step, and Maximum Time Step under Step Controls; and Energy
Accuracy Tolerance under Nonlinear Controls.

• Initial Time Step: If the initial time step chosen is vastly too large, the solution will typically
fail, and produce an error message that the accelerations are too high. If the initial time
step is only slightly too large, the solver will realize that the first time steps are inaccurate,
automatically decrement the time step and start the transient solution over. Conversely,
if the chosen initial time step is excessively small, and the simulation can be accurately
performed with higher time steps, the automatic time stepping algorithm will, after a few
gradual increases, find the appropriate time step value. Choosing a good initial time step
is a way to reduce the cost of having the solver figure out what time step size is optimal
to minimize run time. While important, choosing the correct initial time step typically does
not have a large influence on the total solution time due to the efficiency of the automatic
time stepping algorithm.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

• Minimum Time Step: During the automatic adjustment of the time step, if the time step
that is required for stability and accuracy is smaller than the specified minimum time step,
the solution will not proceed. This value does not influence solution time or its accuracy,
but it is there to prevent the solver from running forever with an extremely small time
step. When the solution is aborting due to hitting this lower time step threshold, that
usually means that the system is over constrained, or in a lock position. Check your model,
and if you believe that the model and the loads are valid, you can decrease this value by
one or two orders of magnitude and run again. That can, however generate a very large
number of total time steps, and it is recommended that you use the Output Controls
settings to store only some of the generated results.

• Maximum Time Step: Sometimes the time step that the automatic time stepping settles
on produces too few results outputs for precise postprocessing needs. To avoid these
postprocessing resolution issues, you can force the solution to use time steps that are no
bigger than this parameter value.

Solver Controls (p. 1117):For this analysis type, enables you to select a time integration
algorithm (Program Controlled, Runge-Kutta order 4 or 5, Implicit Generalized-α, MJ
Time Stepping) and select whether to use constraint stabilization. The default time
integration option, Program Controlled, provides the appropriate accuracy for most
applications. When constraint stabilization is employed, Stabilization Parameters are
an automatic option. The default, Program Controlled is valid for most applications,
however; you may wish to set this option to User Defined and manually enter cus-
tomized settings for weak spring and damping effects. The default is Off.

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147) allow you to modify convergence criteria and other special-
ized solution controls. Typically you will not need to change the default values for this
control.

• Energy Accuracy Tolerance: This is the main driver to the automatic time stepping. The
automatic time stepping algorithm measures the portion of potential and kinetic energy
that is contained in the highest order terms of the time integration scheme, and computes
the ratio of the energy to the energy variations over the previous time steps. Comparing
the ratio to the Energy Accuracy Tolerance, Workbench will decide to increase or decrease
the time step. Energy accuracy tolerance is program controlled by default. It is enabled
with Explicit Runge-Kutta methods and disabled by default with Implicit Generalized-α.

Note:

For systems that have very heavy slow moving parts, and also have small
fast moving parts, the portion of the energy contained in the small parts
is not dominant and therefore will not control the time step. It is recom-
mended that you use a smaller value of integration accuracy for the
motion of the small parts.

Spherical (p. 966), slot (p. 965) and general (p. 973) joints with three rotation
degrees of freedom usually require a small time step, as the energy is
varying in a very nonlinear manner with the rotation degrees of freedom.

• Force Residual Relative Tolerance: (Only available with Implicit Generalized-α time in-
tegration or MJ Time Stepping integration) This option controls the threshold used in
Newton-Raphson for force residual convergence. The default value is 1.e-8. A smaller value

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Analysis Types

will lead to a smaller residual, but it will require more iterations. The convergence of force
residual can be monitored in Solution Information using Force Convergence.

• Constraint Equation Residual Relative Tolerance: (Only available with Implicit General-
ized-α time integration or MJ Time-Stepping integration) This option controls the threshold
used in Newtom-Raphson to check convergence of constraint equations violations. The
default value is 1.e-8. The convergence of this criterion can be checked in Solution Inform-
ation using Displacement Convergence

Output Controls (p. 1151) allow you to specify the time points at which results should
be available for postprocessing. In a transient nonlinear analysis it may be necessary
to perform many solutions at intermediate time values. However i) you may not be
interested in reviewing all of the intermediate results and ii) writing all the results can
make the results file size unwieldy. This group can be modified on a per step basis.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

Before solving, you can configure the joints and/or set a joint load to define initial
conditions.

1. Define a Joint Load (p. 1245) during a short initial load step to set initial conditions on the
free degrees of freedom of a joint.

For the ANSYS Mechanical APDL solver to converge, it is recommended that you
ramp the angles and positions from zero to the real initial condition over one step.
The ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver does not need these to be ramped. For example,
you can directly create a joint load for a revolute (p. 963) joint of 30 degrees, over
a short step to define the initial conditions of the simulation. If you decide to ramp
it, you have to keep in mind that ramping the angle over 1 second, for example,
means that you will have a non-zero angular velocity at the end of this step. If you
want to ramp the angle and start at rest, use an extra step maintaining this angle
constant for a reasonable period of time or, preferably, having the angular velocity
set to zero. Another way to specify the initial conditions in terms of positions and
angles is to use the Configure tool (p. 1015), which eliminates the time steps needed
to apply the initial conditions.

To fully define the initial conditions, you must define position and velocities. Unless
specified by joint loads, if your system is initially assembled, the initial configuration
will be unchanged. If the system is not initially assembled, the initial configuration
will be the “closest” configuration to the unassembled configuration that satisfies
the assembly tolerance (p. 140) and the joint loads.

Unless specified otherwise, relative joint velocity is, if possible, set to zero. For ex-
ample, if you define a double pendulum and specify the angular velocity of the
grounded revolute joint, by default the second pendulum will not be at rest, but
will move rigidly with the first one.

2. Configure a joint (p. 1015) to graphically put the joint in its initial position.

See Joint Initial Conditions (p. 960) for further details.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

The following loads and supports can be used in a rigid dynamics analysis:

• Acceleration (p. 1175)

• Standard Earth Gravity (p. 1181)

• Joint Load (p. 1245)

• Remote Displacement (p. 1356)

• Remote Force (p. 1215)

• Constraint Equation (p. 1378)

Both Acceleration and Standard Earth Gravity must be constant throughout a rigid
dynamics analysis and cannot be deactivated.

For a Joint Load, the joint condition's magnitude could be a constant value, could
vary with time as defined in a table or via a function, or could depend on other values
measured on the model during the solution. See Using the Rigid Dynamics Variable
Load Extension (p. 394) to define such a load variation. Details of how to apply a tabular
or function load are described in Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437).
Details on the Joint Load are included below.

In addition, see the Apply Loads and Supports (p. 238) section for more information
about time stepping and ramped loads.

Joint Load Interpolation/Derivation

For joint loads applied through tabular data values, the number of points input will
most likely be less than the number of time steps required to solve the system. As
such, an interpolation is performed.

The underlying fitting method used for interpolation can be configured using the
Fitting Method field (specific to Rigid Dynamics analysis). Options include:

• Program Controlled (default): Depending on the Joint Load type, the solver chooses
the appropriate interpolation method. Accelerations and Force joint loads use a piecewise
linear. Displacement/Rotation/Velocity joint loads use a cubic spline fitting as shown on
the following graph:

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Analysis Types

A large difference between the interpolated curve and the linear interpolation may
prevent the solution from completing. If this is the case and you intend to use the
linear interpolation, you can simply use multiple time steps, as the interpolation is
done in one time step.

• Fast Fourier Transform: Fast Fourier Transform is performed to fit tabular data. Unlike
cubic spline fitting, no verification on the fitting quality is performed. The additional cutoff
frequency parameter specifies the threshold (expressed in Hz) used to filter high frequen-
cies. Higher cutoff frequency results in a better fitting, but leads to smaller time steps. The
following graphs show the effect of cutoff frequency on FFT fitting on a triangular signal
using 5 Hz and 10 Hz, respectively.

Note:

The Fourier Fitting implicitly expects cyclic data. Lack of continuity

between end time and start time values may lead to oscillations known
as Gibbs phenomenon. Similarly, the lack of continuity for the derivatives
may also lead to unwanted oscillations around jumps. For instance, an
imposed displacement requires the continuity of the first and second
derivatives. The Rigid Dynamics solver implements several dedicated
treatments to prevent Gibbs phenomenon. However, results of Fourier
Fitting must be carefully reviewed to check there are no artificial oscilla-
tions.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Joint Load Discontinuities

When defining a joint load for a position and an angle, the corresponding velocities
and accelerations are computed internally. When defining a joint load for a translational
and angular velocity, corresponding accelerations are also computed internally. By
activating and deactivating joint loads, you can generate some forces/accelerations/ve-
locities, as well as position discontinuities. Always consider what the implications of
these discontinuities are for velocities and accelerations. Force and acceleration dis-
continuities are perfectly valid physical situations. No special attention is required to
define these velocity discontinuities. Discontinuities can be obtained by changing the
slope of a relative displacement joint load on a translational joint, as shown on the
following graphs using two time steps:

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Analysis Types

The corresponding velocity profile is shown here.

This discontinuity of velocity is physically equivalent to a shock, and implies infinite

acceleration if the change of slope is over a zero time duration. The ANSYS Rigid Dy-
namics solver will very often handle these discontinuities, and redistribute velocities
after the discontinuity according to all active joint loads. This process of redistribution
of velocities usually provides accurate results; however, no shock solution is performed,
and this process is not guaranteed to produce a physically acceptable energy redistri-
bution. A closer look at the total energy probe will tell you if the solution is valid. In
case the redistribution is not done properly, use one step instead of two to use an
interpolated, smooth position variation with respect to time.

Discontinuities of positions and angles are not a physically acceptable situation. Results
obtained in this case may not be physically sensible. Workbench cannot detect this

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

situation up front. If you proceed with position discontinuities, the solution may abort
or produce false results.

Joint Load Rotations

For fixed axis rotations, it is possible to count a number of turns. For 3D general rota-
tions, it is not possible to count turns. In a single axis case, although it is possible to
prescribe angles higher than 2π, it is not recommended because Workbench can lose
count of the number of turns based on the way you ramp the angle. You should avoid
prescribing angular displacements with angles greater than Pi when loading bushing
joints, because the angle-moment relationship could differ from the stiffness definition
if the number of turns is inaccurate, or in case of Euler angles singularity. It is highly
recommended that you use an angular velocity joint load instead of an angle value
to ramp a rotation, whenever possible.

For example, replace a rotation joint load designed to create a joint rotation from an
angle from 0 to 720 degrees over 2 seconds by an angular velocity of 360 de-
grees/second. The second solution will always provide the right result, while the be-
havior of the first case can sometimes lead to the problems mentioned above.

For 3D rotations on a general joint for example, no angle over 2π can be handled.
Use an angular velocity joint load instead.

Multiple Joint Loads On The Same Joint

When prescribing a position or an angle on a joint, velocities and acceleration are also
prescribed. The use of multiple joint loads on the same joint motion can cause for
joint loads to be determined inaccurately.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

Only synchronous (p. 1715) solves are supported for rigid dynamics analyses.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

Use a Solution Information object to track, monitor, or diagnose problems that arise
during solution.

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Analysis Types

Applicable results are Deformation and Probe results.

Note:

If you highlight Deformation results in the tree that are scoped to rigid
bodies, the corresponding rigid bodies in the Geometry window are not
highlighted.

To plot different results against time on the same graph or plot one result quantity
against a load or another results item, use the Chart and Table (p. 1449) feature.

If you duplicate (p. 9) a rigid dynamics analysis, the results of the duplicated branch
are also cleared (p. 1488).

Joint Conditions and Expressions

When a rotation, position, velocity or angular velocity uses an expression that user the power (^)
operator, such as (x)^(y), the table will not be calculated properly if the value x is equal to zero. This
is because its time derivative uses log(x), which is not defined for x = 0. An easy workaround is to
use x*x*x... (y times), which assumes that y is an integer number and thus can be derived w.r.t time
without using the log operator.

Remote Force
Remote Force (p. 1215) direction can be configured in rigid dynamics analyses using the Follower Load
option. Remote direction can be either constant (Follower Load=No, Default), or it can follow the
underlying body/part (Follower Load=Yes).

Command Reference for Rigid Dynamics Systems

The Rigid Dynamics solver uses an object-based approach that uses Python-based commands that
follow Python syntax. This section explains this approach and the role of Python in rigid body com-
mands. It also provides a library of commands for rigid dynamics analyses (arranged by parent object)
and examples of command usage. Topics available in this section include:

An ACT extension is provided to facilitate the creation of complex joint and body loads that would
otherwise require using Python command snippets. You can find information about how to load and
use the extension in Using the Rigid Dynamics Variable Load Extension (p. 394).
IronPython References
The Rigid Dynamics Object Model
Rigid Dynamics Command Objects Library
Command Use Examples
Debugging RBD Commands with Visual Studio
Using RBD commands with Excel
Using RBD Commands from the IronPython Console

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

IronPython References
Rigid dynamics uses an object-based approach, so it is useful to have experience with object oriented
programming and the Python language when writing commands for the solver. ANSYS Workbench
scripting is based on IronPython, which is well integrated with the rest of the .NET Framework (on
Windows) and Mono CLR (on Linux). This makes all related libraries easily available to Python pro-
grammers while maintaining compatibility with the Python language. For more information on
IronPython, see http://ironpython.net.

IronPython is compatible with existing Python scripts, but not all C-based Python library modules
are available under IronPython. Refer to the IronPython website for more information. For more
information on Python, including a standard language reference, see http://www.python.org/.

The Rigid Dynamics Object Model

In the rigid dynamics object-based approach, the Environment is the top level object that allows
access to all other underlying objects. The environment is associated with an environment object
in the Mechanical tree. Many environments can exist on the same model. The model is called the
System in the Rigid Dynamics Object model. The system contains the physical representation of
the model, and the environment contains the representation of a given simulation done on the
model. This means that Bodies and Joints belong to the systems, and Joint Conditions or Loads
are available on the environment.

You can access an object using its unique ID, which is the same ID used by Mechanical. Global
object tables help you to access an object for which you have an ID.

For example, a Joint with the ID _jid can be accessed using the following call:
Joint= CS_Joint.Find(_jid)

CS_xxx is the table of all xxx type objects.

If the ID of an object is not known, or if only one occurrence of the object exists in the object
model, query the object table to find the first occurrence of a given object type. This is explained
in the following example:
Environment = CS_Environment.FindFirstNonNull()

GetId()
This call returns the object ID.

GetName()
This call returns the object name.

SetName(name)
This call sets or changes the object name.

Some objects have to be created by calling the object constructor. For example, to create a constant
variable:
Var = CS_ConstantVariable()

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Analysis Types

Rigid Dynamics Command Objects Library

The following rigid dynamics command objects are available:

Actuator (p. 352)

Basis (p. 353)
Body (p. 353)
Body Coordinate System (p. 354)
Body Load (p. 355)
CMSBody (p. 356)
Condition (p. 356)
Contact (p. 357)
ContactDebugMask (p. 358)
ContactOptions (p. 359)
Driver (p. 359)
Environment (p. 360)
Flexible Body (p. 362)
GILTable (p. 363)
Joint (p. 365)
JointDOFLoad (p. 368)
Load (p. 369)
Measure (p. 369)
MSolverDB (p. 373)
PointsTable (p. 373)
PolynomialTable (p. 374)
Relation (p. 375)
Spring (p. 377)
SolverOptions (p. 376)
System (p. 377)
Table (p. 378)
UserTable (p. 378)
Variable (p. 379)

Actuator
The actuator is the base class for all Loads (p. 369), Body Loads (p. 355), and Drivers (p. 359).

ID table: CS_Actuator

Members:

Condition
All actuators can be conditional. See Condition (p. 356) to create this condition.

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AppliedValue
Measure that stores the evaluation of the actuator variable. Can be useful when the applied
value depends on a measure other than time.

EnergyMeasure
Measure that stores the energy generated by the actuator.

Member Functions:
There are two ways to define the value of the load: using a variable, or by defining a table of input
measures (in which case a variable is defined automatically).

SetVariable(variable)
variable is a list of input measures in table form.

SetInputMeasure(measure)
measure is typically the time measure object, but other measures can be used as well. When
using an expression to define a load variation, the measure must have only one component
(it cannot be a vector measure). The variation can be defined by a constant, an expression, or
a table.

SetConstantValues(value)
value is a Python float constant. See Relation (p. 375) object for defining a constant.

SetTable(table)
table is a CS_Table.

SetFunc(string, is_degree)
string is similar to the expression used in the user interface to define a joint condition by a
function. Note that the literal variable is always called time, even if you are using another
measure as input.

is_degree is a boolean argument. If the expression uses trigonometric function, it

specifies that the input variable should be expressed in degrees.

Basis
A basis is a material frame moving with a body. Each coordinate system has a basis, but multiple co-
ordinate systems can share the same basis.

ID table: CS_Basis

Constructors:

CS_Basis()
CS_Basis(Angle1, Angle2, Angle3)

Members:

double [,]Matrix
Sets or gets function of the transformation matrix

Body
A body corresponds to a Part in the geometry node of the Mechanical tree, or can be created by a
command snippet. The preset _bid variable can be used to find a corresponding body.

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Analysis Types

ID table: CS_Body

Example:
MyBody = CS_Body.Find(_bid)
print MyBody.Name

Constructors:

CS_Body()
CS_Body(Id)

Members:

Name
Name of the body.

Origin
Origin Coordinate System of the body. This Coordinate System is the moving coordinate system
of one of the joints connected to the body. The choice of this joint, called parent joint, is the
result of an optimization that minimizes the number of degrees of freedom of the system.

InertiaBodyCoordinateSystem
Inertia body coordinate system of the body.

BodyType
Type of body, values in E_UnknownType, E_Ground, E_Rigid, E_CMS, E_General,
E_Fictitious, E_RigidLeaf, E_RigidSubModel, E_PointMass, E_Beam

Member Functions:

SetMassAndInertia(double mass, double Ixx, double Iyy, double Izz,

double Ixy, double Iyz, double Ixz)
Overwrites the mass and inertia values of a body.

SetCenterOfMassAndOrientationAngles(double Xg, double Yg, double Zg,

double XYAngle, double YZAngle, double XZAngle)and SetCenterOfMassAn-
dOrientationMatrix(double Xg, double Yg, double Zg, double mxx, double
mxy, double mxz, double myx, double myy, double myz, double mzx,
double mzy, double mzz)
Overwrites the position of the center of mass and the orientation of the inertia coordinate
system.

Derived Classes:
CS_FlexibleBody

Body Coordinate System

The body coordinate system is used to connect a body to joints, hold the center of mass, or define a
load. See Joint (p. 365) or Body (p. 353) to access existing coordinate systems. Coordinate systems can
also be created.

ID table: CS_BodyCoordinateSystem

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Constructors:

CS_BodyCoordinateSystem(body, type, xyz, basis)

Members:
Basis (p. 353)

Member Functions:

RotateArrayThroughTimeToLocal(MeasureValues)
Rotates the transient values of a measure to a coordinate system. MeasureValues is a python
two-dimensional array, such as that coming out of FillValuesThroughTime or
FillDerivativesThroughTime. This function works for 3D vectors such as relative
translation between two coordinate systems or 6-D vectors such as forces/moments.

RotateArrayThroughTimeToGlobal(MeasureValues)
Rotates the transient values of a measure from a coordinate system to the global coordinate
system.

Type
Type of coordinate system, values in E_Unknown, E_Ground, E_Part, E_Joint, E_Iner-
tia, E_BodyTransform, E_Contact, E_SplitJoint.

Derived Classes:
None

Example:
forceInGlobal=joint.GetForce()

valuesInGlobal=forceInGlobal.FillValuesThroughTime()

for i in range(0,valuesInGlobal.GetLength(0)):
print '{0:e} {1:e} {2:e} {3:e}'.format(valuesInGlobal[i,0],
valuesInGlobal[i,1],valuesInGlobal[i,2],valuesInGlobal[i,3])

mobileCS=joint.MobileCoordinateSystem

valuesInLocal=valuesInGlobal.Clone()

mobileCS.RotateArrayThroughTimeToLocal(valuesInLocal)

for i in range(0,valuesInGlobal.GetLength(0)):
print '{0:e} {1:e} {2:e} {3:e}'.format(valuesInLocal[i,0],
valuesInLocal[i,1],valuesInLocal[i,2],valuesInLocal[i,3])

Body Load
A body load is a load that is applied to all bodies in the system. Gravity or global acceleration are body
loads.

The body load must implement a GetAccelerationVector method. This vector is applied
to the center of mass of each body. In order to maintain the energy balance of the system, the
body load must also implement a ComputeEnergy method.

Example: Acceleration varying with time

HalfTime = 1.0
HalfAmplitude = 10.0

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Analysis Types

Env=CS_Environment.GetDefault()
Sys=Env.System
(ret,found,time) = Sys.FindOrCreateInternalMeasure(CS_Measure.E_MeasureType.E_Time)

class MyBodyLoad(CS_UserBodyLoad):
def __init__(self):
CS_UserBodyLoad.__init__(self)
self.value = 0.0

def GetAccelerationVector(self,Mass,xyz,vel,bodyLoadForce):
values = time.Values
print 'MyBodyLoad::GetAccelerationVector'
bodyLoadForce[0] = 0.0
bodyLoadForce[1] = 0.0
bodyLoadForce[2] = Mass*HalfAmplitude*math.sin(values[0]*3.14/(2.*HalfTime))

def ComputeEnergy(self,Mass,xyz,vel):
print 'MBodyLoad::ComputeEnergy'
return 0.0

load=MyBodyLoad()
load.value = 10.0

Env=CS_Environment.GetDefault()

Env.BodyLoads.Add(load)

CMSBody
A CMSBody represents a condensed part in the Mechanical tree.

Constructors:
None.

Members:

CondensedPartId (read only)

The ID of the condensed part in the Mechanical tree.

PartIds (read only)

The vector of the IDs of the Mechanical parts that are used in the condensed part.

Member Functions:
None.

Derived Classes:
None.

Condition
Condition causes a load or a joint condition to be active only under defined circumstances. A condition
is expressed in one of the following forms:

1. MeasureComponent operator threshold

2. LeftThreshold < MeasureComponent < RightThreshold

3. LeftCondition operator RightCondition

For case 1:

• MeasureComponent is a scalar Measure (p. 369).

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

• Operator is one of the following math operators:

E_GreaterThan
E_LessThan
E_DoubleEqual
E_ExactlyEqual

• Threshold is the threshold value.

Note:

A condition cannot be shared between various actuators. For example, if two joint
conditions must be deactivated at the same time, two conditions must be created.

Example:
DispCond = CS_Condition(CS_Condition.E_ConditionType.E_GreaterThan,DispX,0.1)

For case 2:

• MeasureComponent is a scalar Measure (p. 369).

• LeftThreshold and RightThreshold are the bounds within which the condition will
be true.
Example:
RangeCond = CS_Condition(DispX,0.0,0.1)

For case 3:

• LeftThreshold and RightThreshold are two conditions (case 1, 2 or 3).

• Operator is one of the following boolean operators:

E_Or
E_And
Example:
BoolCond = CS_Condition(CS_Condition.E_ConditionType.E_Or, RangeCond, DispCond)

Contact
A Contact corresponds to a contact pair between two bodies.

Corresponding ID table: CS_Contact

Note:

If multiple contact objects have been defined between the same two bodies (with
different surfaces), the solver merges them into one single pair. In that case, only

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Analysis Types

one of the contact pairs exists and the call to CS_Contact.Find(_cid) will fail
for all contact objects other than the one that was used to handle the pair of bodies.

Constants:
None

Members:
None

Member Functions:

GetOutputContactForce()
Retrieves a measure that contains the total contact force between the two linked bodies.

ContactDebugMask
The ContactDebugMask object allows you to activate and customize the output of contact points. It
can also be used to modify the default behaviour of contact. ContactDebugMask uses a set of switches
that can be toggled on or off.

ID table: CS_ContactDebugMask

Constants:
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_None,
(*)E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Point1: point on the side 1 (contact)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Point2: point on the side 2 (target)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Normal: contact normal
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Normal1: normal on side 1 (Reference)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Normal2: normal on side 2 (Target)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Violation: contact violation (rd.n = P1P2.n)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_MaterialVelocity: material normal velocity (V2-V1).n
(*)E_DEBUG_Flag.E_TotalVelocity: total normal velocity (material velocity + sliding velocity)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_EntityId1: geometric entity Id on side 1 (contact)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_EntityId2: geometric entity Id on side 2 (target)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_SurfaceId1: surface Id on side 1 (contact)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_SurfaceId2: surface Id on side 2 (target)
(*)E_DEBUG_Flag.E_EntityType: type of geometric entities (vertex/edge/surface)
(*)E_DEBUG_Flag.E_GeometricStatus: status of the contact position and velocity (touching,separated,..
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Accepted: points that are finally kept
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_InconsistentPoint: points not consistent with rank analysis
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_ReceivedPoint: all points send by the contact
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_DeletedPoint: points deleted during Geometric Filtering
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_TrackedPoint: points successfully tracked
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_TrackedPointFailure: points that failed for tracking
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_NormalAngle: angle between normal (in degrees)
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_SlidingVelocity1: sliding velocity on side 1 (contact) in global coordinates
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_SlidingVelocity2: sliding velocity on side 2 (target) in global coordinates
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_FailSafeFilteringMode: adjust contact radius to accept at least one point
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_CheckIntegration: check consistency of integration between solver and contact
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_RankAnalysis: result from rank analysis
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Transition: result from edge transitions analysis
(*)E_DEBUG_Flag.E_NewTimeStep: at beginning of time step
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_BeforeCorrection: before external loop of correction
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_BeforeCorrectionPlus: before geometric correction
E_DEBUG_Flag.E_All

Members:
None

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Member Functions:

SetOn(E_DEBUG_Flag flag)
Enable output of contact points information specified by flag.

SetOff(E_DEBUG_Flag flag)
Disable output of contact points information specified by flag.

Example:
CS_ContactDebugMask.SetOn(E_DEBUG_Flag.E_Accepted)

ContactOptions
The ContactOptions object allows you to customize the behaviour of a contact server. ContactOptions
uses a set of numerical values (real or integer) that can be get or set. When used as a switch, 0 means
off and 1 is on.

Constants:
None

Members:

TimeOut
Time in second (=30.0 by default)

Verbose
Enable verbose mode in contact.out file (=0, disabled by default)

NumberOfThreads
Number of parallel threads used for contact detection (=2 by default)

Member Functions:
None

Example:
cOpts=CS_ContactOptions()
cOpts.Verbose=1

Driver
A driver is a position, velocity or acceleration, or translational or rotational joint condition. Drivers
derive from the Actuator class.

Corresponding ID table: CS_Actuator

Constants:
E_Acceleration, E_Position, E_Velocity

Members:
None

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Analysis Types

Member Functions:

CS_Driver(CS_Joint joint, int[] components, E_MotionType driverMotion-

Type)
Creation of a joint driver, on joint joint, degree of freedom components, and with motion
type driverMotionType. Note that the same driver can prescribe more than one joint
motion at the same time. This is useful if you want to add the same condition to all components
of a prescribed motion for example. Components must be ordered, are zero based, and refer
to the actual free degrees of freedom of the joint.

Environment
This is the top level of the Rigid Dynamics model.

ID table: CS_Environment

Members:

System:
Corresponding system.

Example:
Env=CS_Environment.FindFirstNonNull()
Sys = Env.System

Ground:
Ground body.

Example:
Env = CS_Environment.FindFirstNonNull()
Ground = Env.Ground

Loads:
The vector of existing loads. This includes Springs that are considered by the solver as loads,
as well as force and torque joint conditions.

Example:
Xdof = 0
Friction=CS_JointDOFLoad(PlanarJoint,Xdof)
Env.Loads.Add(Friction)

BodyLoads:
The vector of Body Loads.

Example:

MyBodyLoad = CS_BodyLoad()
…
Env.BodyLoads.Add(MyBodyLoad)

Relations:
The vector of external constraint equations.

Example:

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

rel3=CS_Relation()
rel3.MotionType=CS_Relation.E_MotionType.E_Velocity

var30=CS_ConstantVariable()
var30.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([0.]))

var31=CS_ConstantVariable()
var31.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([23.]))

var32=CS_ConstantVariable()
var32.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([37.]))

var33=CS_ConstantVariable()
var33.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([-60.+37.]))

rel3.SetVariable(var30)
rel3.AddTerm(jp,0,var31)
rel3.AddTerm(js3,0,var32)
rel3.AddTerm(jps,0,var33)

Env.Relations.Add(rel3)

Drivers:
The vector of Displacements, Velocity and Acceleration joint conditions.

InitialConditions:
The vector of Displacements, Velocity, and Acceleration joint conditions to be used only at
time=0.

PotentialEnergy:
Gets the Potential Energy Measure.

KineticEnergy:
Gets the Kinetic Energy Measure.

TotalEnergy:
Gets the Total Energy Measure.

ActuatorEnergy:
Gets the Actuator Energy Measure.

RestartTime
Specifies the starting time in a restart analysis

Member Functions:

FindFirstNonNull():
Returns the first environment in the global list. The table usually contains only one environment,
thus it is a common way to access the current environment.

Example:
Env=CS_Environment.FindFirstNonNull()

AlterSimulationEndTime(endTime)
Overwrites the end time of the simulation.

Solve()
Solves the current analysis.

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Derived Classes:
None

FlexibleBody
A Flexible Body is used by RBD for bodies that have flexible behavior, for instance a CMSBody (p. 356).

Constructors:
None.

Members:

AlphaDamping
Uses a variable to define the amount of alpha Rayleigh damping (proportional to the mass
matrix) to be considered for the flexible body. The variable can be either dependent or constant.

Example:
aFlexibleBody.AlphaDamping=100

Or equivalently:
var=CS_Variable()
var.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([100.]))
aFlexibleBody.AlphaDamping=var

BetaDamping
Uses a variable to define the amount of beta Rayleigh damping (proportional to the mass
matrix) to be considered for the flexible body. The variable can be either dependent or constant.

Example:
Env=CS_Environment.GetDefault()
Sys=Env.System

array=System.Array.CreateInstance(float,4,2)
array[0,0]=0.0
array[0,1]=5.e-6
array[1,0]=0.05
array[1,1]=5.e-6
array[2,0]=0.051
array[2,1]=1.e-4
array[3,0]=0.1
array[3,1]=1.e-4

table=CS_PointsTable(array)

(err,found,time)=Sys.FindOrCreateInternalMeasure(CS_Measure.E_MeasureType.E_Time)

var=CS_Variable()
var.AddInputMeasure(time)
var.SetTable(table)

aFlexibleBody.BetaDamping = var

CMatrixScaleFactor
Define a factor to be used to multiply the default damping matrix. For instance, with a CMS-
Body (p. 356), this matrix can be created during the generation pass. When the damping matrix
is generated for a Condensed Part (CMSBody (p. 356)), it will be automatically taken into account
in the RBD use pass with a factor equal to 1.0.

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Member Functions:

SetModalDamping(iDof, variable)
Define the amount of damping used for the degree of freedom specified by iDof (index starts
at 0). The variable can be either dependent or constant.

GetModalDamping(iDof)
Retrieve the damping variable defined for the degree of freedom iDof (index starts at 0).

SetLoadVectorScaleFactor(iLV, variable)
Define a scale factor applied to the flexible body internal load specified by iLV (index starts
at 0). By default, the first load vector uses a constant scale factor equal to 1.0.

GetLoadVectorScaleFactor(iLV, variable)
Retrieve the variable associated to the factor specified by iLV (index starts at 0).

Derived Classes:
CS_CMSBody

GILTable
A general multi-input interpolated table based on an unstructured cloud of points.

Corresponding ID table: CS_GILTable

Member Functions:

CS_GILTable(sizeIn,sizeOut)
Creates a GIL table with sizeIn inputs and sizeOut outputs

CS_GILTable(sizeIn, sizeOut, filename, scale, separator, noHeader)

Creates a GIL table from a text file; filename is the name of the file containing the points
(typically a .CSV file). This file must be in ASCII format, with one data point per row. Each row
must contain sizeIn + sizeOut columns. The columns must be separated by a character
specified by the argument separator. The default value of separator is ,. scale is an
optional argument that scales all the output values. The default value, used if the optional ar-
gument is not specified, is 1.0. noHeader is a boolean, optional argument that should be
true if there is no first row with labels.

Example file:

Velocity, Deflection, Force

0.,0.,10.0
100.,0.,200.0
...

AddInterpolationPoint(values)
Adds an interpolation point to the General Interpolation Table. values is a one dimensional
array of size sizeIn+sizeOut. The first sizeIn values in array values corresponds to
the values of the input variables. The following sizeOut values in array values correspond
to the output values.

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Analysis Types

Example 1: Creation of a Nonlinear Stiffness Value That Depends on Spin Velocity

(Omega) and on Deflection (dY)
VarForceY = CS_Variable();
#
# Variable 0: spin
VarForceY.AddInputMeasure(SpinMeasure )
#
# Variable 1: Y displacement
VarForceY.AddInputMeasure( TransY )
#
# Create table with 2 input and 1 output
EvalY = CS_GILTable(2,1)

Omega = -1.0
dY = -1e-4
stiff = -9.0

values=System.Array.CreateInstance(float,3)

values[0] = Omega
values[1] = dY
values[2] = stiff
EvalY.AddInterpolationPoint( values )

Omega = 11.0
dY = -1e-4
stiff = -21.0
values[0] = Omega
values[1] = dY
values[2] = stiff
EvalY.AddInterpolationPoint( values )
…

AddInterpolationPointArray(values)
Adds a set of points to the General Interpolation Table. values is a two dimensional array of
size (numberOfPoints, sizeIn+sizeOut). On each row of the array, first sizeIn values
in array values corresponds to the values of the input variables. The following sizeOut
values in array values correspond to the output values. Each row contains a single interpol-
ation point in the cloud of points.

Example 2: Creation of a Nonlinear Force Value (F) That Depends on Deflection

(dX)
ForceVariable = CS_Variable()
ForceVariable.AddInputMeasure( TransX )
Evaluator = CS_GILTable( 1,1 )
values = System.Array.CreateInstance( float, 6, 2 )
dX = 0.0
F = 0.0
values[0,0] = dX
values[0,1] = F

dX = 10.0
F = 1.0
values[1,0] = dX
values[1,1] = F

dX = 30.0
F = 2.0
values[2,0] = dX
values[2,1] = F

dX = 60.0
F = 3.0
values[3,0] = dX
values[3,1] = F

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

dX = 90.0
F = 4.0
values[4,0] = dX
values[4,1] = F

dX = 130.0
F = 5.0
values[5,0] = dX
values[5,1] = F
Evaluator.AddInterpolationPointArray( values )

SetVerbosity(bVerbose)
If bVerbose is set to true, the GILTable will print the output value every time it is evaluated.
This can be used for debugging purposes, but it will affect the performance if used on a table
in a long simulation.

Limitations:
These tables can only be used to apply forces and moments, not for other joint conditions or remote
displacements.

Joint
ID table: CS_Joint

Constants: For the joint type (E_JointType):

E_2DSlotJoint, E_BushingJoint, E_CylindricalJoint, E_GeneralJoint,

E_FixedJoint, E_FreeJoint, E_PlanarJoint, E_PointOnCurveJoint, E_Revol-
uteJoint, E_ScrewJoint, E_SingleRotationGeneralJoint, E_SlotJoint,
E_SphericalJoint, E_TranslationalJoint, E_TwoRotationGeneralJoint,
E_UniversalJoint,

Members:

Name
Name of the joint

ReferenceCoordinateSystem
Joint reference coordinate system

Example:
J1 = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
CSR = J1.ReferenceCoordinateSystem

MovingCoordinateSystem
Joint moving coordinate system

Example:
J1 = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
CSM = J1. MovingCoordinateSystem

Type
Joint type

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Analysis Types

IsRevert
The internal representation of the joint can use flipped reference and mobile coordinate sys-
tems. In that case, all the joint results (e.g., forces, moments, rotation, velocities and acceleration)
must be multiplied by -1 to go from their internal representation to the user representation.
As transient values of joint measures are giving the internal representation, use this IsRevert
information to know if results should be negated.

AccelerationFromVelocitiesDerivatives
When extracting joint degrees of freedom on joints that return true, accelerations should be
done using the time derivatives of the joint velocity measure. On joints that return false, joint
DOF derivatives should be extracted using the joint acceleration measure. It is important to
check this flag first. Use of the wrong method to query joint acceleration can result in failure
or incorrect results.

Example:
if Universal.AccelerationFromVelocitiesDerivatives:
UniversalAccelerationValues=UniversalVelocityM.FillDerivativesThroughTime()
else:
UniversalAcceleration = Universal.GetAcceleration()
UniversalAccelerationValues=UniversalAcceleration.FillDataThroughTime()

Stops
Returns the list of the stops defined on the joint.

Member Functions:

GetVelocity()
Returns the joint velocity measure. The size of this measure is the number of degrees of freedom
of the joint. The derivatives of this measure give access to the joint accelerations.

GetRotation()
Returns the joint rotation measure. The type of measure depends on the joint number of rota-
tional degrees of freedom (E_1DRotationMeasure, E_3DRotationMeasure, E_Uni-
versalAngles). These rotations components are relative to the reference coordinate system
of the joint.

GetTranslation()
Returns the joint translation measure. The length of this measure is the number of translational
degrees of freedom of the joint. The translation components are expressed in the reference
coordinate system of the joint.

GetForce()
Returns the joint force measure. The length of this measure is always 6 (3 forces components,
3 torque component). This force measure is the total force/moment, including constraint
forces/moment, external forces/moment applied to the joint, and joint internal forces/moment,
such as elastic moment in a revolute joint that has a stiffness on the Z rotation axis. The force
measure components are expressed in the global coordinate system. Note that the sign con-
vention is different from the sign convention used in the Joint Probes in Mechanical.

GetAcceleration()
Returns the joint acceleration measures on the joints that are constraint equations based. See
the AccelerationFromVelocitiesDerivatives member to see when this function
should be used.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Example:
J1 = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
jointRotation = J1.GetRotation()
jointVelocity = J1.GetVelocity()
jointAcceleration = J1.GetAcceleration()
jointForce = J1.GetForce()

SetFrictionVariable(var)
Replaces the constant value already given to the friction coefficient with the expression given
by var.

Example:

Joint = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Var = CS_Variable()
u0 = 0.1
u1 = 0.2
alpha = 0.5
Var.SetFunc('u0+u1exp(-alpha*time)',0)
Var.AddInputMeasure(Joint.GetVelocity())
Joint.SetFrictionVariable(Var)

The command has no effect if no value for the friction coefficient has been provided in
the UI. For more information, see Joint Friction (p. 990)

SetFrictionTolerance(tol)
Sets the friction tolerance.

Example:

Joint = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Joint = Joint.SetFrictionTolerance(1e-4)

Derived Classes:
On SphericalJoint, SlotJoint, BushingJoint, FreeJoint, GeneralJoint.

Member Function

AddStop(angle_max, restitution_factor)
Adds a spherical stop to a joint that has three rotations. A spherical stop constrains the
motion of the X and Y rotational degrees of freedom, to give to the joint the behavior of
a loose revolute joint, with a rotational gap. This will allow easier handling of over-con-
strained systems and building higher fidelity models without having to use contact.

angle_max
The angle between the reference coordinate system Zr axis and the moving coordinate
system Zm. Zr is the natural revolute axis.

restitution_factor
The restitution factor, similar to other joint stops (p. 1029).

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Analysis Types

Zr

Zm

Yr

Xr

On CylindricalJoint:

ReplaceByScrew(pitch)
Creates a relation between the translational and the rotational degrees of freedom of
a cylindrical joint.

Note:

• The pitch is in the current length unit. Any stop and/or lock defined on
the original cylindrical joint is not transferred to the screw joint. Similarly,
any constraint equation defined on the original cylindrical joint is not
converted and so will prevent a proper solution.

• The ReplaceByScrew command is deprecated. It is replaced by the Screw

Joint (p. 970) provided in the Mechanical UI.

On Bushing Joint:

GetBushingAngles()
Returns the measure of the joint angles. This measure is used to compute the forces
and torques developed in the joint. Note that this is only available for post-processing
operations, as the measure does not exist before the solve has been performed.

Creating New Joints:

The following joint can be created by commands:

CS_GeneralJoint(from, to, FreeX, FreeY, FreeZ, FreeRX, FreeRY,

FreeRZ)
Where from and to are of type CS_BodyCoordinateSystem and Free* are integers where
0 is no available motion and nonzero is available motion. Selecting two free rotations is not allowed.

JointDOFLoad
JointDOFLoads are loads applied on a given degree of freedom of a joint. The load is applied in the
joint reference coordinate system.

JointDOFLoad derives from Load (p. 369).

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Constructor:

CS_JointDOFLoad(joint,dof)

joint
A joint object

dof
An integer that defines the joint degree of freedom to be included in the term. The ordering
of the degrees of freedom sets the translation degrees of freedom first. The degrees of freedom
numbering is zero based. For example, in a slot joint, the translational degree of freedom is 0,
while the third rotational degree of freedom is 3.

Members:
None

Member functions:
None

Load
Loads derive from the Actuator (p. 352) class. They are derived from various types of loads, such as the
CS_JointDOFLoad.

Corresponding ID table: CS_Actuator

Members:
None

Members Functions:
None

Measure:
Most useful measures are pre-existing in the rigid dynamics model, and can be accessed using other
object “get” functions. Additional measures can be created before solving for use in custom post-
processing or as input values for joint conditions. For example, measures can be created to express
conditions. In this case, the measure must be added to the system to be computed at each time step
(see component measure example below).

ID table: CS_Measure

Constants: For the measure type (E_MeasureType):

E_1DRotationJoint, E_3DRotationBody, E_3DRotationJoint, E_Acceleration,

E_ActuatorStatus, E_ActuatorEnergy, E_AnsysJointForceAndTorque, E_AXPY,
E_BodyAcceleration, E_BodyIntertialBCSQuaternion, E_BodyRotation, E_Bo-
dyTranslation, E_CenterOfGravity, E_Component, E_Constant, E_Contact,
E_ContactForce, E_ContactVelocity, E_Counter, E_Displacement, E_Distance,
E_DistanceDot, E_Divides, E_EigenValue, E_DOFSensitivity, E_Dot,
E_ElasticEnergy, E_Energy, E_EulerAngles, E_ForceMagnitude, E_Forces,
E_IntegratedOmega, E_JointAcceleration, E_JointDOFFrictionCone,
E_JointDriverForce, E_JointForce, E_JointMBDVelocity, E_JointNormalForce,
E_JointTranslation, E_JointRotation, E_JointVelocity, E_KineticEnergy,
E_MassMomentsOfInertia, E_MeasureDotInDirectionOfLoad, E_Minus, E_Modulus,
E_Multiplies, E_Norm, E_Omega, E_OmegaDot, E_OutputContactForce, E_Plus,

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Analysis Types

E_PointOnCurveGeometryMeasure, E_PointOnCurveJointSigmaMeasure,
E_PointToPointRotation, E_PointToPointRotationDot, E_Position, E_Poten-
tialEnergy, E_RadialGap, E_ReferenceEnergy, E_RelativeAcceleration,
E_RelativePosition, E_RelativeVelocity, E_RotationalRelativeDOF, E_Rota-
tionMatrix, E_SphericalStop, E_StopVelocity, E_StopStatus, E_Time,
E_TimeStep, E_TranslationalJoint, E_UniversalAngles, E_UnknownType, E_User,
E_Velocity, E_Violation, E_XYZAnsysRotationAngles, E_ZYXRotationAngles,

Members:

Length:
Number of components of the measure

Example:
nbValues = Measure.Length

Type:
Measure type

Calculation Method:
A measure can use direct calculation or be time integrated. On a measure that uses direct
calculation, it is possible to retrieve the measure value through time. On a measure that is
time-integrated, both values and time derivatives can be retrieved.

Name:
Measure Name

Member Functions:

FillValuesThroughTime()
Returns a two dimensional array. This function is to be called after the solution has been per-
formed. The first dimension of the returned array is the number of time values in the transient.
The second dimension is the size of the measure plus one. The first column contains the time
values, while the subsequent columns contain the corresponding measure values.

Example:
jointRotation = J1.GetRotation()
jointVelocity = J1.GetVelocity()
jointAcceleration = J1.GetAcceleration()
jointForce = J1.GetForce()

jointRotationValues =jointRotation.FillDataThroughTime()
jointVelocityValues =jointVelocity.FillDataThroughTime()
jointAccelerationValues =jointAcceleration.FillDataThroughTime()
jointForceValues =jointForce.FillDataThroughTime()

nbValues = jointRotationValues.GetLength(0)

print jointRotation.Id

print ' Time Rotation Velocity Acceleration'

for i in range(0,nbValues):
print jointRotationValues[i,0],jointRotationValues[i,1],jointVelocityValues[i,1],jointAccelerat

fich.close()

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

FillDerivativesThroughTime()
Returns a two dimensional array. This function is to be called after the solution has been per-
formed. The first dimension of the returned array is the number of time values in the transient.
The second dimension is the size of the measure plus one: the first column contains the time
values, while the subsequent columns contain the corresponding measure derivatives. These
derivatives are available on measures that are time integrated. To know if a measure is time
integrated, use the CalculationMethod member.

Derived Classes:

CS_JointVelocityMeasure
Both translational and rotational joint velocities are expressed in the joint reference coordinate
system. The number of components is the number of translational degrees of freedom plus
the number of rotational degrees of freedom. For example, the size of the joint velocity
measure for a revolute joint is 1. It contains the relative joint rotation velocity along the z axis
of the joint reference coordinate system. The size of the measure for a slot joint is 4: one
component for the relative translational velocity, and the 3 components of the relative rota-
tional velocity. The joint velocity measure can be obtained from the joint using the GetVelo-
city function. Rotational velocities are expressed in radians/second.

CS_JointAccelerationMeasure
Both translational and rotational joint accelerations are expressed in the joint reference co-
ordinate system. The number of components is the number of translational degrees of freedom
plus the number of rotational degrees of freedom. The joint acceleration measure can be ob-
tained from the joint using the GetAcceleration function.

CS_JointRotationMeasure

• For revolute joints, cylindrical joints, or single rotation general joints, this measure has only
one component: the relative angle between the reference and the moving coordinate system
of the joint. Rotations are expressed in radians.

• For slots, spherical joints, bushing joints, and 3 rotation vectors, this measure contains values
that are not directly usable.

• For universal joints, this measure contains the two joint axis rotational velocities. (The first
one along the X axis of the reference coordinate system and the second along the Z axis of
the moving coordinate system.) These angles are expressed in radians.

CS_JointTranslationMeasure
This measure contains only the joint relative translations, expressed in the joint reference co-
ordinate system. The joint translation measure can be obtained from the joint using the
GetTranslationfunction.

CS_JointForceMeasure
This measure contains the total forces and moment that develop in the joint. This includes
constraint forces, elastic forces, and external forces. The joint velocity measure can be obtained
from the joint using the GetForcefunction.

CS_PositionMeasure
This measure allows for tracking of the position of a Body Coordinate System over time.

Example:

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Analysis Types

CoMBCS = OneBody.InertiaBodyCoordinateSystem
Pos = CS_PositionMeasure(CoMBCS)
Env=CS_Environment.FindFirstNonNull()
Sys = Env.System
Sys.AddMeasure(Pos)

CS_ComponentMeasure
This measure allows the extraction of one component of an existing measure. This component
can be expressed in a non default coordinate system. A component of -2 will compute the
norm 2 of the vector of values of the measure.

Example:
Planar = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Vel = Planar.GetVelocity()
Xglobaldirection = 0
VelX = CS_ComponentMeasure(Vel,Xglobaldirection)
Sys.AddMeasure(VelX)

CS_AXPYMeasure
This measure allows a linear transformation from another measure with a scaling factor and
an offset. This can be useful to transform an internal rotation measure that is expressed in ra-
dians to a measure in degrees used as an input to a load calculation, for example.

Example:

Revolute = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Rot = Revolute.GetRotation()
RotInDegrees = CS_AXPYMeasure( Rot, 180.0/math.pi, 0. )
Sys.AddMeasure(RotInDegrees)

CS_ModulusMeasure
This measure allows you to compute the floating point remainder of value/modulus.

Example:

Revolute = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Rot = Revolute.GetRotation()
Rot02pi = CS_ModulusMeasure( Rot, 2.0*math.pi )
Sys.AddMeasure(Rot02pi)

CS_OutputContactForceMeasure
This measure contains four 3D vectors:

• Values 0 to 2 are the total contact force components between the two bodies, including
the normal and tangential contributions.

• Values 3 to 5 are the coordinates of the point where the interaction between the two bodies
is reduced to a force; in other words, the total torque is zero.

• Values 6 to 8 are the frictional force between the two bodies.

• Values 9 to 11 are frictional moment components at the reduction point.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

MSolverDB
Solver database. The database is both the input and the results file to the solver. It can be used to
solve outside the Mechanical session (for example, for co-simulation purposes) or to restart from a
previous run.

Members:

SetFileName(FileName)
Set the database file name.

SetDirectoryName(DirectoryName)
Set the database directory.

ReadDatabase()
Read the content of the database.

WriteDatabase()
Write the current database to a file.

DeleteDatabase()
Delete the database.

CloseDatabase()
Close the database file.

OpenDatabase()
Open the database file and reads the database content table.

Dispose()
Clear the content of the database and free memory used by the database.

PointsTable
Corresponding ID table: CS_PointsTable

Members Functions:

CS_PointsTable( tab )
tab is a two dimensional array where the first column contains the input values and the second
column contains the corresponding output values.

Example:
tab = System.Array.CreateInstance(float,6,2)
tab[0,0]=-100.
tab[1,0]=-8.
tab[2,0]=-7.9
tab[3,0]= 7.9
tab[4,0]= 8.
tab[5,0]= 100.

tab[0,1]=1.0
tab[1,1]=1.0
tab[2,1]=0.1
tab[3,1]=0.1
tab[4,1]=1.0
tab[5,1]=1.0
Table = CS_PointsTable(tab);

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Analysis Types

Here, the output (shown as Stiffness in the chart above) varies in a linear, piece-wise
manner. For values of input less than -8.0 or greater than 8.0, the output is equal to 1.0.
For values between -7.9 and +7.9, the output is 0.1. The transition is linear between -
8.0 and -7.9, and as well between +7.9 and +8.0.

PolynomialTable
Corresponding ID: CS_PolynomialTable

Create a polynomial relation between sizeIn inputs and sizeOut outputs using the following
function:

Where i denotes the index of input and goes from 1 to n (sizeIn), j denotes the index of
output (from 1 to sizeOut).

Member Functions:

CS_PolynomialTable()
Creates an empty polynomial table.

Initialize(constant)
Specialized for 1x1 table. Initializes the table to be a 1 input, 1 output table, and sets the con-
stant term (constant is a float value).

Initialize(sizeIn,sizeOut,constantValues)
(generic version) Initializes the table with sizeIn inputs and sizeOut outputs and sets the
constant terms. sizeIn and sizeOut are two integer values, and constantValues is an
array of sizeOut float values.

AddTerm(coefficient,order)
Specialized for 1x1 table. Adds one monomial term to the table. The coefficient is a float value
and order is an integer value giving the power of the input.

AddTerm(coefficients,orders)
(generic version) Adds one monomial term to the table. The coefficients are given by a sizeOut
float array and the power for each input by an array of sizeIn integers.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Relation
The relation object enables you to write constraint equations between degrees of freedom of the
model. For example, two independent lines of shaft can be coupled using a relation between their
rotational velocities.

If you have a gear coupling between two shafts where the second shaft rotates twice as fast
as the first one, you can write the following equation:

2.0 X Ω1 + Ω2 = 0

where Ω1 and Ω2 are joint rotational velocities.

This relation contains two terms and a constant right hand side equal to zero.

The first term (2 X Ω1) can be described using the following information:

• A joint selection

• A joint degree of freedom selection

• The nature of motion that is used in the equation (joint velocities, which is the most common case).
For convenience, the nature of motion upon which the constraint equation is formulated is considered
as being shared by all the terms in the relation.

This information defines Ω1

• The factor 2.0 in the equation can be described by a constant variable, whose value is 2.0

ID table: CS_Actuator

The coefficients of the relation can be constant or variable; however, the use of non-constant
coefficients is limited to relations between velocities and relations between accelerations. If
non-constant coefficients are used for relations between positions, the solution will not proceed.

Constants:
E_Acceleration, E_Position, E_Velocity

Members:
None

Member Functions:

SetRelationType(type)
Type of relation, with type selected in the previous enumeration.

AddTerm(joint, dof, variable)

Adds a term to the equation.

joint
A joint object

dof
An integer that defines the joint degree of freedom to be included in the term. The ordering
of the degrees of freedom sets the translation degrees of freedom first, and that the degrees

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Analysis Types

of freedom numbering is zero based. For example the translational degrees of freedom in
a slot joint is 0, while the third rotational degree of freedom is 3.

variable
A variable object

SetVariable(variable)
Sets the right hand side of the relation.“variable” is a variable object.

SolverOptions
The SolverOptions object allows you to customize the behaviour of the RBD solver. The option uses
a group of numerical values (real or integer) that can be get or set. When used as a switch, 0 means
off and 1 is on.

Corresponding ID table: CS_SolverOptions

Constants:
None

Member Functions:

VelocityToleranceFactor
Multiplicative factor used to determine zero velocity tolerance (=100.0 by default);

ContactRadiusFactor
Contact radius factor used in contact failsafe mode (=2.0 by default);

MaximumNumberOfCorrectionAttempts
Number of external loops for geometric correction (=2 by default));

FrictionForShock
Enable friction for shock solve (=0, disabled by default);

MaximumNumberOfDiagnostics
Number of diagnostics messages given in Mechanical UI (=10 by default);

InactiveTouchingInDynamics
Prevent inactive contact pair from being violated (=1, enabled by default);

DisablePolygonEvent
Disable polygon event for contact (=0, active by default);

PrintDynamicSystem
Print the dynamics system (=0 by default);

PurgeGST
Purge GST file every n steps (=0, never by default);

PrintErrorEstimation
Force output of error estimation (=0, disabled by default);

ExportXLSFileForCMS
Export generalized coordinates for CMS bodies in a CSV file (=0, disabled by default)

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

HandlePOCTransitionsWithEnergyMinimization
When point on curve joints are used, different solutions (depending on the topology) may be
found when crossing curve connections. Furthermore, these solutions do not guarantee the
conservation of the kinetic energy at the transition. To remedy this issue, this option makes
the transitions using a method that minimizes the kinetic energy in a way similar to the assembly
process using the inertia matrix (p. 426). This solution works well for explicit time integration
schemes, but it is not guaranteed for implicit ones. (=0, disabled by default)

Example:
sOpts=CS_SolverOptions()
sOpts.ExportXLSFileForCMS=1

Spring
Corresponding ID table: CS_Actuator

Members:
None

Member Functions:

ToggleCompressionOnly()
Calling this function on a translational spring will make the spring develop elastic forces only
if its length is less than the spring free length. The free length has to be defined in the regular
spring properties.

ToggleTensionOnly()
Calling this function on a translational spring will make the spring develop elastic forces only
if its length is greater than the free length of spring. The free length has to be defined in the
regular spring properties.

SetLinearSpringProperties(system, stiffness, freeLength)

Enables you to overwrite the stiffness and free length of a translational spring. This can be
useful to parameterize these properties. For example, system is the system object, stiffness
and free length are the double precision values of stiffness and free length.

SetNonLinearSpringProperties(table_id)
Enables you to replace the constant stiffness of a spring with a table of ID table_id that
gives the force as a function of the elongation of the spring. The table gives the relation
between the force and the relative position of the two ends.

GetDamper()
The user interface has stiffness and damping properties of the spring. Internally, the Spring
is made of two objects; a spring and a damper. This function enables you to access the internal
damper using the Spring object in the GUI.

Derived Classes:
None

System
Corresponding ID table: CS_System

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Analysis Types

Members:

Bodies
Gets the list of bodies.

Joints
Gets the list of joints.

Member Functions:

AddBody(body)
Adds a body to the system.

AddJoint(joint)
Adds a joint to the system.

PrintTopology()
Prints the topology of the systems (parent/child relation).

AddMeasure(measure)
Adds a measure to the system, to be calculated during the simulation. This function must be
called prior to solving so that the measure values through time can be retrieved.

(istat,found,measure)=FindOrCreateInternalMeasure( MeasureType)
Extracts an existing global measure on the system. Supported measure types are: E_Energy,
E_PotentialEnergy, E_ElasticEnergy, E_KineticEnergy, and E_Time.

Derived Classes:
None

Table
A table is the base class for Points Tables, Polynomial Tables, User Tables, and GIL Tables.

ID table: CS_Table

Members:
None

Member Functions:

Evaluate(In, Out)
Allows evaluating a table in Python. In and Out are arrays of float, with sizes correspond-
ing to the table input and output sizes. This function can be called from a user table
for example.

Dispose()
Explicit destruction of the table. This explicit destructor should be used only when the
table hasn’t been assigned to an actuator. When the table is assigned to an actuator,
the actuator is calling this destructor. Omitting to call this destructor can cause the
evaluation of the results to fail.

UserTable
A user table is a function with i input values and o output values, with an evaluator that is defined
in IronPython, allowing complex variation, or even evaluation performed outside the solver.

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Example:

LeftVarCoefX = CS_Variable();

# input 0,1,2 of the variable

LeftVarCoefX.AddInputMeasure( LeftRelTrans )

# input 3 to 8 of the variable

LeftVarCoefX.AddInputMeasure( LeftRelVelo )

class XForceTable(CS_UserTable):
def __init__(self,sizeIn,sizeOut):
CS_UserTable.__init__(self,sizeIn,sizeOut)

def Evaluate(self,In,Out):
TX = In[0]
VX = In[3]

Force = 1000.0*TX
Out[0] = Force
print 'ForceX = {0:e}'.format(Out[0])
return 0

LeftForceTableX = XForceTable( 9, 1 )
LeftVarCoefX.SetTable( LeftForceTableX )

Variable
A variable is an n-dimensional vector quantity that varies over time. It is used to define the variation
of a load or a joint condition, or to express the coefficients in a relation between degrees of freedom.
For convenience, the solver allows the creation of constant variables, where only the value of the
constant has to be provided. More complex variables can be built using a function variable. A function
variable is a function of input, where input is given by a measure (p. 369) and function is described by
a table. In some cases, you are able to replace the table or the measure of an internal variable as used
in a joint condition.

ID table: CS_Variable

Members:
None

Member Functions:

SetConstantValues(value)
value is an array, whose size is equal to the size of the table. To create a constant scalar
variable, the value can be defined as shown in the following example:

value = System.Array[float]([1.0])
System, Array, and float are part of the Python language. The result of this is an array of
size one, containing the value 1.0.

AddInputMeasure(measure)
measure is a measure object. The same variable can have more than one measure. The input
variable of the variable is formed by the values of the input measure in the order that they
have been added to the list of input measures.

SetTable(table)
table is a CS_PointsTable.

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SetFunc(string, is_degree)
string is similar to the expression used in the user interface to define a joint condition by a
function. Note that the literal variable is always called "time", even if you are using another
measure as input. "is_degree" is a boolean argument. If the expression uses a trigonometric
function, it specifies that the input variable should be expressed in degrees.

Note:

Variables cannot be shared by different actuators.

Derived Classes:
ConstantVariable

Command Use Examples

The following command use examples are included in this section:
Constraint Equation
Joint Condition: Initial Velocity
Joint Condition: Control Using Linear Feedback
Non-Linear Spring Damper
Spherical Stop
Export of Joint Forces
Breakable Joint

Constraint Equation
This example considers the gear mechanism shown below.

A relation is created between two revolute joints to simulate a gear with a ratio 2 M. Commands
are used to enforce the ratio of velocities between the two wheels, and create a linear relation
between rotational velocities, defined by:

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(1)*ω 1 + (-2)*ω2 = 0

First, the joint objects are retrieved using their IDs:

j1id = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
j2id = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)

Next, the relationship between the two wheels is defined. The complete list of commands is
shown below. A description of these commands follows.

1. A relation object is created and specified as a relation between velocities:

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rel=CS_Relation()
rel.MotionType=CS_Relation.E_MotionType.E_Velocity

2. The constant coefficients that appear in the relation are created. The first constant term is created
by:
var1=CS_ConstantVariable()
var1.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([1.]))

3. The second coefficient and constant right hand side are created by:
var2=CS_ConstantVariable()
var2.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([-2.]))
varrhs=CS_ConstantVariable()
varrhs.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([0.]))

4. The first term of relation (1) X ω_1 is added to the relation object:
rel.AddTerm(j1id,0,var1)

The first argument is the joint object. The second argument defines the DOF (degrees of
freedom) of the joint that are involved in the relation. Here, 0 represents the rotation, which
is the joint’s first and only DOF is the rotation.

5. The second term and right hand side are introduced in the same manner:
rel.AddTerm(j2id,0,var2)
rel.SetVariable (varrhs)

6. The relation is added to the list of relations:

Env=CS_Environment.GetDefault()
Env.Relations.Add(rel)

Joint Condition: Initial Velocity

This example shows how to impose an initial velocity to a joint. A velocity driver (joint condition)
is created using commands and added to the list of initial conditions. During the transient solve,
initial conditions are applied only at t=0.

The complete list of commands and their explanation follows.

Joint=CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
driver=CS_Driver(Joint,System.Array[int]([0]),CS_Driver.E_MotionType.E_Velocity)
Env=CS_Environment.GetDefault()
Sys=Env.System
(ret,found,time) = Sys.FindOrCreateInternalMeasure(CS_Measure.E_MeasureType.E_Time)
driver.SetInputMeasure(time)
driver.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([-4.9033]))
Env.InitialConditions.Add(driver)

1. The joint is retrieved using its ID(_jid):

Joint=CS_Joint.Find(_jid)

2. A velocity driver (imposed velocity) is created on this joint:

driver=CS_Driver(Joint,System.Array[int]([0]),CS_Driver.E_MotionType.E_Velocity)

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The driver constructor takes the joint instance as the first argument. The second argument is
an array of integer that defines which DOFs are active. The physical meaning of these integers
is dependent of the joint. For instance, if the underlying joint is a translation joint, 0 is the
translation along x. But if the joint is revolute, 0 now is the rotation along z axis. Similarly, for
a cylindrical joint, 0 is is the translation along z, and 1 is the rotation. The last argument gives
the type of driver here velocity. Drivers can be one of three types: position, velocity, or accel-
eration:

3. The default environment and corresponding system are retrieved

Env=CS_Environment.GetDefault()
Sys=Env.System

4. This command returns an instance on an internal measure. It is often used to obtain the instance of
the time measure:
(ret,found,time) = Sys.FindOrCreateInternalMeasure(CS_Measure.E_MeasureType.E_Time)

5. The time measure is specified as the input measure for the driver and a constant value is given to
the driver. As the driver may be applied to several components of the joint, the values are given as
an array of float:
driver.SetInputMeasure(time)
driver.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([-4.9033]))

6. The driver is added to the list of initial conditions. Consequently, it will be active only at t=0 and will
give an initial velocity to the joint:
Env.InitialConditions.Add(driver)

Joint Condition: Control Using Linear Feedback

In this example, an existing load is modified to apply a torque proportional to the joint velocity.
Two Methods are discussed:

Method 1

Obtain the velocity measure from the joint:

joint = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
vel=joint.GetVelocity()

Next, modify an existing moment in order to use the velocity measure as its input measure:
Env=CS_Environment.FindFirstNonNull()

ids=Env.DSToInternalIds[_jcid]

load=CS_Actuator.Find(ids[0])
load.SetInputMeasure(vel)

Method 2

Using this method, the load is created entirely using commands. These commands are shown
below.
Env=CS_Environment.FindFirstNonNull()

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load=CS_JointDOFLoad(joint,0)
load.SetInputMeasure(vel)
load.SetFunc('0.1*(-2*acos(-1)-time)',0)

Env.Loads.Add(load)

Non-Linear Spring Damper

This example shows how the behavior of a spring can be altered to introduce a non-linear force-
displacement relationship. The complete list of commands is shown below. A description of these
commands follows.

1. Retrieve the spring object using its ID:

Spring=CS_Actuator.Find(_sid)

2. Create an array of real values and fill it with the pairs of values (elongation, force):
Spring_table=System.Array.CreateInstance(float,7,2)

In this command, 7 represents the number of rows and 2 for the number of columns. The first
column gives elongation and the second, the corresponding force value. This command
generates a PointsTable assigned to the spring, as shown below.

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Each spring object in the Mechanical GUI is actually a combination of a spring and a damper.
The GetDamper method enables you to retrieve the damper object on a given spring, as
shown below.

3. Introduce a table is to define a non-linear force velocity relation:

Damper=spring.GetDamper()

Spherical Stop
This example describes the implementation of a spherical stop. A spherical stop is a joint that
has 3 rotations (joints include spherical, slot, bushing, free and general joints). This specific type
of stop creates a limit to the angle between the z-axis of the reference frame and the z-axis of
the moving frame. This functionality is available using the following command:
AddStop(angle_max, restitution_factor)

For example, to add a spherical stop for an angle value equal to 0.45 radians and a restitution
factor equal to 1.0, the following command would be issued:
Joint.AddStop(0.45,1.0)

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An example of the model and the results of this command are shown below.

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Export of Joint Forces

In this example joint forces are extracted in the local coordinate system, rotated into the global
coordinate system, and written into an ASCII File

First, the joint is retrieved by inserting the following command on the corresponding joint in the
tree:
TopRevolute = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)

Next, the commands object shown below is inserted in the result node. An explanation of these
commands follows.

1. Get measures from the joint:

TopRevoluteRotation = TopRevolute.GetRotation()

2. Extract transient values for this measure:

TopRevoluteRotationValues=TopRevoluteRotation.FillValuesThroughTime()

3. Get angle derivatives by extracting the time derivatives of the measure:

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TopRevoluteRotationDerivatives=TopRevoluteRotation.FillDerivativesThroughTime()

4. Count the number of components of this array:

nbValues = TopRevoluteRotationValues.GetLength(0)

5. Open the ASCII output file:

fich=open(r"TopRevoluteRotation.csv",'w')
fich.write('Time,Rotation,Velocity\n')

6. Loop over all time values, and write values:

for i in range(0,nbValues):
fich.write('{0:4.3f},{1:11.4e},{2:11.4e}\n'.format(TopRevoluteRotationValues[i,0],
TopRevoluteRotationValues[i,1],TopRevoluteRotationDerivatives[i,1]))
fich.close()

7. Check if joint is « revert » or not:

IsRevert = TopRevolute.IsRevert
if IsRevert:
fact = -1.0
else:
fact = 1.0

8. Extract Force Measure and write them into the file:

TopRevoluteForce = TopRevolute.GetForce();
TRF=TopRevoluteForce.FillValuesThroughTime()
fich=open(r"TopRevoluteForce.csv",'w')
fich.write('Time,FX,FY,FZ,MX,MY,MZ\n')
for i in range(0,nbValues):
fich.write('{0:4.3f},{1:11.4e},{2:11.4e},{3:11.4e},{4:11.4e},
{5:11.4e},{6:11.4e}\n'.format(TRF[i,0],fact*TRF[i,1],
fact*TRF[i,2],fact*TRF[i,3],fact*TRF[i,4],fact*TRF[i,5],fact*TRF[i,6]))

fich.close()

9. Get the joint reference coordinate system, and rotate the forces from the global coordinate system
to the joint coordinate system:

if IsRevert:
TopRevolute.MobileCoordinateSystem.RotateArrayThroughTimeToLocal(TRF)
else:
TopRevolute.ReferenceCoordinateSystem.RotateArrayThroughTimeToLocal(TRF)

fich=open(r"TopRevoluteForceRotated.csv",'w')
fich.write('Time,FX,FY,FZ,MX,MY,MZ\n')

for i in range(0,nbValues):
fich.write('{0:4.3f},{1:11.4e},{2:11.4e},{3:11.4e},{4:11.4e},{5:11.4e},
{6:11.4e}\n'.format(TRF[i,0],fact*TRF[i,1],fact*TRF[i,2],fact*TRF[i,3],
fact*TRF[i,4],fact*TRF[i,5],fact*TRF[i,6]))
fich.close()

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Breakable Joint
This example considers a breakable joint. A breakable joint is a joint that cannot withstand an
internal force higher than a given value. To create a breakable joint:

1. Get the joint by inserting a command on a planar joint:

joint=CS_Joint.Find(_jid)

2. Create a joint condition to prescribe zero velocity on the two translational degrees of freedom:
driver=CS_Driver(Joint,System.Array[int]([0,1]),CS_Driver.E_MotionType.E_Velocity)

3. Define the value of the velocity, then retrieve the time measure:
Env=CS_Environment.GetDefault()
Sys=Env.System
(ret,found,time)=Sys.FindOrCreateInternalMeasure(CS_Measure.E_MeasureType.E_Time)

4. Define the time as variable, and use constant values for the two components:
driver.SetInputMeasure(time)
driver.SetConstantValues(System.Array[float]([0.,0.]))

Next, make the driver only active if the force in the joint is less than a maximum threshold
of 3N. To do that, create a Condition based on the joint force measure norm.

5. Retrieve the force on the joint:

force=joint.GetForce()

6. Create a component measure, that is the norm 2 of the force. To be computed at each time step,
this measure has to be added to the system.
norm=CS_ComponentMeasure(force,-2)
Sys.AddMeasure(norm)

7. Now, create the condition and assign it to the driver:

cond=CS_Condition(CS_Condition.E_ConditionType.E_LessThan,norm,3.0)
driver.Condition=cond

8. Finally, add the driver to the environment:

Env.Drivers.Add(driver)

Debugging RBD Commands with Visual Studio

You can debug RBD command snippets Using Microsoft Visual Studio. This allows you to execute
commands line by line and review variable values.

1. To begin, insert the following lines before the commands snippet you want to debug. (Note that if
there are several commands snippet, they are executed in the order they appear in the Mechanical
tree.)
from System import Diagnostics
Diagnostics.Debug.Assert(0)

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Analysis Types

2. Begin the solve. When the solution begins, the following warning dialog appears. Do not close this
dialog. The dialog will pause the solver and allow you to attach the Visual Studio debugger and set
breakpoints.

3. In Visual Studio, select Attach To Process... from the DEBUG menu. In the Select Code Type dialog,
select Managed, then click OK.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

4. In the Attach to Process dialog, select the RBD solver process (Ansys.solvers.RBD.exe), then click
Attach.

5. Once Visual Studio is attached to the RBD solver, open the script file in Visual Studio. To locate script
files, in Mechanical, right-click the Solution object and select Open Solver Files Directory.

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6. In the solver files directory, commands are written to two python files: filepre.py and file-
post.py. filepre.py contains the commands that are executed before solve (all command
snippets except those at solution level). filepost.py is executed after the solve (only command
snippets at solution level).

Open the desired file in Visual Studio. You can insert breakpoints as desired and click Ignore
on the warning dialog to resume the solve.

Using RBD commands with Excel

It is possible to call Microsoft Office Excel from an RBD command to read and write data to and
from Excel. If Excel is available, RBD will automatically detect and load the Excel interopt. If Excel
is detected, the solver output will contain the following lines at the beginning.
Processing Python commands
import base modules and macros
Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel is loaded
Ans.Customize.Misc interop is not available
ready to process commands

The Excel application is initiated using:

excel=Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.ApplicationClass()
excel.Visible=True
excel.DisplayAlerts=False

Use the following line to open an Excel file:

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workbook=excel.Workbooks.Open(r"E:\RBD\MODELS\COMMANDES\EXCEL\Excel_v160_files\Velocity.xlsx")
ws=workbook.Worksheets[1]

To read data from the current worksheet, use the following:

xlrange = ws.Range["A2", "B66"]
values=xlrange.Value2

Before using the values in an RBD script, it may be necessary to convert them to real values:
realValues=System.Array.CreateInstance(float,2,values.GetLength(0))
for i in range(0,values.GetLength(0)):
print '{0:e} {1:e}'.format(values[i,0],values[i,1])
realValues[0,i]=values[i,0].real
realValues[1,i]=values[i,1].real

Similarly, it is possible to write values to the current worksheet. The following sequence of commands
shows how to create a new worksheet and write the joint force in the new worksheet:
# retrieve joint force measure
force=joint.GetForce()

# obtain time values for this measure

values=force.FillValuesThroughTime()

# create a new worksheet

ws2=workbook.Worksheets.Add()
ws2.Name='Reaction forces'

len=values.GetLength(0)

cell=ws2.Range["A1"]
cell.Value2='Time'
cell=ws2.Range["B1"]
cell.Value2='Fx'
cell=ws2.Range["C1"]
cell.Value2='Fy'
cell=ws2.Range["D1"]
cell.Value2='Fz'
cell=ws2.Range["E1"]
cell.Value2='Mx'
cell=ws2.Range["F1"]
cell.Value2='My'
cell=ws2.Range["G1"]
cell.Value2='Mz'

# put values into the new worksheet

end="G"+str(1+len)
cells=ws2.Range("A2",end)
cells.Value2=values

Using RBD Commands from the IronPython Console

It is possible to use any rigid body dynamics commands you would use during a simulation from
the IronPython console, outside of the simulation environment. The following command snippets
and instructions provide a demonstration of this capability:

You can access the IronPython console by clicking the File > Scripting > Open Command Window
menu item.

The following code snippets load the RBD Command module into IronPython:
import clr
import os

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import Ansys
import sys

clr.AddReference('Ans.Utilities')
ver=Ansys.Utilities.ApplicationConfiguration.DefaultConfiguration.VersionInfo.VersionString

awp_root=os.getenv('AWP_ROOT'+ver)
sys.path.Add(awp_root+r'\aisol\bin\winx64')
clr.AddReference('Ans.MotionSolver.MSolverLib.CSMotion')

from Ans.MotionSolver.MSolverLib.CSMotion import *

You can read an already-solved rigid body dynamics model using the following code:
dbIn=CS_MSolverDB()
dbIn.SetFileName(GetProjectDirectory()+'/TestRestart_files/dp0/SYS/MECH/file.mbd')
dbIn.OpenDataBase(0)
dbIn.ReadDB()
dbIn.Dispose()

The environment and system objects are accessed in the following way:
environment=CS_Environment.GetDefault()
system=environment.System

It is now possible to alter properties of the simulation. For example, you could modify the end time
and restart from 0.5 s:
environment.AlterSimulationEndTime(2.0)
environment.RestartTime=0.5
environment.Solve()

Once you have made your changes, make use the following code snippet to save the modified
database:
dbOut=CS_MSolverDB()
dbOut.SetFileName(GetProjectDirectory()+'/TestRestart_files/dp0/SYS/MECH/file.mbd')
dbOut.OpenDataBase(1)
dbOut.WriteDB()
dbOut.Dispose()

Note:

You cannot restart a Rigid Dynamics analysis using this procedure if the model has
contact or a Point On Curve joint, or if there are multiple load steps.

Using the Rigid Dynamics Variable Load Extension

The Variable Load ACT extension greatly simplifies the definition of complex loading for Rigid Dynamics
systems. It allows you to create loads that depend on the state of the model, and to make these loads
conditionally applied.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Without the extension, such complex loads can only be defined using command objects. The Variable
Load extension will similarly write commands to define these loads.

Note:

The extension is only available on Windows platforms.

The following topics explain the use of the Rigid Dynamics Variable Load extension:
How to Load the Extension
Creating Measures
Defining Joint Loads Dependent on one or more Measures
Defining Force Loads Dependent on one or more Measures
Known Issues and Limitations

How to Load the Extension

The Variable Load ACT extension is included in the ANSYS product installation but must be loaded
into Workbench. To do so:

1. Start Workbench.

2. Select Extensions → Manage Extensions...

3. In the Extensions Manager window, select the check box next to VariableLoad, then click Close.

Once you've loaded the extension, navigate to the Project window and add a Rigid Dynamics ana-
lysis system to the project. The system will have the Variable Load features available. For example,
once you open the Mechanical application you can see the Rigid Dynamics Measures tab.

Creating Measures
Measures can be thought of as sensors used to instrument the models. The workflow consists of
instrumenting the model with measures that capture the state of the model, and then using these
measure values to compute the value of the applied loads, or to activate and deactivate them.

Joints and Bodies can be instrumented with Measures. For these base measures, derived measures
can be introduced, that transform the base measures.

To create the Rigid Dynamics Measures folder in the Project tree, click the Insert Measures icon

The corresponding folder appears in the tree.

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Note:

• All measures are computed and consumed during the solution. The solver uses the consistent
unit system that is associated with the user unit system. Therefore, you should define oper-
ations done on derived measures, or the tables that consume the measure values, with the
consistent unit system in mind.

• All rotations are in radians and all rotations velocities are in rad/s.

Body Measures
1. Select Body Measure in the tree. The Body Measure worksheet appears.

2. To add a new measure, click Add Measure.

3. Give a Name to this measure. You should use unique names, as the name of the measure will be
used in selections later on.

4. Select the body that you want to instrument in the Selection column.

5. Select the quantity that you want to measure from the Variable dropdown list.

6. Select the coordinate system that defines the position of the point where position, velocity and ac-
celeration are reported.

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7. If you need to delete a measure that you previously created, select its row in the worksheet and click
Delete Measure.

Note:

• Position, Velocity, Acceleration, Rotational Velocity and Rotational Accelerations are 3D

vectors, with X, Y and Z components.

• For Orientation, Rotational Velocity and Rotational Acceleration, the coordinate system is
not used.

• The coordinate system just gives the position. X, Y and Z components of Position, Velocity,
and Acceleration are global coordinates.

Joint Measures
1. Select Joint Measure in the tree. The Joint Measure worksheet appears.

2. To add a new measure, click Add Measure.

3. Give a Name to this measure. You should use unique names, as the name of the measure will be
used in selections later on.

4. Select the joint that you want to instrument from the dropdown in the Selection column.

5. Select the quantity that you want to measure from the Variable dropdown list.

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6. If you need to delete a measure that you previously created, select its row in the worksheet and click
Delete Measure.

Note:

• The quantities available will depend on the type of joint that is selected. Select the joint
first so that the Variable drop-down menu updates the list with relevant quantities.

• The number of components of the position, rotation, velocity and acceleration measure
depends on the joint type.

• During the solution, the solver sometimes flips the reference and mobile coordinate system
of the joint. If the joint is reverted, force load must be negated. See the model topology
tool from the connection menu to see which joints are reverted. See the IsRevert property
in the CS_joint class of the scripting manual.

Derived Measures
Based on how the loads consuming the measures are defined, one-dimensional measures might
be needed. Measures also sometimes need to be transformed by some math operators. Derived
measures are made for these operations.

1. Select Derived Measure in the tree. The Derived Measure worksheet appears.

2. To add a new measure, click Add Measure.

3. Give a Name to this measure. You should use unique names, as the name of the measure will be
used in selections later on.

4. Select the Base Measure the operator applies to.

5. Select select a transformation Type, Component or Operator.

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• When using Component, select the component from among the components available. The list
of component depends on the base measure type.

• When using Operator, choose from Modulo or Scale Factor.

– Modulo corresponds to a modulus operation. It can for example be used to remove the number
of turns from the rotation angle of a revolute joint. The modulus is defined by the Operator
Value property.

– Scale Factor scales the value of the input measure by a constant defined by the Operator Value
property.

6. If you need to delete a measure that you previously created, select its row in the worksheet and click
Delete Measure.

Note:

The base measure of a derived measure can be a derived measure.

Defining Joint Loads Dependent on one or more Measures

To define a joint load that depends on one or more measures:

1. Click the Insert Measure Varying Joint Load icon .

The properties of this load can then be edited in the Details panel.

2. Select the joint on which to apply the load in the Joint Selection field.

3. Select the joint degree of freedom on which the load is applied in the Joint Dof field.

4. Define the Output Type from the dropdown list.

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• Python User Table

When you select Python User Table, a text editor will open, allowing you to define the evolution
of the joint load with respect to the input variable defined in the Measure Selections field.

The text editor will contain a pre-defined IronPython function.

class UserTable_33(CS_UserTable):
def __init__(self, sizeIn, sizeOut):
CS_UserTable.__init__(self, sizeIn, sizeOut)

def Evaluate(self, In, Out):

## define Out[] as a function of In[] here
Stiffness = 43.0
Damping = 0.1
Preload = 100.0
Displacement = In[0]
Velocity = In[1]
Out[0] = -Stiffness*Displacement -Damping*Velocity + Preload

return 0

#define input size and output size here

SizeIn=1
SizeOut=1
table_33 = UserTable_33(SizeIn,SizeOut)

print " *** CS_UserTable UserTable_33 created ***"

Note:

– The string _33 is given here as example. Actual value will vary.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

– The text editor that will be used is that associated with the .txt extension in your
user preferences.

– This feature relies on the CS_UserTable class of the scripting manual.

In general, you would only modify the Evaluate function. Its role is to compute Out[0]. The
input measures come into this function in the In[] array. In the example above, the load has
two input measures: one is the joint displacement and the other is the joint velocity, for a
joint that has only one degree of freedom. The force is computed as if a preloaded spring
and damper were acting together.

• Table

This option will allow you to define tabular data defining output as a function of input. This
option requires that you have only one input variable. The table will have two columns, the
first one corresponding to the input values, the second one corresponding to the output
values.

• Excel

You can also use Excel to define tabular output, and the data will be read from an Excel
comma separated value file (.csv). Click the field next to Excel to browse to your Excel file.

The Excel table must have two columns, the first one corresponding to the input values and
the second one corresponding to the output values.

– By default, the first row of the table is assumed to contain labels that describe the columns.

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Analysis Types

If this first row contains data (it is not a header), you should set the Skip Header option
to No.

– Values from the spreadsheet can be scaled by the Output Scale Factor. This can be useful, for
example, if the .csv file hasn’t been created in the same unit system as the solution.

– By default, the Comma Separated Values file format uses "," as a separator. However, depending
on the language of your operating system, or of the machine that has generated the .csv file,
Excel can use a different character to delimit the fields. You can specify this character using the
Column Separator field.

5. Define one or more Input Measures using the Measure Selection field.

If Output Type is set to Table only one measure can be defined. If Output Type is Excel or
Table, the Input Measure(s) must be scalar. Use a derived measure to extract one particular
component of a multi-dimensional base measure.

The measure Time is always available. While time-varying loads can be defined on all transient
Mechanical loads, the use of IronPython can be very powerful for complex loads.

Note:

• You cannot specify a Force measure or a measure derived from a Force measure as an
input used to compute loads.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

• You should not use accelerations as inputs because it could lead to very small time steps
or lack of convergence. If the intent is to link the accelerations of two joints, it is more
efficient to use a constraint equation that links the two accelerations.

6. Joint loads can be applied conditionally, based on the value of any derived measure.

• Use Selection to define the scalar measure that the condition is based on.

• Select the Operator from the list.

• Select the right-hand side of the condition in the Value field.

You can, for example, define a "breakable" spring that will act only if the joint displacement is
less than a maximum displacement.

7. The load has a default name. This name can be overwritten using the Load Name field in order to in-
crease the readability of the created script.

8. Use the Debug option to print the value of the input values and calculated output values of the table.
This option should be used only for short simulations as it will slow down the evaluation of the load.

Important:

The read-only property Unit System is shown for information, as the Measure Varying
Joint Load object does not change if you change the unit system in the Mechanical
Application. It is strongly recommended that you use one single unit system to define
all the measure varying loads and to solve using this same unit system.

Defining Force Loads Dependent on one or more Measures

To define a force load that depends on one or more measures:

1. Click the Insert Measure Varying Force icon .

2. The properties of this load can then be edited in the Details panel.

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Analysis Types

• Select the Remote Point on which the load will be applied.

Note:

The Remote Point must be connected to a geometric entity or a named selection.

It cannot be a freestanding remote point. The corresponding body must be a rigid
body.

• Refer to Defining Joint Loads Dependent on one or more Measures (p. 399) step 2 to 8 to define the
load. The only difference is that the resulting forces has 3 components (3-dimensional vector) rather
than a single value.

• Use the Follower Load property if the load’s application and orientation varies with the rigid body
it is applied to.

Known Issues and Limitations

Using Clear Generated Data at the project level after a first solve may prevent further solutions.
There is no workaround to this problem, and it may require that all of the variable loads be recreated.

Using the Rigid Dynamics Motion Loads Extension

The Motion Loads ACT extension allows you to apply the loads created in a Rigid Dynamics analysis
on the flexible bodies in a Static Structural analysis. For information about exporting geometry from
deformation results, see Geometry From Rigid Body Dynamics Results (p. 748).

How to Load the Extension

The Motion Loads ACT extension is included in the ANSYS product installation but must be loaded
into Workbench. To do so:

1. Start Workbench.

2. Select Extensions → Manage Extensions...

3. In the Extensions Manager window, select the check box next to MotionLoads, then click Close.

Once you've loaded the extension, navigate to the Project window and add a Rigid Dynamics ana-
lysis system to the project. The system will have the Motion Loads features available.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Setting up the Motion Loads Transfer

Follow these steps to set up the Motion Loads transfer:

1. Perform a Rigid Dynamics simulation.

2. On the Project Schematic, add a Static Structural system and link the Rigid Dynamics system Engineering
Data cell to the Static Structural Engineering Data cell, and the Solution cell to the Model cell.

3. Right-click the Solution cell of the Rigid Dynamics system and choose Properties. Under Update Set-
tings for Static Structural (Component) set Time to User Defined, then enter the time at which you
want to transfer the loads to the system.

4. Update the Rigid Dynamics system, then update the Model cell of the Static Structural system.

Note:

After a Save and Resume of a Rigid Dynamics analysis containing a motion load transfer,
the motion load transfer won't work unless you delete the connection between the Rigid

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Analysis Types

Dynamics Solution cell and the downstream system and recreate it using the steps in
this section.

Transferring the Motion Loads

Open the Static Structural system and do the following:

1. Select a body in the model by picking it in the Graphics view.

2. Click the Motion Load icon in the Motion Loads tab.

This automatically:

• Creates Remote Points where Forces and Moments issued from the Rigid Dynamic Solution
are applied.

• Creates Rotational Velocity and Rotational Acceleration corresponding to the Angular Velocity
and Angular Acceleration issued from the Rigid Dynamic Solution.

• Changes the behavior of the selected body to flexible.

• Suppresses all the other bodies.

3. While the loads applied by remote forces and moments are balanced by the inertia forces, the part is
nevertheless not "supported" and the analysis needs to be adapted to be stable. This can be achieved,
in general, by adding weak springs (p. 1121) and/or with inertia relief (p. 1123). In some instances, for ex-
ample when the part has a fixed joint to ground, it can be preferable to replace the force and torque
corresponding to this joint to ground by a fixed support. When accurate contact representation between
bodies is important to properly capture stresses, you could choose to keep more than one body in the
analysis. In that case, use separate static systems for each part and assemble them together.

4. Now solve the Static Structural system.

To Perform the same operation on another body, unsuppress all bodies and repeat steps 1 through
4.

Note:

The modification of the Rigid Dynamics system or the export time requires the Motion
Loads to be re-imported.

Multibody Dynamics Theory Guide

Multibody dynamics is the study of the motion of assemblies of bodies, rigid or flexible, that undergo
large motion in the 3D space. The free motion of bodies is restrained by joints. Every joint links two
bodies in two points. These joints are idealizations of the contact between the two bodies. Joints are
characterized by the motion that they allow between the two bodies that they connect. For example,
a revolute joint allows one relative rotation between two bodies, constrains all three relative transla-
tions, and blocks the two other relative rotations.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

The primary unknowns of a multibody dynamics solution are the translation and rotation of each
body and the motion in the joints themselves. The output quantities on rigid bodies are the forces
that develop in the joints and flow through the rigid bodies, as opposed to a structural analysis where
the output quantities are strains or stresses. Flexible bodies can be included in a multibody analysis.
These flexible bodies will have both joint forces and stress and strain results.

The following topics are discussed in this section:

Rigid Degrees of freedom
Rigid Shape Functions
Flexible Shape Functions
Equations of Motion
Time Integration with Explicit Runge-Kutta
Implicit Generalized-α Method
Stabilized Implicit Generalized-α Method
Moreau-Jean Method
Geometric Correction
Contact and Stops
References

Rigid Degrees of freedom

This section discusses the options available when selecting degrees of freedom (DOFs) in a rigid
body assembly and their effect on simulation time.

The double pendulum model shown below is considered in this section. The first body in this
model (in blue) has center of gravity G1. This body is linked to the ground through revolute joint
R1, and linked to a second body through revolute joint R2. The second body (in red) has center of
gravity G2, and is linked to the first body through revolute joint R2.

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Analysis Types

Figure 1: Double Pendulum Model

The two bodies in this model are rigid, meaning that the deformations of these bodies are neglected.
The distance between any two points on a single rigid body is constant regardless of the forces
applied to it. All the points on the body can move together, and the body can translate and rotate
in every direction.

Many parameters are available to describe the body position and orientation, but the parameter
usually chosen for the translation is the position of the center of mass with respect to a ground
coordinate system. It is extremely difficult to represent 3D rotations for the orientation in a universal
way. A sequence of angles is often used to describe the orientation, but some configurations are
singular. An option frequently used to describe the orientation in computer graphics is the use of
quaternion (also known as Euler-Rodrigues parameters); however, this option uses four parameters
instead of three, and does not have a simple interpretation.

A natural choice of parameters to describe the position and orientation of the double pendulum
model, is to use the position and orientation of the two individual bodies. In other words, use three
translational and rotational degrees of freedom for each body, and introduce the joints using con-
straint equations.

The constraint equations used state that the two points belonging to the two bodies linked by the
revolute joint are always coincident, and that the rotation axis of the joint remains perpendicular
to the other body. This requires five constraint equations for each revolute joint.

The selected degrees of freedom (six DOFs per body and certain joints based on constraint equations)
are considered “absolute” parameters.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Figure 2: Absolute Degrees of Freedom

The model shown in Figure 2: Absolute Degrees of Freedom (p. 409) depicts global parameters in
2-D for the double pendulum. Body 1 and 2 are respectively parameterized by X and Y translation
and theta rotation. Because the model has only two degrees of freedom, it does not require any
additional constraint equations.

Global parameters for the body are chosen independently of the joints that exist between those
bodies. When these joints are known, parameters for the joints can be chosen that reduce the
number of parameters and constraint equations needed. For this example, the first degree of freedom
is defined as the relative orientation of the first body with respect to the ground. The second degree
of freedom is defined as the relative orientation of the second body with respect to the first body.
Relative degrees of freedom are shown in the figure below:

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Analysis Types

Figure 3: Relative Degrees of Freedom

Next, a third body is added to the model that is grounded on one side and linked to the second
body with another revolute joint, as shown below:

Figure 4: Closed Loop Model

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

The closed loop model shown above has three bodies (plus the ground) and four revolute joints.
The degrees of freedom can be chosen for the example as follows:

Θ1 - The relative rotation of body 1 with respect to ground

Θ2 - The relative rotation of body 2 with respect to body 1
Θ3 - The relative rotation of body 3 with respect to ground

The fourth revolute joint cannot be based on degrees of freedom because both the motions of
Body 2 and Body 3 are already defined by existing degrees of freedom. For this joint, constraint
equations are added to the relative degree of freedom parameters.

Θ1, Θ2, and Θ3 will be the degrees of freedom, and the corresponding joints will be topological
joints. The fourth joint will be based on a constraint equation. Constraint equation-based joints are
also known as kinematic joints. Kinematic joints are needed when the model has closed loops, i.e.,
when there is more than one way to reach the ground from a given body in the system.

To determine which joints will be topological joints and which will be kinematic joints, a graph is
constructed to show connections where the bodies are vertices and the joints are arcs. This graph
is decomposed into a tree, and the joints corresponding to arcs that are not used in the tree are
transformed into kinematic joints.

The Model Topology (p. 1036) view displays whether joints are based on degrees of freedom or
constraint equations.

Kinematic Variables vs. Geometry Variables

Euler's theorem on rotations states that an arbitrary rotation can be parameterized using three in-
dependent parameters. The choice of these three parameters is not unique, and many choices are
possible. For example:

• A sequence of three rotations, as introduced by Euler (the first rotation around X, the second rotation
around the rotated Y' axis, and the third rotation around the updated Z'' axis). Many other sequences
of rotations exist, among them the Bryant angles.

• The 3 components of the rotation vector

• Etc…

Unfortunately, these minimal sets of parameters are not perfect. Sequences of angles usually have
some singular configurations, and the composition of rotations using these angles is simple. This
composition of rotation is intensively used in transient simulation. For example, it can be used to
prevent the use of the rotation vector.

Another option is to use the 3x3 rotation matrix. Composition of rotations is easy with this option,
as it corresponds to matrix multiplication; however, this matrix is an orthogonal matrix, and time
integration must be done carefully to maintain the matrix properties.

A good compromise is to use quaternion, which have 4 parameters and a normalization equation.

Once rotation parameters have been selected, the time derivatives of these parameters have to be
established:
(7)

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Analysis Types

where is the angular velocity vector.

Two sets of variables exist:

• Kinematic variables, expressed as {q}: as long as the translational velocities.

• Geometric variables, expressed as {g}, as well as the position variables for the translations. The geometric
variables are obtained by time-integration of the kinematic variables.

Rigid Shape Functions

Shape functions, also called generalized velocities, are the projections of the velocity of material
point Mk attached to body k on the kinematic variables of the model. Generalized velocities of a
material point are depicted in the figure below:

Figure 5: Generalized Velocities of a Material Point

0

L(L(L(k)))

L(L(k))

L(k)

Mk

Because of the choice of relative degrees of freedom, the velocity of Mk is a function of kinematic
variables of the joint located between body k and its parent body L(k), as well as those of the joint
between L(k) and L(L(k)), continuing until the ground is reached.

To understand how these generalized velocities are formed, it helps to first focus on the contribution
of the first joint of the chain (pictured below). This joint is located between body k and its parent,
L(k).

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Figure 6: Contribution of the Parent Joint to the Generalized Velocities

0L(k)

Rk
Vk/L(k)

k/L(k)
0k

Mk

Because body k is rigid, the velocity of point Mk with respect to the ground 0 can be expressed
from the velocity of point Ok. Point Ok is the material point on the mobile coordinate system of the
joint between body k and its parent, L(k). This is expressed as follows:
(8)

The angular velocity of body k with respect to the ground can be expressed as the angular
velocity of its parent, plus the contribution of the joints linking body k and its parent, L(k). This is
expressed as follows:
(9)

Similarly, can be expressed using point Rk, which is the reference coordinate system of the
joint between body k and its parent, L(k). Note that Rk is a material point on body L(k). This is ex-
pressed as follows:
(10)

where is the joint relative velocity, i.e. the translational velocity between body k and its
parent, L(k).

It is important to realize that the vector has an angular velocity of . Joints can have
translational degrees of freedom, and rotational degrees of freedom. The translation is expressed
in the reference coordinate system, while the rotation center is the moving coordinate system. In
other words, the joint translation is applied first, and the rotation is applied after the coordinate
system is updated with the results of the joint translation. The decomposition of the Model Topology
graph into a tree results in an oriented parent-child relationship. When the joint has both transla-
tional and rotational degrees of freedom and its reference coordinate system is on the child side,
the joint must be split into a rotational joint linked to the parent side, and a translational joint
linked to the child side, with a fictitious mass-less body between these two joints. While this is an
internal representation of that “reverted” joint (i.e., a joint that has both translational and rotational
degrees of freedom and a link to the ground on the mobile coordinate system side), results are
reported on the original user-defined joint.

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Because Rk is a material point of body L(k), the same methodology can be used to decompose the
velocity into the contribution of the parent joint located between L(k) and L(L(k)) and the contribution
of the parent.

Two important quantities have been introduced in this process:

• is the joint contribution to the angular velocity of body k.

• is the joint contribution to the translational velocity of point Mk

The concept of recursive calculation of the generalized velocities has also been introduced. The
generalized velocities on body k can be computed by adding the contribution of the parent joint
to the generalized velocities of body L(k).

The contribution of each joint in the chain between body k and the ground can be found and ex-
pressed as:

(11)

(12)

Vector , which is associated with the kinematic variable qi, is the “partial velocity” of the variable
expressed at point Mk. It is configuration dependent, i.e., it varies with the geometric variables of
the joints located between body k and the ground.

The translational and accelerations can similarly be derived to obtain:

(13)

(14)

Flexible Shape Functions

We here assume that the body is not rigid anymore, but undergoes small elastic deflections.

To define the position of a point of body k, we use a floating reference rigid body and define a
small displacement vector between the point and its reference position on the floating reference
body.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Figure 7: Flexible Bodies Kinematics

With the assumption of small deflections and elastic behavior, sub-structuring can be used to reduce
the flexible body to a small set of DOFs. We will define a set of generalized coordinates qi such
that:

The global position of M' becomes:

(15)

The global velocity of M' is expressed by:

(16)

Compared to the rigid case, the translational shape functions are modified to be expressed at the
flexible point location, and the flexible generalized coordinates now contribute to the shape func-
tions.

The basis of vectors [N] is obtained using a Component Mode Synthesis analysis with Fixed Interfaces
(see Component Mode Synthesis (CMS) in the Theory Reference for more details). Master nodes are
created for each joint connected to the condensed part. The internal modes and attachment modes
Φ are orthogonalized to form the N basis.

The point Ok can be any point in the condensed part. However, in practice, it can be either on a
joint or on the center of gravity of the condensed part.

Equations of Motion
Equations of Motion for Rigid Bodies
Many methods are available to derive the equations of motion, such as Newton Euler equations,
Gibbs-Appell equations, and Lagrange equations.

The combination of Gibbs-Appell equations with generalized velocities is often referred to as Kane's
equations [KAN61 (p. 434)]. Kane's equations are used for this example.

Open Loop Equations of Motion

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Analysis Types

The positional variation of a point Mk on body k is written as a reduction point using the origin of
the body Ok :
(17)

Similarly, the translational acceleration of point Mk can be expressed using reduction point Ok:

(18)

The virtual work of the acceleration can be formed and integrated over body k, and summed over
the bodies as follows:

(19)

The integration over the body leads to integrating quantities as follows:

(20)

These terms can be easily pre-calculated as follows:

(21)

In this equation, Mk stands for the mass of body k, and Gk stands for the center of gravity of that
body. Other terms lead to:

(22)

where v is a constant vector. Those terms can be expressed as a function of the inertia tensor of
body k.

Similarly, the virtual work of external distributed forces is computed as follows:

(23)

Finally, the open loop equations of motion lead to the following algebraic system:
(24)

Both the mass matrix M and the force vector F are dependent on the geometric variables and time
t. The force vector is also a function of the generalized velocities.
(25)

Equations of Motion with Flexible Bodies

Assuming that body k is flexible, the variation of the position of a point M'k on body k is written,
using the origin of the body Ok as a reduction point:
(26)

Similarly, the translational acceleration of point M'k can be expressed using a reduction point Ok

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

(27)

As in the case of rigid bodies, the virtual work of the acceleration can be formed and integrated
over body k, and summed over the bodies:

(28)

In presence of flexible bodies, the equations of motion are modified by 2 sets of terms:

• Terms that involve only the set of flexible degrees of freedom only,

• Coupling terms, involving flexible degrees of freedom and rigid degrees of freedom.

Please refer to [SHA13 (p. 434)] for more detailed information about the equations of motion.

Because the equilibrium is written on the current (deformed) configuration, the mass matrix and
right hand side depend on the flexible degrees of freedom. To avoid having to go back to the finite
element model to compute these integrals, these terms are decomposed over a basis of invariant
terms, which are computed only once in the generation pass.

These invariants are expressed below. These terms are approximated using a lumped mass approach.

(29)

(30)

(31)

(32)

(33)

(34)

Where the Φ(i) are the Component Mode Synthesis base vectors.

Closed Loop Equations of Motion

When the model has some closed loops, not all joints can be treated as topological joints, thus re-
quiring constraint equations to be added to the system. These constraint equations are usually
written in terms of velocities as follows:
(35)

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Analysis Types

Each kinematic joint generates up to six of these equations, depending on the motion direction
that the joint fixes.

To be introduced in the equations of motion, a time derivative of these equations must be written
as follows:
(36)

The equations of motion for the closed loop system become:

(37)

Subject to:
(38)

An additional scalar variable λ (called a Lagrange Multiplier) is introduced for each constraint
equation. These constraint equations are introduced in the algebraic system, which then becomes:

(39)

M, B, F, and G can be formed from a set of known geometric variables and kinematic variable values.
The above system can be resolved, providing both accelerations and Lagrange multipliers λ.

These Lagrange multipliers can be interpreted as constraint forces, equivalent to the amount of
force needed to prevent motion in the direction of the constraint equations.

Redundant Constraint Equations

The system matrix shown in Equation 39 (p. 418) has size n+m where n is the number of degrees
of freedom, and m is the number of constraint equations in B. The mass matrix M is usually positive-
definite, but the full matrix including the constraint equation will retain that property only if there
are no redundant constraint equations in B.

The constraint equations are applied to the piston/crankshaft system shown below to demonstrate
how the B matrix can contain redundant constraint equations.

Figure 8: Crankshaft Mechanism

The revolute joint between point P1 on body 1 and point P2 on body 2 generates five constraint
equations. For the sake of simplicity, these equations are written below in the global coordinate
system, even if it is not always possible in general cases. The equations are:

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

These equations must be projected on the degrees of freedom. This is achieved in the code by
writing the shape functions on each body on points P1 and P2:
(40)
(41)

and:
(42)
(43)

Replacing the velocities in the five constraint equations leads to:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The five equations above only generate two nontrivial constraints. The third equation indicates that
the mechanism cannot shift along the z axis. It also indicates that the mechanism cannot be as-
sembled if the z-coordinate of O2 and O2 are not the same. Similarly, the fourth and fifth equations
indicate that the orientation of the axis of the revolute joint in P1/P2 is already entirely dependent
on the axis of the two other revolute joints. A manufacturing error in the parallelism of the axis
would result in a model that cannot be assembled. As such, this system is redundant.

Because introducing the five equations into Equation 39 (p. 418) would make the system matrix
singular, some processing must be done on the full set of equations to find a consistent set of
equations. Equations that are trivial need to be removed, as well as equations that are colinear. An
orthogonalization technique is used to form a new set of equations that keep the matrix invertible.
The matrix is decomposed into two orthogonal matrices, Bf and R:
(44)

where the [Bf] matrix has a full rank and [R] is a projection matrix. This matrix can then used in
Equation 39 (p. 418):

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Analysis Types

(45)

Joint Forces Calculation

A benefit of using Kane’s equations and relative parameters is that joint forces in topological joints
are eliminated from the algebraic system. Joint forces can be calculated explicitly by writing the
dynamic equilibrium of each body recursively, starting from the leaves of the tree associated with
the connection graph, with the unknown being the body parent joint’s forces and torque.

When the system has redundancies, i.e., the [B] matrix does not have a full rank, some forces cannot
be calculated. In the crankshaft example, no information is available in the forces developing in
the revolute joint in P1/P2 in the z direction, and the moments cannot be calculated in this joint.
These values will be reported as zero, but it is recommended that you avoid such situations by re-
leasing some of the degrees of freedom in the system.

Time Integration with Explicit Runge-Kutta

Equation 25 (p. 416) (open loop) and Equation 39 (p. 418) (closed loop) provide a relation between
generalized accelerations and generalized velocities {q}.

Equation 7 (p. 411) provides a relation between generalized velocities {q} and the time derivatives
of the geometry variables

These two sets of equations form a system of first order explicit ordinary differential equations
(ODE).
(46)

This system is integrated using two explicit Runge-Kutta methods: RK4 and RK5.

RK4 Method
The fourth order method is based on four estimations. Given an initial value y at time value t, and
a time step value dt, the following four estimations are formed:
(47)

(48)

(49)

(50)

A fourth order approximation of y(t+dt) is given by:

(51)

RK5 Method
The fifth order method is based on six estimations. This method was introduced by Cash and Karp
[CAS90 (p. 434)]

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Adaptive Time Stepping (for explicit time integration)

Time step dt must be chosen carefully for the integration of the ODEs to ensure that it is stable
(i.e., not becoming exponentially large), and accurate (i.e., the difference between the approximation
of the solution and the exact solution is controlled).

Both RK4 and RK5 are conditionally stable, meaning that stability can be guaranteed if the time
step is small enough. While both algorithms are accurate when they are stable, the time step chosen
must be large enough to maintain computational efficiency.

For both integration schemes, quantifying the amount of kinetic energy contained in the highest
order term of the polynomial approximation can give a good indication of whether the time step
should be reduced or increased.

If the energy in the high order term is too large, it is likely that the approximation is inaccurate,
and the time step should smaller.

If this energy is significant and controlled, the time step can be accepted, but the time step used
will be smaller.

If the energy is low, then the next time step can be increased.

Rigid body systems usually have relatively slow motion, but the following factors can lead to
smaller time steps:

• Existence of stiff springs and bushing in the model

• Three-dimensional rotations

• Proximity to geometrically singular configurations, such as the top, dead center position of a piston/crank-
shaft mechanism

These factors imply that the optimal time step varies with the system velocities and configuration,
and thus cannot be determined before running the solution. As a consequence, automatic time
stepping generally should not be turned off.

When automatic time stepping is used, the energy balance of the system is maintained within the
tolerance that is requested. Note that impacts and shock can be non-conservative, and will affect
the energy balance. This loss during impact is detailed in Contact and Stops (p. 427).

Implicit Generalized-α Method

Implicit Generalized-α Method
This family of methods was initially developed by Chung and Hilbert for the resolution of dynamics
in the context of computational mechanics of solids. Cardona and Géradin adapted the method to
compute the dynamics of multibody systems. Many extensions have been developed in the past,
such as the extension developed by O. Brüls and M. Arnold for dynamics equations formulated as
an index-3 DAE. The dynamics is written at time as:

(52)

The acceleration-like variable an is defined by the recurrence relation as:

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Analysis Types

(53)

At the beginning of the simulation, this variable is initialized as . The following difference
equations relate , and :

(54)

where the constants of , , , and are suitably chosen so that the scheme is stable. The al-
gorithm is unconditionally stable if the coefficients are chosen such that for ρ∞<1,

(55)

The scheme is based on a prediction step and a correction step where some Newton iterations are
performed in order to solve the dynamical and the constraint residuals Rq and Rλ, defined by:

(56)

The Newton iterations solve the following linear system:

(57)

where is the inertia matrix, is the stiffness matrix, and

is the damping matrix, and k denotes the number of the Newton iterations. Note that
this algorithm maintains the constraints at the position level, but it can also be reformulated to
write the constraints at the velocity level or the acceleration level.

When considering the constraints at the velocity level, the problem is formulated as an index-2
DAE, whose discretization is given by the first two equations of Equation 54 (p. 422), as well as:
(58)

In this case, the correction step is performed using Newton iterations to solve the following linear
system:

(59)

where:

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

The integration error is estimated using the methodology proposed by Géradin and Cardona for
the HHT schemes family. The exact value of the positions vector can be approximated using a
truncated Taylor series development around tn as follows:

(60)

The integration error is computed as:

(61)

By substituting the expression qn+1 from Equation 54 (p. 422) into Equation 61 (p. 423), we obtain:

(62)

The third derivative of the position can be approximated by:

(63)

By substituting an+1 and into Equation 62 (p. 423), and by using the relations in Equation 54 (p. 422),
we obtain:
(64)

Adaptive Time Stepping (for implicit time integration)

Much like RK4 and RK5, the Implicit Generalized-α method also implements an adaptive time
stepping strategy based on the energy conservation. However, the order of the Implicit Generalized-
α method is lower than RK4 or RK5. Consequently, the Implicit Generalized-α method may require
smaller time steps than explicit method to achieve the same accuracy.

Unlike RK4 and RK5, the Implicit Generalized-α method is unconditionally stable. This method remains
stable even for large time steps, regardless the accuracy. As such, it is particularly suitable to address
situations where explicit RK4 and RK5 methods require small time steps. The energy tolerance
control can be relaxed in these situations, and the time step is driven only by the Newton-Raphson
convergence. If a large number of iterations was required for the last time step, the time step de-
creases. Conversely, if fewer iterations were required for convergence of the previous time step,
the time step increases.

Stabilized Implicit Generalized-α Method

At the end of each time step, violated constraints equations are corrected as explained in Geometric
Correction (p. 425). However, this correction perturbs the dynamics of the system and may introduce
artificial energy to the system, which leads to vibrations when flexible bodies are involved. These
artificial vibrations cause the time integration method to use tight time steps and more iterations
which leads to long simulation times. The Stabilized Generalized-α method remedies this issue.

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Analysis Types

The equations of the dynamics are discretized as in Equation 59 (p. 422). A new Lagrange multiplier
is introduced which satisfies the position-level constraints equations:
(65)

Where Un represents the position gap needed to vanish the violation g(qn). The correction of this
position drift is achieved using:

(66)

This correction is followed by another dynamics solve using Equation 59 (p. 422). In this way, both
the dynamics and the applied constraints are satisfied, which leads to more stable numerical systems.

Compared to the Generalized-α method, the Stabilized Generalized-α method uses larger average
time steps and needs less iterations to converge.

Moreau-Jean Method
In time-stepping schemes, the formulation of the dynamics equations enables the scheme to sim-
ultaneously handle the smooth dynamics and non-smooth dynamics. The idea behind these schemes
is to consider the dynamics equations as a measure differential inclusion. On the velocity level, they
are expressed as:

(67)

where is the reaction measure.

In the case :
(68)

therefore:

(69)

In the Moreau-Jean time stepping method (MJ Time Stepping (p. 1124)), unilateral contact is modeled
with a Signorini condition at the velocity level, that is a complementarity between the contact im-
pulse and the relative velocity, which ensures impenetrability. In order to handle multiple contacts
with potentially changing status, an implicit algorithm is used to integrate the dynamics. As a sim-
plified example, consider and . The discrete form of the equations of
motion is:

(70)

The smooth terms may be discretized using a θ-method as:

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

(71)

then:

(72)

where is the approximation of the impulse over the time step. Note that the acceler-
ation of the system is never explicitly computed because it becomes infinite for impulsive forces.
The kinematic equations are discretized as follows for contact :

(73)

Finally, Newton's law is implicitly formulated as:

(74)

Because the Moreau-Jean time stepping method is formulated in terms of non-smooth velocities,
it better handles the acceleration discontinuities that can happen when the geometry is non-smooth.
Consequentially, it is well-suited to work with mesh-based contact (p. 430).

Geometric Correction
Using relative parameters, the majority of joints are introduced in the system using their natural
degrees of freedom. As a consequence, no matter how big the variation of the degrees of freedom
is over the time step, these joints only allow motions that are consistent with the joint kinematics.
For example, a revolute joint that has one single rotational degree of freedom can have an increment
with a rotation of 3600 degrees in one time step, and it will still not generate out of plane motion,
nor will the two points linked by the joint separate. Conversely, some joints are constraint equation

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Analysis Types

based (all the graph closed-loop joints) and need special attention to satisfying proper joint kin-
ematics.

The time integration schemes that are used provide a 4th or 5th order polynomial approximation
of the solution. These schemes realize a polynomial approximation of the solution. The constraint
equations such as those developed in the crankshaft example shown in Figure 8: Crankshaft
Mechanism (p. 418) are not polynomial expressions of the geometric variables. Similarly the relation
between kinematic variables and geometric variables, expressed as , is usually not
polynomial. As a consequence, the constraint equations that are exactly satisfied in terms of accel-
erations at each of the Runge-Kutta estimations might not be satisfied in terms of velocities and
positions at the end of the time step. After a number of time steps, closed loops will not be closed
anymore, and points P1 and P2 in the crankshaft example will slowly drift away from each other.

To avoid these violations of constraint equations, various strategies can be used.

The drift of the violated constraints equations is corrected by a projection of the numerical solution.
Two methods are available to perform it:

Pure Kinematic Method

As proposed by Dehombreux [DEH95 (p. 434)], this method is performed by projecting back the solution
of the constraint equation.

Both positions and velocities can be projected back using this correction.

By projecting the solution, an increment of the geometry variables can be found iteratively:
(75)
(76)
(77)

Note that the relation between the kinematic variables and the geometric variables is reused
in an incremental form.

Because of the dependency of the constraint equations on the geometric variables, this solution
is nonlinear, and must be performed until the increment is small enough.

Once the position has been corrected, another step can be done to correct velocities:
(78)
(79)

As these equations are not velocity dependent, there is no need to iterate on this system.

Inertia Matrix Method

In this method, geometry variables are calculated iteratively by solving:

(80)

Once convergence is reached, the velocity increments are obtained using

(81)

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

This method results from the minimization of kinetic energy. Using the inertia matrix for correc-
tion of violated constraints leads to more consistent results than when using the pure kinematic
method. Furthermore, scaling with the inertia matrix enables you to perform a resolution
which is consistent with the metrics of the problem.

Contact and Stops

So far, the only interaction between bodies that has been considered was permanent joints; however,
impacts and contacts will also play a significant role.

Contact Kinematics
The figure below depicts the contact between convex bodies j and k.

Figure 9: Contact Between Two Convex Bodies

Body j
Mj n

Mk
Body k

The non-penetration equation below describes the contact between these bodies, and is written
along the shared normal at the contact point:

(82)

In this equation, the two points Mj and Mk are the points that minimize the distance between the
two bodies, and thus are not material points, i.e., their location varies over the bodies with time.

For more information on the definition of the contact point, refer to Pfeiffer [PFE96 (p. 434)] in Ref-
erences (p. 434).

Special Cases
Some special cases are worth mentioning. For instance, when contact occurs in a joint between
two bodies linked by that joint, the contact points become material points, and Equation 82 (p. 427)
can become dependent on one single degree of freedom. Figure 10: Stops on a Translational
Joint (p. 428) shows an example of stop on a translational joint. Both left and right vertical surfaces
can impact the red body, but this translates very easily into a simple double inequality:
(83)

where subscript m stands for the minimum bound, and M stands for the maximum bound. The
normal here is replaced by the projection on the joint degree of freedom.

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Analysis Types

Figure 10: Stops on a Translational Joint

Another case of specialized contact geometry is the radial gap where contact points can be computed
explicitly. In the general case of complex geometries, the strategy for computing the contact points
and the impact times is more complex.

General Cases
In general cases, geometries that are potentially in contact are neither simple nor convex. It is
however required to find the accurate position of the contact points between two bodies. Sometimes
the contact point is unique, as shown in the figure below.

Figure 11: One Contact Point

But for the same pair, the contact can occur in more than one point, as shown in the figure below.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Figure 12: Two Contact Points

Finally, the contact can exist along a full line for some geometries, or even on an entire surface, as
shown in the figure below. In this case, there is an infinite number of contact points.

Figure 13: Cylinder/Cylinder Contact

Contact Formulation
Two bodies will impact when their distance is equal to zero. Once the distance is equal to zero and
the bodies are touching, forces can develop in the contact. When the contact distance is greater
than zero, there is no interaction between the bodies. Introducing interaction in the equations of
motion results in the addition of inequalities to the system:
(84)

where the subscript u stands for unilateral.

In the rigid dynamics solver, contact and stops always use a pure Lagrange formulation. Unlike the
penalty based approaches, pure Lagrange prevents any penetration.

Note:

Although a pure Lagrange formulation prevents penetration, a small penetration (linear

with the time step) may be visible when using the MJ Time Stepping time integration
due to the lack of exact collision detection.

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Rigid Contact Detection

To control the density of contact points that will need to be adjusted, a surface mesh is used on
the bodies that has contact defined. Mesh based contact points are first computed.

When the contact is geometry-based, these discrete points are then adjusted on the actual geomet-
rical surfaces.

Based on whether the contact is geometry-based or mesh-based, the requirements in terms of

mesh are different:

Geometry-Based Contact
It is important to understand that contact will create constraints between the two bodies. The relative
motion between these two bodies varies in a 6-dimensional space, so 6 contact points at most will be
used to constrain the relative motion of two bodies. These constraints will be added to already existing
constraint, so contact can create additional redundancies. For example, two cams with parallel axis
will contact along a line (as shown in the figure below). However, if the two axes are maintained par-
allel by existing joints in the model, one single point through the thickness of the cam is necessary to
properly represent the kinematics of the assembly. To avoid useless calculation, the mesh through
the thickness can be coarse.

Figure 14: Contact Requiring One Single Point

If the mesh is very refined, many points through thickness can satisfy the contact equations.
An automatic filtering of the contact points will also be performed, but the position of the
points through thickness might vary from one step to the next. This can cause some unexpected
changes in the moment developed in the contact. To avoid this situation, it can be useful to
modify the joints or the geometry itself, and include a draft angle in the cam profile extrusion
for force the contact along a line.

Mesh-Based Contact
Similar to geometry-based contact, the mesh defines the density of contact points defined between
the bodies. Because the points are on the mesh and not on the geometry, the contact happens between

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

faceted geometries. To avoid spikes in the forces, it is recommended that you refine the mesh further
when contact is mesh-based.

Caution:

When the mesh-based contact detection method is used, the behavior of the contact
is not symmetric. Results may change when the contact is flipped.

Using mesh-based contact with Runge-Kutta (p. 420) may lead to computationally
expensive simulations. Mesh-based contact is recommended for use with the Moreau-
Jean method (p. 424).

Time Integration and Contact

In the rigid dynamics solver, two alternate methods are available. The first method is suited for
situations where contact is mostly intermittent, the second method is suited where contact is mostly
established, for example the contact involved in a pair of gears.

Method 1: Event Capturing Contact Formulation

A second method of contact formulation is to detect the transition between the separated space of
a given pair of bodies and the configuration where they are overlapping. The image below depicts a
point mass approaching a separate wall, and the overlapping configuration following impact.

Determining the time of the transition using this point mass model involves advancing in time
without introducing non-penetration constraint equations, and realizing at the end of the time
step that the penetration is not acceptable. By using the polynomial interpolation that the time
integration scheme provides over the time step, the moment where the penetration reaches
zero can be found fairly accurately. This time value can be expressed as a fraction of the time
step. To determine this time value, find α such that p(t+αΔt)=0 where p is the penetration
distance.

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Advancing in time up to αΔt will position the system exactly at the impact time and position,
where an impact occurs between the bodies. This impact is assumed to have a very short dur-
ation, orders of magnitude smaller than the simulation time. During the impact, the interaction
forces between the bodies are first increasing in a compression phase, and then decreasing in
the expansion phase until they vanish entirely. This impact will lead to a certain amount of
energy loss determined by the material of the bodies interacting.

Newton’s impact laws are idealized in this impact process. They relate the relative velocity before
the impact to the “bouncing” velocity after the impact using a restitution factor. This restitution
factor varies from zero to one. A restitution factor of one indicates that the normal velocity
after the impact is equal to the velocity before the impact.
(85)

Where the superscript + represents quantities after the impact, and the superscript – represents
quantities before the impact.

A restitution of zero leads to:

(86)

And the general formula will be:

(87)

where r is the restitution factor.

This equation is written as a scalar equation at the impact point. Combined with the conservation
of momentum it leads to the following system:

M(g,t){Δq}={0}

B(q){Δq}=0 for all permanent equations and active contacts, and B(q){Δq}=–(1+r)v– for the im-
pacting contact.

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 Rigid Dynamics Analysis

Each impact with a restitution factor less than one will introduce an energy loss in the system.
In a model with multiple imperfect impacts over time, the total energy will be constant piecewise
with a drop at each impact.

Runge-Kutta 4, Runge-Kutta 5, and Generalized-α integration methods are event capturing

schemes

Method 2: Event Absorbing Contact Formulation

When the density of events increases (small bounces, with phases where the contact is sliding, such
as the contact in a pair of gears) the event detection method starts to lose efficiency and robustness,
for two reasons:

• It requires accurate detection of the transition time, thus forcing the reduction of the time step to
avoid missing changes. If events are changed, inconsistencies between the state of the contact
(whether the contact is touching, separated, or in-between) and the actual relative position of the
bodies.

• Each event processing phase has a computational cost.

To work around these difficulties, it is possible to reformulate what happens during the time
step in terms of variation of velocities. These variations come from both smooth dynamics (the
variation due to finite accelerations) and from non-smooth dynamics (the variation due to infinite
accelerations over a zero duration, which corresponds to a shock). For specific theory information,
see Moreau-Jean Method (p. 424).

MJ Time Stepping is an event absorbing scheme.

Summary of Time Integration Methods

The following table summarizes the characteristics of the Time Integration Types available for the Rigid
Dynamics solver and the corresponding recommended setting for the Contact Detection.

Time Integration type RK4, RK5, MJ Time

Generalized-α Stepping
Event treatment Event capturing Event absorbing
RBD Contact Detection Geometry Best choice Not
based recommended
Mesh based Not recommended Best choice

Note:

When the Time Integration Type is set to Program Controlled, the Rigid Dynamics
solver chooses the time integration type based only on the use of flexible parts, re-
gardless of the contact definition. If the contact uses only rigid bodies, the solver
will use RK4. If there are any Condensed Parts, it will use Generalized-α. The contact
definition has no influence on this logic.

The use of mesh-based contact detection with explicit time integration (RK4, RK5)
is likely to lead to solver problems and is not recommended.

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Analysis Types

References
1. [CAS90] J. R. Cash, A. H. Karp, "A variable order Runge-Kutta method for initial value problems with
rapidly varying right-hand sides", ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software, 1990, Vol 16, p.201-
222

2. [DEH95] P. Dehombreux,“Simulation Dynamique des systemes multicorps constraints”, These de

Doctorat, Faculte Polytechnique de Mons

3. [PFE96] F. Pfeiffer, C. Glocker,“Multibody Dynamics with Unilateral Contacts”, Wiley, New. York, 1996.

4. [KAN61] Kane, T.R., Dynamics of nonholonomic systems, Transactions of the ASME, J. App. Mech., 1961,
Vol. 28, December, p.574-578

5. [WIT77] Wittenburg, J., Dynamics of Systems of Rigid Bodies. Stuttgart. B. G. Teubner. 1977.

6. [SHA13] Shabana, A., Dynamics of Multibody Systems, 4th edition, Cambridge University Press, 2013

Static Structural Analysis

Introduction
A static structural analysis determines the displacements, stresses, strains, and forces in structures or
components caused by loads that do not induce significant inertia and damping effects. Steady loading
and response conditions are assumed; that is, the loads and the structure's response are assumed to
vary slowly with respect to time. A static structural load can be performed using the ANSYS, Samcef, or
ABAQUS solver. The types of loading that can be applied in a static analysis include:

• Externally applied forces and pressures

• Steady-state inertial forces (such as gravity or rotational velocity)

• Imposed (nonzero) displacements

• Temperatures (for thermal strain)

Point to Remember
A static structural analysis can be either linear or nonlinear. All types of nonlinearities are allowed -
large deformations, plasticity, stress stiffening, contact (gap) elements, hyperelasticity and so on. This
chapter focuses on linear static analyses, with brief references to nonlinearities. Details of how to handle
nonlinearities are described in Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147).

Note that available nonlinearities can differ from one solver to another.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

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 Static Structural Analysis

From the Toolbox, drag a Static Structural, Static Structural (Samcef), or Static
Structural (ABAQUS) template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

Material properties can be linear or nonlinear, isotropic or orthotropic, and constant or

temperature-dependent. You must define stiffness in some form (for example, Young's
modulus, hyperelastic coefficients, and so on). For inertial loads (such as Standard Earth
Gravity (p. 1181)), you must define the data required for mass calculations, such as density.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

When 2D geometry is used, Generalized Plane Strain is not supported for the Samcef or
ABAQUS solver.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

You can define a Point Mass (p. 658) for this analysis type.

A “rigid” part is essentially a point mass connected to the rest of the structure via joints.
Hence in a static structural analysis the only applicable loads on a rigid part are acceler-
ation and rotational velocity loads. You can also apply loads to a rigid part via joint
loads. The output from a rigid part is the overall motion of the part plus any force
transferred via that part to the rest of the structure. Rigid behavior cannot be used with
the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

If your model includes nonlinearities such as large deflection or hyperelasticity, the

solution time can be significant due to the iterative solution procedure. Hence you may
want to simplify your model if possible. For example you may be able to represent your
3D structure as a 2-D plane stress, plane strain, or axisymmetric model or you may be
able to reduce your model size through the use of symmetry or antisymmetry surfaces.
Similarly if you can omit nonlinear behavior in one or more parts of your assembly
without affecting results in critical regions it will be advantageous to do so.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Contact, joints, springs, beams, mesh connections, and end releases are all valid in a
static structural analysis.

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Analysis Types

For the Samcef and ABAQUS solvers, only contacts, springs, and beams are supported.
Joints are not supported.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Provide an adequate mesh density on contact surfaces to allow contact stresses to be

distributed in a smooth fashion. Likewise, provide a mesh density adequate for resolving
stresses; areas where stresses or strains are of interest require a relatively fine mesh
compared to that needed for displacement or nonlinearity resolution. If you want to
include nonlinearities, the mesh should be able to capture the effects of the nonlinear-
ities. For example, plasticity requires a reasonable integration point density (and therefore
a fine element mesh) in areas with high plastic deformation gradients.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For simple linear static analyses you typically do not need to change these settings. For
more complex analyses the basic Analysis Settings include:

Large Deflection (p. 1122)

Large Deflection is typically needed for slender structures. A rule of thumb is that you can
use large deflection if the transverse displacements in a slender structure are more than
10% of the thickness.

Small deflection and small strain analyses assume that displacements are small
enough that the resulting stiffness changes are insignificant. Setting Large Deflection
to On will take into account stiffness changes resulting from changes in element
shape and orientation due to large deflection, large rotation, and large strain.
Therefore the results will be more accurate. However this effect requires an iterative
solution. In addition it may also need the load to be applied in small increments.
Therefore, the solution may take longer to solve.

You also need to turn on large deflection if you suspect instability (buckling) in the
system. Use of hyperelastic materials also requires large deflection to be turned on.

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110)

Step Controls are used to i) control the time step size and other solution controls and ii)
create multiple steps when needed. Typically analyses that include nonlinearities such as
large deflection or plasticity require control over time step sizes as outlined in the Automatic
Time Stepping (p. 1167) section. Multiple steps are required for activation/deactivation of
displacement loads or pretension bolt loads. This group can be modified on a per step
basis.

Note:

Time Stepping is available for any solver.

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 Static Structural Analysis

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Output Controls allow you to specify the time points at which results should be available
for postprocessing. In a nonlinear analysis it may be necessary to perform many solutions
at intermediate load values. However i) you may not be interested in all the intermediate
results and ii) writing all the results can make the results file size unwieldy. This group can
be modified on a per step basis except for Stress and Strain.

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

Nonlinear Controls allow you to modify convergence criteria and other specialized solution
controls. Typically you will not need to change the default values for this control. This group
can be modified on a per step basis. If you are performing a nonlinear Static Structural
analysis, the Newton-Raphson Type property becomes available. This property only affects
nonlinear analyses. Your selections execute the Mechanical APDL NROPT command. The
default option, Program Controlled, allows the application to select the appropriate
NROPT option or you can make a manual selection and choose Full, Modified, or Unsym-
metric.

See the Help section for the NROPT command in the Mechanical APDL Command
Reference for additional information about the operation of the Newton-Raphson
Type property.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

Settings enable you to save specific solution files from the Static Structural analysis for
use in other analyses. You can set the Future Analysis field to Pre-Stressed Analysis if
you intend to use the static structural results in a subsequent Harmonic Response, Modal,
or Eigenvalue Buckling (Eigenvalue Buckling is applicable to Static Structural systems
only) analysis. If you link a structural system to another analysis type in advance, the Future
Analysis field defaults to Pre-Stressed Analysis. A typical example is the large tensile
stress induced in a turbine blade under centrifugal load. This causes significant stiffening
of the blade resulting in much higher, realistic natural frequencies in a modal analysis. More
details are available in the section Define Initial Conditions (p. 233).

Note:

Scratch Solver Files, Save ANSYS db, Solver Units, and Solver Unit
System are applicable to Static Structural systems only.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

Initial condition is not applicable for Static Structural analyses.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

For a Static Structural analysis applicable loads include:

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Analysis Types

• Inertial (p. 1174)

• Structural (p. 1191)

• Interaction (p. 1192)

• Imported (p. 1417)

Applicable structural Supports (p. 1346), certain Conditions Type Boundary Condi-
tions (p. 1376), as well as supported Direct FE Type Boundary Conditions (p. 1402) are also
available.

For the Samcef and ABAQUS solvers, the following loads and supports are not available:
Hydrostatic Pressure, Bearing Load, Bolt Pretension, Joint Load, Interface, Motion Loads,
Compression Only Support, Elastic Support.

Loads and supports vary as a function of time even in a static analysis as explained in
the Role of Time in Tracking (p. 1165). In a static analysis, the load's magnitude could be
a constant value or could vary with time as defined in a table or via a function. Details
of how to apply a tabular or function load are described in Defining Boundary Condition
Magnitude (p. 1437). In addition, see the Apply Loads and Supports (p. 238) section for
more information about time stepping and ramped loads.

Note:

A static analysis can be followed by a “pre-stressed” analysis such as modal

or linear (eigenvalue) buckling analysis. In this subsequent analysis the effect
of stress on stiffness of the structure (stress-stiffness effect) is taken into ac-
count. If the static analysis has a pressure or force load applied on faces (3D)
or edges (2D) this could result in an additional stiffness contribution called
“pressure load stiffness” effect. This effect plays a significant role in linear
(eigenvalue) buckling analyses. This additional effect is computed during the
Eigenvalue Buckling analysis using the pressure or force value calculated at
the time in the static analysis from which the perturbation occurs. See the
Applying Pre-Stress Effects (p. 236) section for more information on this topic.

When using the Samcef or ABAQUS solver, Direct FE boundary conditions are not
available.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

When performing a nonlinear analysis you may encounter convergence difficulties due
to a number of reasons. Some examples may be initially open contact surfaces causing
rigid body motion, large load increments causing non-convergence, material instabilities,
or large deformations causing mesh distortion that result in element shape errors. To
identify possible problem areas some tools are available under Solution Informa-
tion (p. 1735) object Details view.

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 Steady-State Thermal Analysis

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the analysis. Any conver-
gence data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the
Solution Information (p. 1735) section.

You can display contour plots of Newton-Raphson Residuals in a nonlinear static ana-
lysis. Such a capability can be useful when you experience convergence difficulties in
the middle of a step, where the model has a large number of contact surfaces and other
nonlinearities. When the solution diverges identifying regions of high Newton-Raphson
residual forces can provide insight into possible problems.

Result Tracker (p. 1745) (applicable to Static Structural systems only) is another useful
tool that enables you to monitor displacement and energy results as the solution pro-
gresses. This is especially useful in case of structures that possibly go through conver-
gence difficulties due to buckling instability. Result Tracker is not available to the Samcef
or ABAQUS solver.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

All structural result types (p. 1514) except frequencies are available as a result of a static
structural analysis. You can use a Solution Information (p. 1735) object to track, monitor,
or diagnose problems that arise during a solution.

Once a solution is available you can contour the results (p. 24) or animate the res-
ults (p. 1677) to review the response of the structure.

As a result of a nonlinear static analysis you may have a solution at several time points.
You can use probes (p. 1462) to display the variation of a result item as the load increases.
An example might be large deformation analyses that result in buckling of the structure.
In these cases it is also of interest to plot one result quantity (for example, displacement
at a vertex) against another results item (for example, applied load). You can use the
Charts (p. 1449) feature to develop such charts.

Steady-State Thermal Analysis

Introduction
You can use a steady-state thermal analysis to determine temperatures, thermal gradients, heat flow
rates, and heat fluxes in an object that are caused by thermal loads that do not vary over time. A steady-
state thermal analysis calculates the effects of steady thermal loads on a system or component. Engineers
often perform a steady-state analysis before performing a transient thermal analysis, to help establish
initial conditions. A steady-state analysis also can be the last step of a transient thermal analysis, per-

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Analysis Types

formed after all transient effects have diminished. A steady-state thermal analysis can be performed
using the ANSYS, Samcef, or ABAQUS solver.

Important:

By default, the application does not write thermal gradient results to the result file. To have
these results written to the results file, use a Command object (p. 1823) and insert the command
OUTRES,ERASE.

Point to Remember
A steady-state thermal analysis may be either linear, with constant material properties; or nonlinear,
with material properties that depend on temperature. The thermal properties of most material do vary
with temperature, so the analysis usually is nonlinear. Including radiation effects or temperature depend-
ent convection coefficient also makes the analysis nonlinear.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag a Steady-State Thermal, Steady-State Thermal (Samcef), or Steady-State
Thermal (ABAQUS) template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

Thermal Conductivity must be defined for a steady-state thermal analysis. Thermal

Conductivity can be isotropic or orthotropic, and constant or temperature-dependent.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for a steady-state thermal analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

Mechanical does not support Rigid Bodies in thermal analyses. For more information,
see the Stiffness Behavior documentation for Rigid Bodies (p. 631).

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 Steady-State Thermal Analysis

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

In a thermal analysis only contact is valid. Any joints or springs are ignored.

With contact the initial status is maintained throughout the thermal analysis, that is, any
closed contact faces will remain closed and any open contact faces will remain open for
the duration of the thermal analysis. Heat conduction across a closed contact face is set
to a sufficiently high enough value (based on the thermal conductivities and the model
size) to model perfect contact with minimal thermal resistance. If needed, you can
model imperfect contact by manually inputting a Thermal Conductance (p. 922) value.

By default, Contact Results (p. 1535) (accessible through User Defined Results (p. 1656) via
CONTSTAT or CONTFLUX – see the User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL Solv-
er (p. 1666) section.) are not written to the result file in a thermal analysis.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for steady-state thermal analysis itself. However if
the temperatures from this analysis are to be used in a subsequent structural analysis
the mesh must be identical. Therefore in this case you may want to make sure the mesh
is fine enough for structural analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a steady-state thermal analyses you typically do not need to change these settings.
The basic Analysis Settings include:

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110)

Step Controls enable you to control the rate of loading which could be important in a
steady-state thermal analysis if the material properties vary rapidly with temperature. When
such nonlinearities are present it may be necessary to apply the loads in small increments
and perform solutions at these intermediate loads to achieve convergence. You may wish
to use multiple steps if you a) want to analyze several different loading scenarios within
the same analysis or b) if you want to change the analysis settings such as the time step
size or the solution output frequency over specific time ranges.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Output Controls enable you to specify the time points at which results should be available
for postprocessing. In a nonlinear analysis it may be necessary to perform many solutions
at intermediate load values. However i) you may not be interested in all the intermediate
results and ii) writing all the results can make the results file size unwieldy. In this case you
can restrict the amount of output by requesting results only at certain time points.

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Analysis Types

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

Nonlinear Controls enable you to modify convergence criteria and other specialized
solution controls. Typically you will not need to change the default values for this control.

Nonlinear Controls are exposed for the ANSYS solver only.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

Analysis Data Management settings enable you to save specific solution files from the
steady-state thermal analysis for use in other analyses.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

For a steady-state thermal analysis you can specify an initial temperature value. This
uniform temperature is used during the first iteration of a solution as follows:

• To evaluate temperature-dependent material properties.

• As the starting temperature value for constant temperature loads.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

The following loads are supported in a steady-state thermal analysis:

• Temperature (p. 1250)

• Convection (p. 1253)

• Radiation (p. 1258)

• Heat Flow (p. 1262)

• Perfectly Insulated (p. 1263)

• Heat Flux (p. 1265)

• Internal Heat Generation (p. 1267)

• Imported Temperature (p. 1434)

• Imported Convection Coefficient (p. 1426)

• Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290)

• System Coupling Region (p. 1293)

Loads and supports vary as a function of time even in a static analysis as explained in
the Role of Time in Role of Time in Tracking (p. 1165). In a static analysis, the load’s mag-
nitude could be a constant value or could vary with time as defined in a table or via a

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 Thermal-Electric Analysis

function. Details of how to apply a tabular or function load are described in Defining
Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437). In addition, see the Apply Loads and Sup-
ports (p. 238) section for more information about time stepping and ramped loads.

Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290) is not available for the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

The Solution Information (p. 1735) object provides some tools to monitor solution pro-
gress.

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the analysis. Any conver-
gence data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the
Solution Information (p. 1735) section.

You can also insert a Result Tracker (p. 1745) object under Solution Information. This
tool enables you to monitor temperature at a vertex as the solution progresses. Result
Tracker is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

Applicable results are all thermal result types (p. 1622).

Once a solution is available you can contour the results (p. 24) or animate the res-
ults (p. 1677) to review the response of the structure.

As a result of a nonlinear analysis you may have a solution at several time points. You
can use probes (p. 1462) to display the variation of a result item over the load history.
Also of interest is the ability to plot one result quantity (for example, maximum temper-
ature on a face) against another results item (for example, applied heat generation rate).
You can use the Charts (p. 1449) feature to develop such charts.

Note that Charts (p. 1449) are also useful to compare results between two analyses of the
same model.

Thermal-Electric Analysis

Introduction
A Steady-State Thermal-Electric Conduction analysis allows for a simultaneous solution of thermal and
electric fields. This coupled-field capability models joule heating for resistive materials and contact
electric conductance as well as Seebeck, Peltier, and Thomson effects for thermoelectricity, as described
below.

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Analysis Types

• Joule heating - Heating occurs in a resistive conductor carrying an electric current. Joule heating is propor-
tional to the square of the current, and is independent of the current direction. Joule heating is also present
and accounted for at the contact interface between bodies in inverse proportion to the contact electric
conductance properties. (Note however that the Joule Heat results object will not display contact joule
heating values. Only solid body joule heating is represented).

• Seebeck effect - A voltage (Seebeck EMF) is produced in a thermoelectric material by a temperature differ-
ence. The induced voltage is proportional to the temperature difference. The proportionality coefficient is
known as the Seebeck Coefficient (α).

• Peltier effect - Cooling or heating occurs at a junction of two dissimilar thermoelectric materials when an
electric current flows through that junction. Peltier heat is proportional to the current, and changes sign if
the current direction is reversed.

• Thomson effect - Heat is absorbed or released in a non-uniformly heated thermoelectric material when
electric current flows through it. Thomson heat is proportional to the current, and changes sign if the current
direction is reversed.

Points to Remember
Electric loads may be applied to parts with electric properties and thermal loads may be applied to
bodies with thermal properties. Parts with both physics properties can support both thermal and electric
loads. See the Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439) section and the Electric Analysis (p. 253) section of
the help for more information about applicable loads, boundary conditions, and results types.

In addition to calculating the effects of steady thermal and electric loads on a system or component, a
Steady-State Thermal-Electric analysis supports a multi-step solution.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag the Thermal-Electric template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

To have Thermal and/or Electrical effects properly applied to the parts of your model,
you need to define the appropriate material properties. For a steady-state analysis, the
electrical property Resistivity is required for Joule Heating effects and Thermal Con-
ductivity for thermal conduction effects. Seebeck/Peltier/Thomson effects require you
to define the Seebeck Coefficient material property.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

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 Thermal-Electric Analysis

... for this analysis type:

Note that 3D shell bodies and line bodies are not supported in a thermal-electric analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

Mechanical does not support Rigid Bodies in thermal-electric analyses. For more inform-
ation, see the Stiffness Behavior documentation for Rigid Bodies (p. 631).

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Contact across parts during a thermal-electric analysis consider thermal and/or electric
effects based on the material properties of adjacent parts. That is, if both parts have
thermal properties, thermal contact is applied and if both parts have electric properties,
electric contact is applied.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations regarding meshing for a thermal-electric analysis.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Thermal-Electric analysis, the basic Analysis Settings include:

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110)

: used to specify the end time of a step in a single or multiple step analysis. Multiple steps
are needed if you want to change load values, the solution settings, or the solution output
frequency over specific steps. Typically you do not need to change the default values.

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

Typical thermal-electric problems contain temperature dependent material properties and
are therefore nonlinear. Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147) for both thermal and electrical effects
are available and include Heat and Temperature convergence for thermal effects and
Voltage and Current convergence for electric effects.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Output Controls enable you to specify the time points at which results should be available
for postprocessing. A multi-step analysis involves calculating solutions at several time

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Analysis Types

points in the load history. However you may not be interested in all of the possible results
items and writing all the results can make the result file size unwieldy. You can restrict the
amount of output by requesting results only at certain time points or limit the results that
go onto the results file at each time point.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

Review these settings as needed.

Solver Controls (p. 1117)

The default Solver Controls (p. 1117) setting for thermal-electric analysis is the Direct (Sparse)
solver. The Iterative (PCG) solver may be selected as an alternative solver. If Seebeck effects
are included, the solver is automatically set to Direct.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

There is no initial condition specification for a thermal-electric analysis.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

The following loads are supported in a Thermal-Electric analysis:

• Voltage (p. 1272)

• Current (p. 1274)

• Coupling Condition (p. 1376)

• Temperature (p. 1250)

• Convection (p. 1253)

• Radiation (p. 1258)

• Heat Flow (p. 1262)

• Perfectly Insulated (p. 1263)

• Heat Flux (p. 1265)

• Internal Heat Generation (p. 1267)

• System Coupling Region (p. 1293)

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

... for this analysis type:

The Solution Information (p. 1735) object provides some tools to monitor solution pro-
gress.

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the model during the analysis. Any convergence
data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the Solution
Information (p. 1735) section.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

Applicable results include all thermal and electric results (p. 1447).

Once a solution is available, you can contour the results (p. 24) or animate the res-
ults (p. 1677) to review the responses of the model.

For the results of a multi-step analysis that has a solution at several time points, you can
use probes (p. 1462) to display variations of a result item over the steps.

You may also wish to use the Charts (p. 1449) feature to plot multiple result quantities
against time (steps). For example, you could compare current and joule heating. Charts
can also be useful when comparing the results between two analysis branches of the
same model.

Topology Optimization Analysis

Using a Topology Optimization analysis, you compute an optimal structural design of your geometry
for a selected region of your model with specific design objectives and constraints. Topology optimization
is a physics driven optimization that is based on a set of loads and boundary conditions provided by a
single preceding analysis or multiple preceding analyses.

Mechanical provides the following optimization types:

• Density Based Optimization: This type performs optimization based on the density of each element
of your model. It employs Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) wherein density is forced to
approach 0 or 1 rather than varying continuously.

• Lattice Optimization (p. 498): This method enables you to compute an optimal variable density lattice
distribution in your geometry.

• Level Set Based Optimization: This method directly deals with the boundary of the shape. This enables
Mechanical to deliver an unambiguous solution. See the Topology Optimization - Level Set Based (p. 502)
section for the specific steps for using this optimization type.

• Morphing (beta only): This method enables you to optimize the shape of your model by morphing the
mesh. As opposed to Topology Optimization, no topological change is allowed. See the beta document
for the steps to use the feature.

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Analysis Types

Prerequisites and Requirements

The Topology Optimization analysis must be linked to (preceded by) a:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Steady-State Thermal (p. 439)

• Static Structural (p. 434) in combination with either a Modal (p. 283) or a Steady-State Thermal (p. 439)
(illustrated below).

The loading and/or boundary conditions defined in your upstream system are used to create an optimized
part based on the objectives and constraints specified in the Topology Optimization analysis. It is re-
commended that you use the same support boundary conditions for all analyses linked to a Topology
Optimization analysis.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Design Validation
Once you have completed your Topology Optimization analysis, you can choose whether or not to
wish to validate (p. 491) the newly created design by importing the new model into geometry modeling
software. Note that in order to perform a validation, your Topology Optimization analysis must be in a
solved state. A completed analysis is illustrated below (the Solution cell is complete) for a single upstream
system. As shown, the highlighted context menu option Transfer to Design Validation System becomes
available to transfer the Results (cell) of your completed Topology Optimization analysis to the Geo-
metry (cell) of a newly created system (required), as illustrated in the next image.

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Analysis Types

Once updated, through this new system, you can validate the design of your model.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Note:

SpaceClaim does not support the Linux platform. Geometry revisions need to be performed
on the Windows platform. You can resume your analysis on Linux once your geometry en-
hancements are complete (i.e., the Geometry cell is up-to-date).

Topology Optimization Workflow

The workflow for the Topology Optimization analysis is divided into the following subsections:
Preparing the Topology Optimization Analysis
Performing Solution and Review Results
Performing Design Validation
Topology Optimization - Density Based Limitations
Lattice Optimization Analysis
Level-Set Based Topology Optimization

Preparing the Topology Optimization Analysis

This section describes the requirements to create your analysis, prepare the analysis settings, and
define the design objectives and constraints in order to perform the optimization.

Note:

If your upstream system is a single Static Structure analysis, it is recommended that you
use step-based loading to improve scalability. In order to do so, you need to define your
loading conditions using the Tabular Data window and you need to set the Independent
Variable property to the Step option. This does not include the use of the Thermal Con-
dition load.

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Analysis Types

Creating and Preparing the Analysis System

If you have not already created a Topology Optimization system that is preceded by a Static Structural
or Modal system or a combination of structural and modal analyses in the Project Schematic, see
the Topology Optimization section in the Workbench User's Guide for the steps to create these systems.
The cells between the systems should be linked as illustrated below.

If you have your Topology Optimization system already open in Mechanical, but it is not preceded
by a Static Structural or Modal system, you can also add them by the Analysis drop-down menu on
the Home (p. 9) (or current) tab, and connect them using the Transfer Data From or disconnect
them by the Unlink Data From right-click menu of Topology Optimization environment.

Upstream Static Structural System

Multiple Upstream Systems

Once your systems are open in Mechanical, The Future Analysis property of the Analysis Data Man-
agement Category (p. 1160) in the Analysis Settings object of the upstream system is specified as To-
pology Optimization. The Environment Selection List property in the Solution (p. 2211) object of
the Topology optimization system shows the cell identifiers of the environments linked to the current
topology optimization environment.

As illustrated below, the application automatically inserts and assigns default values to the Optimiz-
ation Region, Objective, and Response Constraint objects in the Topology Optimization analysis.
In this example, Fixed Supports and a Remote Force were specified on the model.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Establishing Analysis Settings

This topic examines the application defaults for Analysis Settings (p. 1109) properties based upon
the optimization method you use, either Topology Optimization - Density Based (p. 453), Lattice Op-
timization (p. 498), or Topology Optimization - Level Set Based (p. 456). As needed, you can modify
Analysis Settings as described below. Note that some of the following settings are exclusive the
Topology Optimization.

Topology Optimization - Density Based and Lattice Optimization

Reload Volume Analysis

The Reload Volume Analysis category of the Analysis Settings is only available when performing a
Topology Optimization (p. 447) analysis and it only displays following the solution process. This category
includes the Reload Volume Fraction property. The options for this property include Off and Manual.
When you set the property to Manual, the Current Reload Point property also displays and provides
the following options:

• Initial: Using this setting, your next solution begins from Iteration 0 (a new solution).

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Analysis Types

• Iteration Number ##: This setting is based on the last Iteration completed for the previous solution.
Using this setting, your next solution begins by reloading the volume fractions at the specified iteration
number.

Note:

When you pick a reload point that is different from the Initial reload point, you may
receive an optimized shape that is different than the optimized shape obtained when
you perform the optimization from the beginning of the analysis.

Important:

If you modify any of the following, the Reload Volume Analysis category disappears
from the Analysis Settings:

• Manufacturing Constraints (You can use the Pull Out Direction Manufacturing
Constraint for Reload Volume Analysis if you set the Region of Manufacturing
Constraint property to Exclude Exclusion)

• Optimization Region

• Region of Manufacturing Constraint property

• Region of Min Member property

• Size property

• Any associated upstream system

Definition Category
The Definition category of the Analysis Settings is only available when performing a Topology Optim-
ization (p. 447) analysis. The properties of the Definition category include:

• Maximum Number of Iterations: This property specifies the maximum number of iterations performed
for the topology optimization analysis. The solution process continues until the application achieves
convergence accuracy or reaches the maximum number of iterations. The default value is 500.

• Minimum Normalized Density: This property requires a value greater than 0 and less than 1. The
topology optimization analysis uses this value to extract the permissible range of retained threshold
values. The default value is 0.001.

• Convergence Accuracy: This property specifies the convergence criteria of the topology optimization
analysis. The solution process continues until the application achieves convergence accuracy or reaches
the maximum number of iterations. This value must be less than or equal to 2. The default value is
0.1%.

Note:

Specifying a lower Convergence Accuracy, such as 0.05%, is recommended if your

optimization objective is to minimize Mass/Volume with Global/Local von-Mises
stress constraint.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

• Penalty Factor (Stiffness): During the solution process, this property applies a penalty factor to the
structural stiffness matrix in order to prevent the stiffness matrix from scaling linearly with the pseudo
density. Therefore, the stiffness at each iteration, as needed, is modified using the expression:
. The default value is 3.

• Region of Manufacturing Constraint: The options for this property are Include Exclusions (default)
and Exclude Exclusions. When you specify Include Exclusions, the application also incorporates the
Exclusion Region (p. 457) to satisfy the Pull Out Direction, Extrusion, Cyclic, and Symmetry manu-
facturing constraints.

• Region of Min Member Size: The options for this property are Include Exclusions and Exclude Ex-
clusions (default). When you specify Include Exclusions, the application also incorporates the Exclu-
sion Region (p. 457) to meet the minimum member size specified through the Member Size manu-
facturing constraint.

• Region of AM Overhang Constraint: If your analysis includes the specifications of an AM Overhang

Constraint, this property enables you to include or exclude the object on the Exclusion Region
(p. 457) of the model. The options for this property are Include Exclusions and Exclude Exclusions
(default). When you specify Include Exclusions, the application applies the AM Overhang Constraint
to the Exclusion Region.

Solver Controls Category

Solver Type property (p. 1118) is the only property for this category. The property options include:

• Program Controlled (default): The application selects the Sequential Convex Programming solver
as the default option.

• Sequential Convex Programming: The Sequential Convex Programming method is an extension

of the method for moving asymptotes (MMA). The Sequential Convex Programming method requires
the derivatives of all functions present in the topology optimization analysis.

See the Optimization Solver Methods (p. 478) section for additional technical detail about this
solver type.

• Optimality Criteria: The Optimality Criteria method can be used to solve topology optimization
problems with a simple compliance objective that uses a volume or mass constraint.

Note:

The following support limitations apply to the Optimality Criteria method:

– Only supports the Compliance (Structural) setting for the Response Type column
of the Objective object worksheet.

– Only Volume and Mass constraints are supported.

– The Manufacturing Constraint is supported where only the Minimum property

for the Member Size constraint subtype can be specified.

See the Optimization Solver Methods (p. 478) section for additional technical details about this
solver type.

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Analysis Types

Output Controls Category

See Output Controls (p. 1151) for additional information about the properties of this category.

Analysis Data Management Category

See the Analysis Data Management Category (p. 1160) section of the Help for additional information
about the properties of this category.

Topology Optimization - Level Set Based

Definition Category
The Definition category of the Analysis Settings is only available when performing a Topology Optim-
ization (p. 447) analysis. The properties of the Definition category include:

• Maximum Number of Iterations: This property specifies the maximum number of iterations performed
for the topology optimization analysis. The solution process continues until the application achieves
convergence accuracy or reaches the maximum number of iterations. The default value is 500.

• Convergence Accuracy: This property specifies the convergence criteria of the topology optimization
analysis. The solution process continues until the application achieves convergence accuracy or reaches
the maximum number of iterations. The default value is 0.1%.

• Exclusion Zone: You can define an exclusion around specific face (load, boundary condition, etc).
You can also tune the thickness.

• Move Limit: You can specify the Move Limit property in order to define how much the boundary can
move at each iteration.

Output Controls Category

See Output Controls (p. 1151) for additional information about the properties of this category.

Analysis Data Management Category

See the Analysis Data Management Category (p. 1160) section of the Help for additional information
about the properties of this category.

For a general overview of the use of analysis settings, see the Establish Analysis Settings (p. 230) section.

Applying Design Objectives and Constraints

A Topology Optimization analysis includes the following design objectives and constraints. Refer to
individual Help sections for additional information about the object. The application applies default
settings to the various properties of all of the automatically inserted objects.

• Optimization Region (p. 457) (inserted automatically)

• Objective (p. 460) (inserted automatically)

• Response Constraint (p. 464) (inserted automatically)

• AM Overhang Constraint (p. 477)

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

• Manufacturing Constraint (p. 472)

Note:

The Mechanical APDL solver supports the use of the Commands object (p. 1823) for Topology
Optimization analyses. This support includes all iterations of the Topology Optimization
analysis and for all load steps.

Important:

If you are using the Remote Solve Manager (RSM) for your solution, the density track-
ers (p. 2184) do not update during the solution process. In order to see an optimization update
for your model, you need to select the tracker object, right-click, and select the option
Evaluate All Results. This action tells the remote machine to read the appropriate local
file and display the current results.

Additional Preparation Topics

Refer to the following additional sections in order to complete the preparation of your Topology
Optimization analysis:

• Topology Optimization Solution Methodology (p. 478)

• Topology Density (p. 482) (inserted automatically)

• Topology Elemental Density (p. 486)

• Topology Density Tracker (p. 2184) (inserted automatically)

Optimization Region
You use the Optimization Region object (p. 2152) to select a region of your geometry on which to
perform topology optimization. Using the properties of the object, you define the Design Region
and the Exclusion Region for the analysis.

The properties of the Design Region category enable you to define the geometry as a Geometry
Selection or a Named Selection. This is the region that you wish to optimize.

The properties of the Exclusion Region category enable you to specify a region (geometric entities
or elements) to be excluded from optimization. You specify excluded regions using defined
Boundary Conditions, Geometry Selection, or a Named Selection.

Level Set Optimization Method

Because it is desirable to have a one-to-one relationship between for your Optimization Region
and Manufacturing Constraints, if you are using the Level Set optimization method, you can create
multiple Optimization Region objects and specify individual Manufacturing Constraints for each.
This enables you to create a simulation for multiple optimized bodies, each with unique manufac-

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Analysis Types

turing constraints and, using suppression, have one simulation that enables you to validate numerous
designs.

Note:

The Level Set optimization method supports 3D solid elements only.

Defining Additional Exclusion Regions

The Optimization Region object provides the contextual (right-click) menu option Exclusion Region
that enables you to specify additional exclusion regions on your model. Inserted as a child object
to the Optimization Region object, it provides the scoping options Geometry Selection and
Named Selection. These options following the same scoping requirements described below.

The topology optimization solution does not optimize the exclusion region defined using this Ex-
clusion Region object. The recommended use of the Exclusion Region object includes scenarios
wherein certain regions of interest, that may be disconnected, need to be retained even though
no loads or boundary conditions exists on the region.

Optimization Type
In addition to specifying the region of your geometry to optimize, this object enables you to specify
an Optimization Type. Type options include:

• Topology Optimization - Density Based: This type performs optimization based on the density
of each element of your model. It employs Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) wherein
density is forced to approach 0 or 1 rather than varying continuously.

• Lattice Optimization (p. 498): This method enables you to compute an optimal variable density
lattice distribution in your geometry.

• Topology Optimization - Level Set Based: This method deals directly with the boundary of the
shape. This enables Mechanical to deliver an unambiguous solution. See the Topology Optimization
Level-Set (p. 502) section for the specific steps for using this optimization type.

Details View Properties

The Details view for this object includes the following properties.

Category Properties/Options/Description
Design Scoping Method. The options for this property include:
Re-
gion • Geometry Selection (default): This option indicates that the design region is applied
to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using graphical selection tools. When
you specify Geometry Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geometry property
will appear.

In this case, use selection filters on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) to pick your
geometric entities (only body and element selection), and then click Apply.
Once complete, the property displays the type of geometry (Body, Element,
etc.) and the number of selected geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 12
Elements).

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Category Properties/Options/Description
• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named
Selection. When you specify Named Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named
Selection property will appear. This property provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections (only body-based and element-based Named
Selections are supported).

Ex- Defined By. The options for this property include:

clu-
sion • Boundary Condition (default):
Re-
gion When you specify Boundary Condition for the Defined By property, a
Boundary Condition property will appear. This property includes the following
options:

– All Boundary Conditions: Applies the locations of all loading conditions

and supports from the upstream static/modal system.

– All Loads: Applies the locations of all loading conditions from the upstream
static/modal system.

– All Supports: Applies the locations of all supports from the upstream
static/modal system.

– None: No boundary condition locations are applied.

• Geometry Selection: This option indicates that the design region is applied to a
geometry or geometries, which are chosen using graphical selection tools. When you
specify Geometry Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geometry property will
appear. Exclusion Region geometry selections can be scoped to bodies, faces, edges,
vertices, elements, and nodes.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection. When you specify Named Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named
Selection property will appear. This property provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections. Exclusion Region Named Selections support body-,
face-, edge-, vertex-, element-, and node-based Named Selections.

Exclusion Thickness: This property displays when you set the Optimization Type
property to Topology Optimization - Level Set Based. The default setting for this
property is Program Controlled or you can enter a value manually. This option enables
you to specify a thickness for the Exclusion Region. The default value is two times
the average element size. The unit must be a length.
Op- Optimization Type: You use this property to specify the type of optimization you
tim- wish to perform. Options include Topology Optimization - Density Based, Lattice
iz- Optimization (p. 498), and Topology Optimization - Level Set Based (p. 502).
a-
tion
Op-
tion

Refer to the Optimization Region object (p. 2152) reference page for additional information.

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Analysis Types

Objective
An Objective object (p. 2151) is added by default for Topology Optimization systems. This object
displays the Worksheet in order for you to specify the topology optimization goal.

Application
To apply an Objective object: On the Environment Context tab: select Objective, or right-click on
the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert > Objective.

Objective Worksheet
When you select the Objective object, the Worksheet displays by default, as illustrated in the images
shown below. You use the Worksheet to specify Response Type, Formulation, Goal, and Weights
for the steps/modes of the upstream analysis. A Topology Optimization analysis supports one or
more upstream Static Structural analyses or Modal analyses, a combination of the two analysis
types, and it supports a Steady-State Thermal analysis.

Whenever you link a Static Structural or a Modal analysis to a Topology Optimization analysis
in the Project Schematic, a new row is added to the Worksheet. The default Response Type setting
for a Static Structural analysis is Compliance, for a Modal analysis it is Frequency, and for a Steady-
State Thermal analysis it is Thermal Compliance.

Single Static Structural System

Single Modal System

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Single Thermal System

You can insert additional rows into the Worksheet to specify multiple response types for multiple
systems and Weight values for a single step or multiple steps (by disabling or enabling the Multiple
Sets option).

Note:

For the Density Based optimization method, when you have multiple objectives specified,
the solver normalizes the objectives with their initial response to give equal weightage
for all objectives.

Multiple Systems

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Analysis Types

Worksheet Properties
You set the values for properties in the Worksheet columns to define the Objective object as follows:

• Enabled: This option is checked by default. When checked the application includes the specifications
of the row in the solution. Unchecking the row excludes it from the solution.

• Response Type: The options for this column depend upon the analysis you are optimizing.

If... Then this entry can be set to...

Static Structural Compliance (default), Mass, or Volume.
System
Modal System Frequency (default), Mass, or Volume.
Steady-State Thermal Compliance (default), Mass, or Volume.
Thermal System
Multiple Systems Compliance (default), Frequency, Mass, Volume, or Thermal
Compliance.

• Goal: The options for this property depend upon the type of analysis that you are optimizing as
well as the selection made in the Response Type column.

If... Then this entry can be set to...

Static Minimize for all Response Type values. Minimizing the Compliance
Structural (Response Type) maximizes the system's structural stiffness.
System
Modal Maximize for Frequency Response Type and Minimize for all other
System Response Type values.
Steady-State Minimize for all Response Type values. Minimizing the Thermal
Thermal Compliance maximizes the heat transfer.
System
Multiple Maximize for Frequency Response Type and Minimize for all other
Systems Response Type values.

• Formulation: This column is applicable only when Response Type is set to Compliance (Static
Structural analysis) or Thermal Compliance (Steady-State Thermal Analysis).

For the Density Based optimization method, when you select Compliance (Static Structural
analysis), this column is used to specify the formulation method by which maximum stiffness
can be attained to minimize the compliance.

– Program Controlled: This default setting selects either the Force or Displacement for-
mulation based on whether a force load or a displacement load exists in the Static Struc-
tural analysis.

– Force: If you have not applied a displacement load and a force load is applied, then the
displacement, with respect to this force load, is minimized during the optimization.

– Displacement: If you have a non-zero displacement load and no force load is applied,
then the force that leads to the given displacement is maximized during the optimization.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

For Thermal Compliance this column is used to specify the formulation method by which
heat transfer is maximized. Options include Program Controlled (default), Thermal Load,
and Temperature. The Thermal Load option includes all thermal loads (e.g. Convection,
Heat Flux, etc.) except Temperature. For this Worksheet property, note the following beha-
viors:

– Program Controlled: This default setting selects either the Temperature or Thermal
Load formulation based on whether a temperature load or a thermal load exists in the
Steady-State Thermal analysis.

– Thermal Load: If you have not applied a Temperature load and a Thermal Load is applied,
then the average temperature, with respect to this thermal load, is minimized during the
optimization.

– Temperature: If you have Temperature load and no Thermal Load is applied, then the
thermal load that leads to the given temperature is maximized during the optimization.

• Environment Name: From the drop-down list, select the environment associated with the entries
of the Response Type and Goal properties.

• Weight: The default value for this option is 1. The Weight can be any real number.

• Multiple Sets: The values for this option are Enabled (default) or Disabled.

– If Enabled, you can specify Start Step and End Step values within the boundaries of the max-
imum number of steps defined in the upstream Static Structural analysis.

– If Disabled, only the Step column is available to define the Weight for a single step.

• Start Step: This option is available when the Environment Name column is set to either Static
Structural or Steady-State Thermal. This option requires the Multiple Sets option to be set to
Enabled in order to define the Start Step from the upstream solution.

• End Step: This option is available when the Environment Name column is set to either Static
Structural or Steady-State Thermal. This option requires the Multiple Sets option to be set to
Enabled in order to define the End Step from the upstream solution.

• Step: This option is supported when the Environment Name column is set to either Static
Structural or Steady-State Thermal. This option specifies the step number used from the upstream
solution. This field is read-only when the Multiple Sets option is set to Enabled, and the entry for
this option can also be Multiple or All, if the Start and End Step values cover more than one step
or the entire analysis from the upstream solution. Otherwise, you can specify the weight for single
steps using this option.

• Start Mode: Only supported when Modal system is selected in the Environment Name column.
This field requires the Multiple Sets option to be set to Enabled in order to define the Start Mode
for the selected Modal analysis solution.

• End Mode: Only supported when Modal system is selected in the Environment Name column.
This field requires the Multiple Sets option to be set to Enabled in order to define the Start Mode
for the selected Modal analysis solution.

• Mode: Only supported when Modal system is selected in the Environment Name column. This
option specifies the mode number used from the upstream solution. This field is read-only when
the Multiple Sets option is set to Enabled and the entry for this option can also be Multiple or

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Analysis Types

All, if the Start Mode and End Mode values cover more than one mode or all of the modes from
the upstream solution. Otherwise, you can specify the weight for single modes using this option.

Refer to the Objective object (p. 2151) reference page for additional information.

Response Constraint
The Topology Optimization analysis requires and automatically inserts a response constraint. The
available response types include:

• Mass Constraint (default)

• Volume Constraint

• Moment of Inertia

• Global von-Mises Stress Constraint (Static Structural)

• Natural Frequency Constraint (Modal)

• Displacement Constraint (Static Structural)

• Local von-Mises Stress Constraint (Static Structural)

• Reaction Force Constraint (Static Structural)

• Compliance Constraint (Static Structural)

• Center of Gravity Constraint

• Temperature Constraint (Steady-State Thermal Analysis)

• Criterion Constraint (Static Structural)

Note:

Shell Body Stress Constraints

When you apply a Global von-Mises Stress Constraint or a Local von-Mises Stress
Constraint to a shell body, the application optimizes the body using the elemental
mean of the top and bottom surfaces.

You can add additional constraints to the Topology Optimization analysis system.

Application
To apply a Response Constraint:

1. On the Environment Context tab, open the Response Constraint drop-down menu and select
the desired response constraint, or, right-click the Environment (Topology Optimization) object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert>[desired Response Constraint menu option].

2. The application inserts the appropriate object matching the selected response option.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Additional properties display based on the setting of the Response property setting, and
include:

Geometric-Based Analyses

• Mass Constraint/Volume Constraint: Modify the Percent to Retain property as

needed.

• Center of Gravity Constraint: Specify the upper and/or the lower limit (Maximum
Value/Minimum Value) and desired Axis.

• Moment of Inertia Constraint: Modify the Percent to Retain property as needed

and specify a desired Axis.

Static Structural Analyses

• Global von-Mises Stress Constraint: Specify the Maximum stress value. Modify the
Environment Selection property as needed.

• Local von-Mises Stress Constraint: Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry
Selection or Named Selection and then specify the geometry. Also specify the
Maximum stress value. Modify the Environment Selection property as needed.

• Displacement Constraint: Specify the X/Y/Z Component (Max) properties. Modify

the Environment Selection property as needed.

• Reaction Force Constraint: Specify the Axis Selection, Criteria, and X/Y/Z Compon-
ent (Max) or X/Y/Z Component (Sum Max) properties. Modify the Environment
Selection property as needed.

• Compliance: Specify the maximum value. Modify the Environment Selection property
as needed.

• Criterion Constraint: Specify the Criterion, Lower Bound, and Upper Bound
properties.

Modal Analyses
Natural Frequency Constraint: Specify the values for the Mode Number, Minimum
Frequency, and Maximum Frequency properties. Modify the Environment Selection
property as needed.

Thermal Analyses
Temperature Constraint: Specify the Temperature (Abs Max) property. Modify the
Environment Selection property as needed.

Note:

Where applicable, the application automatically specifies a (read-only) Coordinate

System property.

Renaming Based on Definition

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Analysis Types

The Response Constraint object provides the context menu (right-click) option Rename Based
on Definition. This option automatically renames the object based on your Response property
selection. That is, it renames the object " Mass Constraint," " Volume Constraint," " Global von-
Mises Stress Constraint," or " Natural Frequency Constraint " accordingly. This feature supports
all of the options of the Response property.

Details View Properties

The Details view for this object includes the following properties.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: The option for this property is based upon the
type of Response Constraint you have inserted into the tree.

For the Mass Constraint, Volume Constraint, and Global von-

Mises Stress Constraint (Static Structural only) response types,
the only available option is Optimization Region. This option
indicates that the design region is applied to the specified Optim-
ization Region. When Optimization Region is specified for the
Scoping Method, the Optimization Region Selection property
also displays. This property contains a default value: Optimization
Region.

For Local von-Mises Stress Constraint, Displacement Constraint,

and Reaction Force Constraint response types, all of which are
only supported by a linked Static Structural analysis, the available
options include:

• Geometry Selection: This option indicates that the design region

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
the graphical selection tools. When you specify Geometry
Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geometry property
displays.

In this case, use selection filters on the Graphics

Toolbar (p. 49) to pick your geometric entities, and then
click Apply. Once complete, the property displays the type
of geometry (Body, Edge, Vertex, Element, etc.) and the
number of selected geometric entities (for example: 1 Body,
12 Elements).

• Named Selection: This option indicates that the design region

is applied to a Named Selection. When you specify Named
Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named Selection
property displays. This property provides a drop-down list of
available user-defined Named Selections.

Note:

There is no Scope category for the Natural Frequency

Constraint response type.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type
This is a read-only property that indicates the object as a
Response Constraint.

Response
The options for this property include:

• Mass (default)/Volume: When you select either of these

options, the Define By property displays. Define By
properties include:

– Constant (default): When this option is used, the Percent

to Retain property also displays. The Percent to Retain
property defines the percentage of the Volume/Mass that
the application retains at the end of the analysis. The
default value is 50. The entry range for this property is
between 1 and 99.

– Range: When this option is selected, the Percent to Retain

(Min) and Percent to Retain (Max) properties also display.
You use these two properties to define the range of
percentage of the Volume/Mass that the application retains
at the end of the analysis. The default value for each is 50.
The entry range for these properties is between 1 and 99.

• Center of Gravity: When this option is selected, the Max

Value and Min Value properties also display and enable you
to specify an upper and lower boundary for the constraint.
The default value is Free. You will note a value contained in
the field when you select it. This is a infinite value to indicate
a free state.

• Moment of Inertia: When you select this option, the Define

By property displays. Define By properties include:

– Constant (default): When this option is used, the Percent

to Retain property also displays. The Percent to Retain
property defines the percentage of the Moment of Inertia
that the application retains at the end of the analysis. The
default value is 50. The entry range for this property is
between 1 and 99.

– Range: When this option is selected, the Percent to Retain

(Min) and Percent to Retain (Max) properties also display.
You use these two properties to define the range of
percentage of the Moment of Inertia that the application
retains at the end of the analysis. The default value for
each is 50. The entry range for these properties is between
1 and 99.

– Absolute Constant: Specify a Maximum value in the

appropriate Unit system.

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Analysis Types

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Absolute Range: Specify a Maximum and Minimum value
in the appropriate Unit system.

• Natural Frequency: This option is only available when there

is at least one upstream Modal system. By using this property,
the analysis ensures the specified mode and the range of
frequencies are supported by the optimized body. When
selected, the following associated properties will be shown:

– Mode Number: This property defines the mode number

used to create the optimized body.

– Minimum Frequency: This property defines the minimum

frequency for the selected mode number.

– Maximum Frequency: This property defines the maximum

frequency for the selected mode number.

You can use multiple Natural Frequency objects that

specify different Mode Numbers and corresponding
frequency ranges for each upstream Modal system.

• Global von-Mises Stress: This option is only available when

there is at least one upstream Static Structural system. You
use this property to make sure that the optimized geometry
or structure always supports a specified maximum stress.
When selected, the Maximum property also displays. Enter
a stress value in the Maximum property as a Constant or
using Tabular Data entries.

• Local von-Mises Stress: This option is only available when

there is at least one upstream Static Structural system. You
use this property to make sure that the geometry or structure
always supports a specified maximum stress using the
Maximum property that also displays when you select the
Local von-Mises Stress option. You specify the stress value
of the Maximum property as either a Constant (default) or
using Tabular Data entries (via fly-out menu). The
application supports multiple Local von-Mises Stress
constraints. You can apply this constraint on supported
elements that may or may not be included in the Optimiza-
tion Region.

• Displacement: This option is only available when there is at

least one upstream Static Structural system. You use this
property to make sure that the optimized geometry or
structure always support a specified maximum displacement
using the X/Y/Z Component (Max) properties that also
display when you select the Displacement option. A
read-only Coordinate System property also displays and is
automatically set to Nodal Coordinate System. You specify
the displacement value of the X/Y/Z Component (Max)

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Fields/Options/Description
properties as either a Constant (default), Free, or using
Tabular Data entries (via fly-out menu). The application
supports multiple Displacement constraints.

Important:

If you apply a Displacement to more than

one node, the absolute value for the
constraint is met and negative numbers are
no longer allowed. For example, if you enter
a value of 100N, the constraint is satisfied
if it meets a value between -100 and 100.

• Reaction Force: This option is only available when there is

at least one upstream Static Structural system. You use this
constraint to make sure that the optimized geometry or
structure always support a specified maximum reaction force.
The application supports multiple Reaction Force
constraints.

During the solution process, the application calculates

a reaction force for each node used in the Reaction
Force constraint (if scoped to more than one node or
a vertex, edge, face, or body). Based on the Criteria
property setting, the reaction forces are either summed
or normalized. Neither of these calculated values can
exceed the entries you make in the Component
properties for the specified direction(s). Reaction Force
has the following distinct properties:

– Axis Selection: Options include All (default), X Axis,

Y Axis, and Z Axis.

– Criteria: Options include Sum (default) and Absolute

Maximum (when scoped to more than one node or
a vertex, edge, face, or body).

Note:

For legacy databases, release 2019

R1 or earlier, that include Reaction
Force constraints, the default setting
for this property is Absolute
Maximum.

– X/Y/Z Component (Sum or Max): Component

entries are either Constant or based on Tabular
Data entries.

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Analysis Types

Category Fields/Options/Description
When the Criteria property is set to Sum:

Positive values are treated as upper

(maximum) bounds. Therefore, the
constraint is satisfied if the constraint
value is less than the value you specify.
Negative values are considered as
lower (minimum) bounds. Therefore,
the constraint is satisfied if the
constraint value is greater than the
value you specify.

A read-only Coordinate System property also displays

and is automatically set to Nodal Coordinate System
(read-only).

Important:

If you apply a Reaction Force to more than

one node, and the Criteria property is set
to Absolute Maximum, the absolute value
for the constraint is met and negative
numbers are no longer allowed. For
example, if you enter a value of 100N, the
constraint is satisfied if it meets a value
between -100 and 100.

• Temperature: This option is only available when the

upstream system is Steady-State Thermal. You use this
constraint to put an upper bound on the temperatures using
Temperature (Abs Max) property. This value can be define
as a Constant or using Tabular Data.

• Compliance: This option is only available when there is at

least one upstream Static Structural system. You use this
property to make sure that the optimized geometry or
structure is stiff enough. When selected, the Maximum
property also displays. Enter a value in the Maximum
property as a Constant or using Tabular Data entries. When
selected, the Compliance Limit property also displays. The
Compliance Limit property enables you to specify an upper
boundary on the Compliance value.

• Criterion: This option is available when there is at least one

upstream Static Structural system. The Criterion constraint
enables you to evaluate relative displacements, such as the
difference between the displacements of two nodes. And it
enables you to make sure that the value of a certain criterion
is above or below a given boundary value or that it is within

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Fields/Options/Description
a given range. When selected, the following additional
properties need to be specified:

– Criteria: This property displays a drop-down list of

available Primary Criterion and Composite Criterion
objects (p. 1673) evaluated in the upstream Static Structural
analysis.

– Lower Bound: Specify this value or set to Free (default).

– Upper Bound: Specify this value or set to Free (default).

Suppressed
Include (No, default) or exclude (Yes) the response constraint.

Environment Selection
The application displays this property when you select the
Global von-Mises Stress, Local von-Mises Stress, Natural
Frequency, Displacement, Reaction Force, or Temperature
options for the Response property. The entry depends upon
your upstream analysis type. Per the upstream system, the
default entry is All Structural, All Modal, or All Steady-State
Thermal. Also included in the drop-down list are the specific
upstream systems. You can select from one of these systems
to specify individual values for stress, frequency, etc.

Note:

If your Topology Optimization analysis includes

multiple upstream analyses, any constraint
that sets the Environment Selection property
to All Static Structural or All Steady State
Thermal, the application only applies the
minimum number of steps as determined from
the upstream analyses. That is, whichever
upstream system has the least number of load
steps specified, that is the value the
application uses. Selecting a specific analysis
from the property drop-down list applies the
constraint for all load steps of the selected
upstream analysis.

Location and Orienta- When you specify the Response property as Center of Gravity
tion or Moment of Inertia, the Axis property displays in order to
specify a desired axis to constrain. Options include X-Axis, Y-Axis,
and Z-Axis.

In addition, for the Moment of Inertia option, a Coordinate

System property displays so that you can specify the appropriate
Cartesian coordinate system for the constraint.

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Analysis Types

Refer to the Response Constraint object (p. 2180) reference page for additional information.

Manufacturing Constraint
It is important to understand that a topology optimization solution could create unmanufacturable
designs. As a result, any change to the manufacturing process due to an unintended design could
undermine the integrity of the original design. Therefore, you (the designer), apply and specify
Manufacturing Constraints based on your manufacturing process. The Manufacturing Constraint
condition, when applied to a Topology Optimization system (p. 447), helps to alleviate design
problems by enabling you to specify manufacturing limitations.

When you are using the Level Set Based optimization method, you can define as many Optimization
Region objects (p. 457) as needed and attach individual Manufacturing Constraints to each.

Subtypes
The Manufacturing Constraint feature supports the following subtypes.

Density Based Level Set Based Method

Method
• Member Size • Member Size

• Pull Out Direction • Pull Out Direction

• Extrusion

• Cyclic

• Symmetry

Note:

Based on your goal, you may wish to use the AM Overhang Constraint (p. 477). It creates
an Overhang Angle constraint that uses the input of Overhang Angle and Build Direc-
tion to create self-supporting structures.

Subtype Requirements and Restrictions

Density Based Method
Note the following requirements and restrictions for Subtype specification when using the Density
Based optimization method:

• Only one Manufacturing Constraint object specified with the Subtype property set to Extrusion
is supported for the analysis.

• The Extrusion constraint is not supported for Tetrahedron mesh.

• Only one Manufacturing Constraint object specified with the Subtype property set to Cyclic is
supported for the analysis if the Cyclic constraint is scoped to an Optimization Region or if it has
an overlapping region.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

• The analysis does not support Manufacturing Constraint object specified with the Subtype
property set to Extrusion in combination with a Manufacturing Constraint object specified with
the Subtype property set to Pull Out Direction.

• If you specify two Manufacturing Constraint objects, both with the Subtype property set to
Symmetry, the symmetry planes must be perpendicular to one another.

• If you specify two Manufacturing Constraint objects, one with the Subtype property set to:

– Extrusion and the other set to Cyclic, the axis of rotation of cyclic constraint must be in the same
as the extrusion direction.

– Symmetry and the other set to Extrusion, the extrusion direction must be in the symmetry plane.

– Symmetry and the other set to Cyclic, the given symmetry plane must be perpendicular to the
axis of rotation if either one is scoped to an Optimization Region or if it has an overlapping region.

– Symmetry and the other set to Pull Out Direction the pull out direction must be in the symmetry
plane if either one is scoped to an Optimization Region or if it has an overlapping region.

– Pull Out Direction and the other set Cyclic, the pull out direction and the cyclic axis of rotation
must be the same if either one is scoped to an Optimization Region or if it has an overlapping
region.

Level Set Based Method

For the Member Size constraint, the Program Controlled setting is recommended for the Minimum
property. A manual entry is rarely required.

Application
The analysis can include only one Manufacturing Constraint object.

1. To add the object, either look on the Environment Context tab and select Manufacturing Constraint
> [Subtype] or right-click the Environment object or within the Geometry window and select Insert
> [Subtype].

2. Based on the selected Subtype, specify properties as required.

Details View Properties

The Details view for this object includes the following properties.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Based upon the type of Manufacturing Con-
straint you have inserted into the tree, one or more of the
following options is available for this property:

• Optimization Region: This option indicates that the design

region applied to the specified Optimization Region. When you
select Optimization Region for the Scoping Method, the
Optimization Region Selection property displays.

• Geometry Selection: This option indicates that the design region

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using

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Analysis Types

Category Fields/Options/Description
the graphical selection tools. When you specify Geometry
Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geometry property
displays.

In this case, use selection filters on the Graphics

Toolbar (p. 49) to pick your geometric entities (body and
element selection only), and then click Apply. Once
complete, the property displays the type of geometry
(Body, Element, etc.) and the number of selected geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 12 Elements).

• Named Selection: This option indicates that the design region

is applied to a Named Selection. When you specify Named
Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named Selection
property displays. This property provides a drop-down list of
available user-defined Named Selections (only body-based and
element-based Named Selections are supported).

Definition Type: This is a read-only property that indicates the object as a

Manufacturing Constraint.

Subtype: This property is a read-only field and it displays the type

of Manufacturing Constraint you selected from the Manufacturing
Constraint drop-down menu on the Environment Context tab.
Subtypes include:

• Member Size: This subtype provides options to specify minimum

thickness of the supporting structures and maximum thickness
of connected parts in the final design.

• Pull Out Direction: This subtype is used for mold-based

manufacturing processes. It enables you to specify the direction
to remove the model from the mold in a manner that ensures
the integrity of the model.

Note:

For the Density Based method only, if your

analysis specifies a Tetrahedrons Mesh Method
(SOLID187) and you are also defining a Pull Out
Direction, it is recommended that you also
include the Manufacturing Constraint >
Member Size. And, you need to manually
specify the Minimum property of the Member
Size to at least four times the Tetrahedron
element size.

• Extrusion: Using this subtype, you can make sure that the
resulting cross section of your final design is kept constant along
the selected plane. For each element of the Optimization Re-

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Fields/Options/Description
gion, the application requires at least two corner nodes to lie
on the Axis specified for the Extrusion.

• Cyclic: Using this subtype, you control how the sectors are
repeated, at the required times, along the specified axis and
yields a design that is symmetric with respect to an axis of
rotation.

• Symmetry: Using this subtype, you enforce a design that is

symmetric with respect to a user-defined plane.

Member Size Member Size

When the Member Size subtype is selected, the following
associated properties display in the Member Size category of
the Details view.

• Minimum: For the Density Based optimization method, the

options include Program Controlled (default) and Manual.
Using the Program Controlled setting, the application
automatically sets the minimum size at 2.5 times the mesh
element size. Min Size: By default, this field is hidden. You
display the property by setting the Minimum property to
Manual. The application computes the default value using
the mesh size of the generated mesh. This value can simplify
the topology optimization solution run. The Program Con-
trolled setting is applicable even when no Member Size is
added to the Topology Optimization analysis.

Important:

For the Level Set Based optimization

method, you should use the Program
Controlled setting only.

• Maximum: The options include Program Controlled

(default) and Manual. Max Size: By default, this field is
hidden. You display the property by setting the Maximum
property to Manual. The application does not specify a
default value for this property. This is a required entry when
you wish to specify a manufacturing process constraint such
as casting, extrusion of parts, etc. and when you wish to
specify the maximum member size of connected parts in the
final design.

Note:

For the Level Set Based optimization

method, the application specifies a value

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Analysis Types

Category Fields/Options/Description

that is at least four times the mesh element

size.

Location and Orienta- When one of the following subtypes is selected, their associated
tion properties display in the Location and Orientation category of
the Details view.

Pull Out Direction

When this subtype is selected, the following associated
properties display:

• Coordinate System: Specify the appropriate Cartesian

coordinate system for material removal.

• Axis: Specify the removal axis. Options include: X-Axis,

Y-Axis, Z-Axis.

• Direction: Specify the removal direction based on the above

axis. Options include: Along Axis, Opposite to Axis, or Both
Direction.
The Pull Out Direction constraint satisfies the criteria that
there is no concave shape inside so that the part cannot be
trapped. This make sure that the die can be successfully pulled
out from a part after forming. Both the origin and axis selection
of the coordinate system is important for this constraint
because the pull out constraint will be met starting from the
origin of the coordinate system and along the axis specified
using the coordinate system.

Extrusion
When this subtype is selected, the following associated
properties display:

• Coordinate System: Specify the appropriate Cartesian

coordinate system for the extrusion.

• Axis: Specify the extrusion axis. Options include: X-Axis,

Y-Axis, Z-Axis.

Cyclic
When this subtype is selected, the following associated
properties display:

• Number of Sectors: This property specifies the appropriate

number of sectors.

• Coordinate System: Specify an appropriate Cartesian or

Cylindrical coordinate system for the cyclic model.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Axis: Specify the appropriate axis. Options include: X-Axis,
Y-Axis, Z-Axis. Only the Z-Axis option is supported for a
Cylindrical coordinate system.

Symmetry
When this subtype is selected, the following associated
properties display:

• Coordinate System: Specify the appropriate Cartesian

coordinate system for the symmetry model.

• Axis: Specify the axis for the symmetry model. Options

include: X-Axis, Y-Axis, Z-Axis.

Refer to the Manufacturing Constraint object (p. 2109) reference page for additional information.

AM Overhang Constraint
The AM Overhang Constraint is used for additive printing. It creates an Overhang Angle constraint
that uses the input of Overhang Angle and Build Direction to create self-supporting structures.
A structure optimized using AM Overhang Constraint can then be 3D printed without adding
supports.

You can use the AM Overhang Constraint object to specify an Overhang Angle and Build Direction
for additive printing of a self-supporting structure. If the application is not able to build supports
for all exclusions, it creates as many as possible and issues a warning.

Note:

See the Workbench Additive Manufacturing Analysis Guide for details about performing
additive manufacturing simulations.

Important:

Note the following restrictions and requirements. The AM Overhang Constraint:

• Can be specified only once in a Topology Optimization analysis.

• Cannot be used in combination with the Manufacturing Constraints Member Size (with
Maximum Member Size defined), Extrusion, or Pull Out Direction.

• If used with Symmetry Manufacturing Constraint, the Build Direction of the AM Overhang
constraint must be in the symmetry plane.

• If used with the Cyclic Manufacturing Constraint, the Build Direction of the AM Overhang
constraint must be parallel to the Axis selection of the Cyclic constraint.

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Analysis Types

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: This is a read-only property that describes the
scoping for the object. The setting is Optimization Region.

Optimization Region Selection: This property also contains a

default value: Optimization Region, which indicates the constraint
is applied to the scoping specified in the Optimization Region
object.
Definition Type: This is a read-only property that describes the constraint -
AM Constraint.

Subtype: This is a read-only property that describes the constraint

subtype - Overhang Angle

Suppressed: Include (No, default) or exclude (Yes) the constraint.

Location and Orientation Coordinate System: This is a read-only field set to the Global
Coordinate System. It is used to specify the appropriate Cartesian
coordinate system for the overhang angle.

Build Direction: You use this property to specify the direction

that you would like the overhang constraint to be applied. Options
include +X Axis, +Y Axis, +Z Axis (default), -X Axis, -Y Axis, and
-Z Axis.

Overhang Angle: You use this property to specify the degree to

which the constraint should be applied. The angle should be kept
between 27° and 60°. The default setting is 45°.

Refer to the AM Overhang Constraint object (p. 1945) reference page for additional information.

Topology Optimization Solution Methodology

This section describes the available solution methodology for Topology Optimization analyses.

Sequential Convex Programming

The Sequential Convex Programming method (SCP), see Zillober [3 (p. 482), 5 (p. 482), 6 (p. 482)], is
an extension of the method for moving asymptotes (MMA), see Svanberg [2 (p. 482)]. The Sequential
Convex Programming method requires the derivatives of all functions present in the topology op-
timization problem. MMA is a nonlinear programming algorithm that approximates a solution for
a topology optimization problem by solving a sequence of convex and separable subproblems.
These subproblems can be solved efficiently due to their special structure.

The Sequential Convex Programming method extends MMA to ensure convergence by rejecting
steps that do not lead to an optimal solution of the underlying problem. The test for acceptance
is done by a merit function and a corresponding line search procedure, see Zillober [4 (p. 482)]. The
goal of the merit function is to measure the progress and enable the objective function and the
constraints to be combined in a suitable way.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Optimality Criteria
The Optimality Criteria method can be used to solve topology optimization problems with a simple
compliance objective that uses a volume or mass constraint. The Optimality Criteria method is an
iterative solver, see Bensoe and Sigmund [1 (p. 482)]. The Optimality Criteria method should not be
used for a Modal Analysis.

Note:

The following limitations apply when using the Optimality Criteria Solver Type:

• Only supports the Compliance (Structural) setting for the Response Type column of
the Objective object worksheet.

• Only Volume and Mass constraints are supported.

• The Manufacturing Constraint is supported where only the Minimum property for
the Member Size constraint subtype can be specified.

The following topics provide a brief description of how Mechanical defines natural frequencies and
global stress constraints during a Topology Optimization analysis. Solution convergence criteria is
also described.

Solution Methodology for Natural Frequencies

When performing Topology Optimization with supported natural frequencies, you can specify the
frequency as either an objective or as a constraint. A single natural frequency or a weighted com-
bination of several natural frequencies can be defined using the Objective object. The aim of the
optimization is to maximize these frequencies according to their weights (as defined in the
Worksheet (p. 122)).

In addition, you can add a single natural frequency as a constraint and define a lower and an upper
bound on the frequency. The solver will guarantee, if possible, that this frequency lies within the
specified range.

If the design objective is to optimize a frequency, then all of the repeating frequencies are optimized
simultaneously.

It is important to note that the mode shapes will change during the iterative solution procedure
and that there is no tracking with respect to the initial mode shape. Only the actual value of the
specified natural frequency is considered. This means at the final iteration the mode shape may
change dramatically in comparison to the initial shape of the optimized mode.

Because the underlying solver is sensitivity based, problems with natural frequencies have to be
handled with care. The problem is not deferential in the common sense, such as a case of multiple
eigenvalues. Instead, derivatives for multiple eigenvalues have to be calculated in a special way.
Since the mode shapes are not unique for multiple eigenvalues, additional effort is necessary to
get sensitivities that are independent of the mode shapes. In order to obtain unique sensitivities
for these eigenvalues, an additional eigenvalue problem has to be solved for each optimized element,
see Seyranian [7 (p. 482)].

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Analysis Types

Solution Methodology for Stress Constraints

When working with topological optimization for global stress constraints, and local stress constraints
applied to more than one element, you can specify an upper bound on the stress that has to be
satisfied by all elements. Theoretically, this requires the solution of an optimization problem with
n stress constraints, where n denotes the number of optimized elements taken into account. Because
the computational effort would be too great to achieve this, a relaxed reformulation has to be ap-
plied. In order to keep the complexity of the optimization problem low, a set of elements is repres-
ented by one constraint instead of individual ones. This technique divides the original design space
into clusters. The maximum stress value with respect to all elements in the cluster/set S has to
satisfy the following:

Where is the elemental mean value of the equivalent (von-Mises) stress of element e in set S.
Since the maximum leads to a non-differentiable problem formulation, the p-norm is used to ap-
proximate the actual maximum instead. Applying the differentiable p-norm leads to:

Where denotes the vector of all stress values of the elements in set S. Note that the p-norm
overestimates the actual maximum. To stabilize the solver different regularization techniques are
used in the literature. In Holmberg [8 (p. 482)] a fixed scaling parameter is introduced. With factor
that leads to:

where nS is the number of elements in the considered set. In previous releases this approach was
used. Since at the final iteration, the maximum stress of some optimized elements might be
greater than the user-defined upper bound of the global/local stress constraint, the validation
might fail.

To improve the accuracy of the approximation, a different regularization techniques is available. In

Le [11 (p. 482)], the nnormalized maximum approximation is used to measure the stress value of a
cluster/set. Here the p-Norm is also applied but instead of using a fixed factor an adaptive factor
is introduced. In each iteration the factor is modified. This technique leads to:

Where denotes the iteration. This approach improves accuracy as well as the estimate of the stress
value.

Solution Convergence Criteria

The topological optimization solver approaches a stationary point where all constraints are satisfied
within a tolerance of 0.1 percent of the defined bound. This tolerance is defined by the Convergence
Accuracy property (Analysis Settings > Definition category (p. 454)).

To simplify the notation, we assume that only one constraint exists. The optimality conditions of
the topology optimization problem can be stated with the following equation:

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Where denotes the Lagrange function. The Lagrange function is defined by:

Where is the Lagrange multiplier corresponding to the constraint , and is the objective function
to be either maximized or minimized. The solver will stop as soon as the desired tolerance is
achieved, where: , as defined here:

Because approaching this stationary point can require a large number of iterations, a relaxed con-
vergence criterion is used. The optimization stops as soon as the following equation has three
successive iterations. In this equation, denotes the vector of pseudo densities of the iteration.

Note that three successive iterations are considered as the underlying solver is stabilized by a line
search procedure. This line search procedure might lead to small changes with respect to the pseudo
densities as well as small changes to the objective function. It is possible that the convergence
tolerance is satisfied for one iteration but the next iteration leads to a significant improvement of
the objective function. Due to the relaxed stopping criterion, the optimization might terminate too
early. In this case, the optimization should be rerun with a smaller tolerance.

Topology Optimization with Thermal Condition

The optimization is influence by the thermal condition according to the following equation, see
[9 (p. 482)]:

Linear static equilibrium in finite element system including both mechanical and thermal loading
is given by:
,

Where:

= stiffness matrix
= displacement vector
= externally applied mechanical loading
= thermal load vector.

The nodal load vector due to temperature effects for the element may be written as:

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Analysis Types

Here is the element strain-displacement matrix, is the element elasticity matrix, and is
the thermal strain vector for the element given by:

With is the thermal expansion coefficient of the material, is the temperature change on
the element, and is [1,1,1,0,0,0] for three-dimensions and [1,1,0] for two-dimension.

References
[1] Bendsoe, M.P. and Sigmund O., Topology Optimization: Theory, Methods and Applications,
Springer, Berlin, 2003.

[2] Svanberg, K., The Method of Moving Asymptotes — a new method for structural optimization,
International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 24:359-373, 1987.

[3] Zillober, Ch., A globally convergent version of the method of moving asymptotes, Structural
Optimization, 6(3):166-174, 1993.

[4] Zillober, Ch., Global convergence of a nonlinear programming method using convex approxim-
ations, Numerical Algorithms, 27(3):256-289, 2001.

[5] Zillober, Ch., A combined convex approximation — interior point approach for large scale non-
linear programming, Optimization and Engineering, 2(1):51-73, 2001.

[6] Zillober, Ch., SCPIP {an e\u000Ecient software tool for the solution of structural optimization
problems, Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 24(5), 2002.

[7] Seyranian, A.P., Lund E., and Olhoff N., Multiple eigenvalues in structural optimization problems,
Structural Optimization, 8:207-227, 1994.

[8] Holmberg E., Torstenfelt B., and Klarbring A., Stress constrained topology optimization, Structural
and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 48(1):33-47,2013.

[9] Joshua D. Deaton, Ramana V. Grandhi: “Stress-based Topology Optimization of Thermal Struc-
tures”,10th World Congress on Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 2013, Orlando, Florida,
USA.

[10] Akihiro Takezawa, Gil Ho Yoon, Seung Hyun Jeong, Makoto Kobashi, Mitsuru Kitamura: “Struc-
tural topology optimization with strength and heat conduction constraints”,Computer Methods in
Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Volume 276, 2014, pp. 341-361.

[11] Le C., Norato J., Bruns T., Ha C., Tortorelli D. Stress-based topology optimization for continua,
Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 41(4):605{620, 2010.

Topology Density
The Topology Optimization analysis supports Topology Density results. This result produces nodal
averaged results.

One Topology Density object is added automatically to the Topology Optimization analysis system.
You can add additional objects by selecting Topology Density from the Results group on the

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Solution Context tab or by right-clicking the Solution folder (or in the Geometry window) and
selecting Insert>Topology Density.

Note:

You can further analyze your optimized model, through continued simulation or by
performing a design validation by exporting your results and making them available to
a new downstream system.

The Solution object (p. 2211) property Export Topology (STL file) enables you to automat-
ically export (p. 159) your results in Standard Tessellation Language (STL) and in Part
Manager Database (PMDB) file format, archive the files in zip file format, and then place
the zipped file in the Solver Files Directory. This option is set to Yes by default.

In order to make the optimized results available to a downstream system, you need to
create the new system on the Workbench Project Schematic and link the Results cell of
your Topology Optimization analysis to the Geometry cell of a new downstream system,
either a Geometry component system or the Geometry cell of another analysis system.
Refer to the Design Validation (p. 491) section for additional details about this process.

Display Limitation
This result type does not support the display options available from the Geometry drop-down
menu (p. 29) on the Result Context tab and that include the following views: Exterior, IsoSurfaces,
Capped IsoSurfaces, and Section Planes.

Result Smoothing
The Topology Density result offers the Results group option Smoothing (p. 2208) from the
Solution Context Tab (p. 24). You can also insert a Smoothing object using the context (right-click)
menu options Insert > Smoothing. This result generates an STL (Stereolithography) file based on
the Topology Density result that you can need modify to move nodes of the geometry to refine
your part and as desired, save for use in downstream validation systems. Multiple Smoothing objects
can be added for each Topology Density result.

Important:

Specifying a large value for the Move Limit property can cause the Smoothing
feature to cause thinning or even a collapse of a part. This is generally due to the
refinement of your mesh. If you experience part thinning or collapse using this
feature, either reduce the Move Limit setting or refine the mesh of the part. See
the Local Mesh Controls section of the Meshing User's Guide for more information
about mesh refinement.

Note:

Smoothing is not supported on the Linux platform.

Details View Properties

The Details view for this object includes the following properties.

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Analysis Types

Category Properties/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method. The options for this property include:

• Optimization Region (default): This option indicates that the design region is applied
to the specified Optimization Region. When you select Optimization Region for the
Scoping Method, the Optimization Region property displays.

• Geometry Selection: This option indicates that the design region is applied to a
geometry or geometries, which are chosen using the graphical selection tools. When
you specify Geometry Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geometry property
displays.

In this case, use selection filters on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) to pick your
geometric entities (body and element selection only), and then click Apply.
Once complete, the property displays the type of geometry (Body, Element,
etc.) and the number of selected geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 12
Elements).

• Named Selection: This option indicates that the design region is applied to a Named
Selection. When you specify Named Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named
Selection property displays. This property provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections (only body-based and element-based Named
Selections are supported).

Defin- Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Topology Density.
i-
tion By: Read-only field that displays "Iteration".

Iteration: The default setting is Last. You can specify an iteration number to obtain
results for the specified iteration (displayed in the Result category).

Note:

The animation of Topology Density results occurs over all iterations

for which the intermediate results are computed as well as saved
during solution. The intermediate results are computed based on the
setting of the Store Results At property of the Output Controls (p. 1151)
(Analysis Settings object) and the intermediate results are saved to
disk based on the setting of the Max Num of Intermediate Files
property.

Retained Threshold: This property is controlled by a slider that represents the range
from minimum to maximum for the result. The default value is 0.5. The supported
range is 0.01 to 0.99 (greater than zero and less than 1).

Once you evaluate the result, use the slider to view the optimized topology in the
graphics view. The application computes and displays the values for the Original
Volume, Final Volume, Percent Volume of Original, Original Mass, Final Mass, and
Percent Mass of Original properties.

Exclusions Participation: Yes (default) or No. When set to Yes, the application uses
the excluded elements to compute the Original Volume, Final Volume, Percent Volume

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Properties/Options/Description
of Original, Original Mass, Final Mass, and Percent Mass of Original properties. When
set to No, excluded elements are not considered.

Suppressed: Include (No, default) or exclude (Yes) the result.

Res- Minimum: Read-only field that displays minimum density value of the result.
ults
Maximum: Read-only field that displays maximum density value of the result.

Original Volume: Read-only field that displays, per scoping, the computed original
volume.

Final Volume: Read-only field that displays, per scoping and the Retained Threshold
setting, the optimized volume.

Percent Volume of Original: Read-only field that displays the value of the Final
Volume divided by the Original Volume.

Original Mass: Read-only field that displays, per scoping, the computed original mass.

Final Mass: Read-only field that displays, per scoping and the Retained Threshold
setting, the optimized mass.

Percent Mass of Original: Read-only field that displays the value of the Final Mass
divided by the Original Mass.

Note:

If elements are excluded from the optimization, then volume/mass

contribution from those elements will not be included in the Original
Volume/Original Mass computation.

Vis- Show Optimized Region: This property is used to control graphical view changes
ib- only. The options for this property include:
il-
ity • All Regions: This option displays all of the regions selected by the Scoping Method.
Three color bands are shown: Remove (Red), Marginal (Yellow), and Keep (Gray).
Remove indicates a Retained Threshold value of 0 to 0.4, Marginal indicates a value
of 0.4 to 0.6, and Keep indicates a value greater than 0.6.

• Retained Region (default): When Retained region is selected, then the Retained
Threshold value is used from the details view to show the region which needs to be
kept.

• Removed Region: This option displays what will be removed.

In- Iteration Number: Read-only field that displays the converged iteration step number.
form-
a-
tion

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Analysis Types

Topology Elemental Density

The Topology Optimization analysis supports Topology Elemental Density results. This result
produces element-based result values.

You can add the object (or objects) by selecting Topology Elemental Density from the Results
group on the Solution Context tab or by right-clicking the Solution folder (or in the Geometry
window) and selecting Insert > Topology Elemental Density.

Note:

You can further analyze your optimized model, through continued simulation or by
performing a design validation by exporting your results and making them available to
a new downstream system.

The Solution object (p. 2211) property Export Topology (STL file) enables you to automat-
ically export (p. 159) your results in Standard Tessellation Language (STL) and in Part
Manager Database (PMDB) file format, archive the files in zip file format, and then place
the zipped file in the Solver Files Directory. This option is set to Yes by default.

In order to make the optimized results available to a downstream system, you need to
create the new system on the Workbench Project Schematic and link the Results cell of
your Topology Optimization analysis to the Geometry cell of a new downstream system,
either a Geometry component system or the Geometry cell of another analysis system.
Refer to the Design Validation (p. 491) section for additional details about this process.

Display Limitation
This result type does not support the following display options available from the Geometry drop-
down menu on the Result Context tab: Exterior, IsoSurfaces, Capped IsoSurfaces, and Section Planes.

Details View Properties

The Details view for this object includes the following properties.

Category Properties/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method. The options for this property include:

• Optimization Region (default): This option indicates that the design region is applied
to the specified Optimization Region. When you select Optimization Region for the
Scoping Method, the Optimization Region property displays.

• Geometry Selection: This option indicates that the design region is applied to a
geometry or geometries, which are chosen using the graphical selection tools. When
you specify Geometry Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geometry property
displays.

In this case, use selection filters on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) to pick your
geometric entities (body and element selection only), and then click Apply.
Once complete, the property displays the type of geometry (Body, Element,
etc.) and the number of selected geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 12
Elements).

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Properties/Options/Description
• Named Selection: This option indicates that the design region is applied to a Named
Selection. When you specify Named Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named
Selection property displays. This property provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections (only body-based and element-based Named
Selections are supported).

Defin- Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Topology Elemental Density.
i-
tion By: Read-only field that displays "Iteration."

Iteration: The default setting is Last. You can specify an iteration number to obtain
results for the specified iteration (displayed in the Result category).

Note:

The animation of Topology Density results occurs over all iterations

for which the intermediate results are computed as well as saved
during solution. The intermediate results are computed based on the
setting of the Store Results At property of the Output Controls (p. 1151)
(Analysis Settings object) and the intermediate results are saved to
disk based on the setting of the Max Num of Intermediate Files
property.

Retained Threshold: This property is controlled by a slider that represents the range
from minimum to maximum for the result. The default value is 0.5. The supported
range is 0.01 to 0.99 (greater than zero and less than 1). Once you evaluate the
result, use the slider to view the optimized topology in the graphics view. The
application computes and displays the values for the Original Volume, Final Volume,
Percent Volume of Original, Original Mass, Final Mass, and Percent Mass of Original
properties.

Exclusions Participation: Yes (default) or No. When set to Yes, the application uses
the excluded elements to compute the Original Volume, Final Volume, Percent Volume
of Original, Original Mass, Final Mass, and Percent Mass of Original properties. When
set to No, excluded elements are not considered.

Suppressed: Yes or No (default).

Res- Minimum: Read-only field that displays minimum value of the result.
ults
Maximum: Read-only field that displays maximum value of the result.

Original Volume: Read-only field that displays, per scoping, the computed original
volume.

Final Volume: Read-only field that displays, per scoping and the Retained Threshold
setting, the optimized volume.

Percent Volume of Original: Read-only field that displays the value of the Final
Volume divided by the Original Volume.

Original Mass: Read-only field that displays, per scoping, the computed original mass.

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Analysis Types

Category Properties/Options/Description
Final Mass: Read-only field that displays, per scoping and the Retained Threshold
setting, the optimized mass.

Percent Mass of Original: Read-only field that displays the value of the Final Mass
divided by the Original Mass.
Vis- Show Optimized Region: This property is only used to control graphical view changes.
ib- The options for this property include:
il-
ity • All Regions: This option displays all of the regions selected by the Scoping Method.
Three color bands display: Remove (Red), Marginal (Yellow), and Keep (Gray). Remove
indicates a Retained Threshold value of 0 to 0.4, Marginal value indicates a value of
0.4 to 0.6, and Keep value indicates a value greater than 0.6.

• Retained Region (default): When Retained region is selected, then the Retained
Threshold value is used from the details view to show the region which needs to be
kept.

• Removed Region: This option displays what will be removed.

In- Iteration Number: Read-only field that displays the converged iteration step number.
form-
a-
tion

Performing Solution and Review Results

At this stage of the analysis, you should have already selected your solver method. Review the Optim-
ization Solver Methods (p. 478) section for additional technical detail about the available solver types.
Once your analysis is prepared and you are ready to begin the solution process, the application enables
you to view the progress of different solution elements, including response convergence charts, using
the output features of the Solution Information Object (p. 1737).

Important:

• If your upstream system is a single Static Structure analysis, it is recommended that you use
step-based loading to improve scalability. In order to do so, you need to define your loading
conditions using the Tabular Data window and you need to set the Independent Variable
property to the Step option. This does not include the use of the Thermal Condition load.

• If you are using the Remote Solve Manager (RSM) for your solution, the density trackers (p. 2184)
do not automatically update during the solution process. In order to see an optimization update
for your model, you need to select the tracker object, right-click, and select the option Evaluate
All Results. This action tells the remote machine to read the appropriate local file and display
the current results.

• For a Modal analysis: your Topology Optimization analysis will terminate prior to completion
if every iteration of the optimization run is not able to extract the maximum number of modes
specified from the modal solver.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

• The solver unit system specified in the analysis settings of the Static Structural or Modal ana-
lysis needs to match the unit system specified in the Topology Optimization analysis. If not,
the optimization run presents a unit system mismatch error.

For a general overview of the solution process, see the Solve (p. 239) section of the Help.

Interrupting the Solution

After you have started the solution process, you can interrupt the solution using the Interrupt
Solution button on the solve dialog box. The state of the Topology Optimization system will change
and you will receive a green check mark on the dialog box, even if the solution is not converged
completely. The following message will display:

"The solution ran for iterations and aborted as you requested. Examine the convergence
plots to determine if this is an acceptable solution."

Stopping the Solution

You can stop the solution process using the Stop Solution button on the solve dialog box. The ap-
plication immediately halts the solution, does not write results data and issues the following message:

"The solution process was aborted as you requested."

Reviewing Results
For the Density Based Optimization Type, you can increase and decrease the boundary of the shape
displayed by the tracker using the Retained Threshold property. This property provides a scalable
slider feature to increase and decrease the displayed threshold of the removed/retained elements on
the model.

For the Level Set Based Optimization Type, the use of the Retained Threshold property is not relevant.
The shape is clearly and unambiguously defined, removing the need for any interpretation.

See the Topology Density (p. 482) and the Topology Elemental Density (p. 486) sections for descriptions
of the purpose and use of the results specific to a Topology Optimization analysis.

Note:

You can further analyze your optimized model, through continued simulation or by per-
forming a design validation by exporting your results and making them available to a new
downstream system.

The Solution object (p. 2211) property Export Topology (STL file) enables you to automat-
ically export (p. 159) your results in Standard Tessellation Language (STL) and in Part Manager
Database (PMDB) file format, archive the files in zip file format, and then place the zipped
file in the Solver Files Directory. This option is set to Yes by default.

In order to make the optimized results available to a downstream system, you need to
create the new system on the Workbench Project Schematic and link the Results cell of
your Topology Optimization analysis to the Geometry cell of a new downstream system,

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Analysis Types

either a Geometry component system or the Geometry cell of another analysis system.
Refer to the Design Validation (p. 491) section for additional details about this process.

For a general overview of the results types and their use, see the Review Results (p. 240) section.

Result Display Feature

In addition, you can open the Solution Information object and select its child object, the Topology
Density Tracker object (inserted automatically), as illustrated below.

You can select this object to view the optimization of the model during the solution. The content of
the display is determined by the setting of the Show Optimized Region property. For the Density
Based optimization method, the options include: Retained Region (default), Removed Region, and
All Regions. Note that the All Regions option displays only color changes on the model.

Note the following behaviors of the tracker and its properties:

• The display is only available when the Topology Density Tracker object (p. 2184) is selected.

• If the Topology Density Tracker object is not selected during the solution process, by default, the
application displays the result of the final iteration.

• The Iteration Number property of the Topology Density Tracker object indicates the iteration
number of the result currently displayed in the Geometry window based on the setting of the Update
Interval property of the Solution Information object.

Examples of the Topology Density Tracker object are shown in the following animations.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

You can also insert and select a Topology Elemental Density Tracker (p. 486) object under the
Solution Information (p. 1735) object to view elemental optimization of the model during the solution.

Performing Design Validation

After you have performed an optimization study, of a single upstream system or multiple upstream
systems, and you have generated an output of elements that need to be removed, you need to
smooth the geometry of the optimized design using geometry modeling software.

You have two options once you have generated the optimized design that you want to work with:
(1) to validate the optimized design using ANSYS tools (p. 491) or (2) to validate the optimized design
using non-ANSYS tools (p. 496).

Validate Using ANSYS Tools

In order to validate your optimized topology, actions are required in Mechanical as well as Workbench.

Important:

• The design validation process does not support Instancing.

• For projects saved prior to release 2020 R1 that are using non-associative CAD import, the
automatic propagation of scoping for the downstream validation system will not occur. A beta
debug option enables you to correct this situation.

File Preparation in Mechanical

The design validation process requires that you specify a Smoothing (p. 2208) object for your desired
Topology Density (p. 482) result in Mechanical. Once you insert the Smoothing object, you need to
set the Export Model property to Yes to make the result available for validation. Evaluate this result
object once complete.

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Analysis Types

The application creates a .pmdb file for export. An example is shown in the File Name property
above. This file is placed in the working project directory and will be used in the creation of the new
design validation system in Workbench.

Note:

The Smoothing feature is not supported for:

• The Linux platform. However, you can create a design validation system on Windows and
then solve it on Linux.

• 2D analyses and analyses that include a 3D Surface Body (Shell).

Create Design Validation System in Workbench

Once you have specified the desired result to export and solved the analysis, return to Workbench.
Right-click on the Topology Optimization's Results cell and select the Transfer to Design Validation
System option from the menu.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

The operation is the same if you have multiple upstream systems, as illustrated here.

Workbench creates and links a new Mechanical system of the same type that is upstream of the To-
pology Optimization system.

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Analysis Types

Update New System

As pointed out above, by default, the application creates an .pmdb file for export. In Workbench,
this application generated file becomes available in the drop-down list of the Smoothed Model
property of the Model cell properties on the Workbench Project Schematic.

Note:

The Smoothed Model drop-down menu can contain multiple .pmdb files based on the
number of Smoothing objects you specify for export in Mechanical. Multiple files are often
created for Topology Density results that have different Retained Threshold settings.

Next, update the Model cell of the new system: right-click and select Update. This updates the Results
cell of the Topology Optimization system (which changed to out-of-date after the new system is
created and linked) and the Model cell of the new system.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Important:

It is possible that you will receive an error during the update. This is a result of a mesh
limitation. Return to Mechanical and specify a Patch Independent Mesh Method and update
the new system again.

If you are working with two upstream systems, you simply need to Update the first newly created
system.

All other downstream systems share Engineering Data and Model cell data. Once updated, you can
validate all of the systems in one Mechanical session.

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Analysis Types

Analyze Optimized Design

Once the Model cell of your new system is up-to-date, you can open it in Mechanical and analyze
the newly optimized topology.

If you decide to use SpaceClaim to adjust the optimized geometry, check the Additive Manufacturing
section (as well as the Designing, Repairing problems, and Preparing designs for analysis sections)
in the SpaceClaim Help for the tools you can use to simplify and prepare the optimized geometry in
the new system.

Validate Using Non-ANSYS Tools

You will need to retrieve the STL file of the optimized design in order to import it into the geometry
modeling software of your choice.

Topology Optimization - Density Based Limitations

Review the following limitations associated with performing a Topology Optimization analysis. These
limitations apply only to the Topology Optimization analysis and are not applicable to any downstream
design validation systems.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Element Type Support

The Topology Optimization analysis supports Solid, Shell, and Plane elements in the optimization region.
The application excludes any other element type used in the Optimization Region from the optimiz-
ation solution.

General Limitations
Topology Optimization does not support:

• Imported Plies (Composites).

• If you specify Compliance as the Response Type in Objective Worksheet, the selected Static Struc-
tural analysis cannot apply both force- and displacement-based loading. Select either force or dis-
placement for your loading condition in that analysis.

• The Extrusion constraint is not supported for Tetrahedron mesh.

• In some cases the solution may not satisfy the Minimum Member Size at the boundary of the optimized
domain. To improve your result, you can either increase the Minimum Member Size or you can exclude
additional elements at the boundary.

• Graphical view of Exclusions created by Direct FE (p. 1402) boundary conditions.

• Cracks defined within the Fracture object (p. 2029).

• If you specify the Solver Type as Optimality Criteria, the application only supports Response con-
straints types of Mass and Volume and Manufacturing Constraints where only the Minimum Member
Size can be specified.

• Use of Section Planes (p. 198) with Topology Density and Topology Elemental Density results. Note
that the User Defined Result does support this feature.

• Pre-stressed Modal analysis.

• Large-deflection effects in a Static Structural analysis (NLGEOM , ON).

• Nonlinear contacts (supported contact includes Bonded and No Separation).

• All Joint types except Fixed Joints that have the Solver Element Type (MAPDL Solver Only) (p. 979)
property set to Contact/Direct.

• Axisymmetric model when you wish to define a Global von-Mises Stress Constraint (p. 464) and Local
von-Mises Stress Constraint. (p. 464)

• Any Thermal system linked to the upstream Static Structural system.

• A solution run on high performance computing (HPC) using Distributed ANSYS across multiple ma-
chines, when:

– You have Thermal Condition included in a Static Structural analysis linked to a Topology Optim-
ization analysis.

– You want to optimize a Static Structural analysis that is linked to an upstream Steady-State Thermal
analysis.

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Analysis Types

– A Topology Optimization that includes a Reaction Force Constraint.

• Design Assessment analyses.

Modal Analysis Limitations

When linked to a Modal analysis, Topology Optimization does not support:

• Damping when the Damped property set to Yes (and therefore also the Campbell Diagram chart).

• Unsymmetric solver selection.

• Optimality Criteria solver selection.

Linked Static Structural Analysis Limitations

When linked to a Static Structural analysis, Topology Optimization does not support the following
boundary conditions:

• Joint Load.

• Fluid Solid Interface.

• EM Transducer.

Linked Thermal Analysis Limitations

For a Topology Optimization analysis linked to an upstream Steady State Thermal analysis, the applic-
ation does not support the use of the ANSYS Remote Solve Manager (RSM) to submit jobs on a remote
machine.

Lattice Optimization Analysis

The Topology Optimization analysis offers a Lattice Optimization Optimization Type. This method
enables you to compute an optimal variable density lattice distribution in your geometry. It can be
applied to a selected region of your model and includes specific design objectives and constraints
(see the Applying Design Objectives and Constraints (p. 456) topic). Lattice optimization is a physics
driven optimization that is based on a set of loads and boundary conditions provided by either a
single preceding analysis or multiple preceding analyses.

This section supplements the Topology Optimization Analysis (p. 447) Help. It examines lattice specific
features and actions. Therefore, you should use this document in combination with the existing To-
pology Optimization Help to ensure the proper completion of your analysis.

Prerequisites and Requirements

As with the Topology Optimization analysis, your optimization system must be linked to (preceded
by) a Static Structural or a Modal analysis. The loading and/or boundary conditions defined in the
upstream system are used to create an optimized part based on the objectives and constraints specified
in the optimization analysis.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Lattice Optimization Limitations

In addition to the current Topology Optimization Limitations (p. 496), lattice optimization has the fol-
lowing limitations. Lattice optimization does not support:

• Nonlinear Contact

• Modes with an eigen frequency equal to zero (based on an upstream Modal analysis)

• Thermal Loads

• Export Topology (STL file)

• Local Von-Mises Stress Constraint

• Reaction Force Constraint

• Member Size Manufacturing Constraint

• Pull Out Direction

• Extrusion

• AM Overhang Constraint

• For the Octahedral 1 and Octahedral 2 lattice structures, note the following material property limita-
tions:

– A Poisson ‘s Ratio value greater than 0.32 can cause the interpolated material properties to become
inaccurate.

– A low Density value (< 0.05) can generate a negative Young's Modulus value.

Lattice Specific Analysis Settings

You specify Analysis Settings just as you would in a Topology Optimization analysis (see Establishing
Analysis Settings (p. 453)) with the exception of the Penalty Factor (Stiffness) property that is not
applicable to lattice optimization.

Specify Lattice Optimization Type

You use the Optimization Region (p. 457) object to select a region of your geometry on which to
perform lattice optimization. Using the properties of the object, you define the Design Region and
the Exclusion Region for the analysis.

• Design Region: The properties of the Design Region category enable you to define the geometry
as a Geometry Selection or a Named Selection. This is the region that you wish to optimize.

• Exclusion Region: The properties of the Exclusion Region category enable you to specify a region
(geometric entities or elements) to be excluded from optimization. You specify excluded regions
using defined Boundary Conditions, Geometry Selection, or a Named Selection.

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Analysis Types

Once you specify the Design and Exclusion Regions, select Lattice Optimization for the Optimization
Type property in the Optimization Option category of the Details view. Define the following lattice
specific properties.

Category Properties/Options/Description
Op- Set to Lattice Optimization.
tim-
iz-
a-
tion
Type
Lat- Specify the Lattice Type as one of the following:
tice
Type Cubic Crossed
(default)

Midpoint Octahedral
1

Octet Octahedral
2

Diagonal

Min- This property specifies a minimum density in order to avoid lattice structures that are
im- too thin.
um
Dens-
ity
Max- This property specifies a maximum density. The element will be considered as full for
im- densities higher than the Maximum Density.
um
Dens-
ity

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Category Properties/Options/Description
Lat- The value of this property specifies the lattice cell size to be used when rebuilding the
tice lattice geometry for printing.
Cell
Size

Specifying Additional Objects

For this analysis, the:

• Objective (p. 460) object is defined as normal based on your desired Goal.

• Response Constraint (p. 464) object is defined as normal: either as Mass Constraint (default) or
Volume Constraint, Global Von-Mises Constraint, Displacement Constraint, and Natural Fre-
quency Constraint.

• Manufacturing Constraint (p. 472) object supports the Symmetry and Cyclic constraints.

Defining Results
Similar to the Topology Optimization results (Topology Density (p. 482) and Topology Elemental
Density (p. 486)), Lattice Optimization supports Lattice Density and Lattice Elemental Density results.
These results produce nodal averaged results and element-based result values. A Lattice Density
result object is inserted automatically. You can add additional objects by selecting Lattice Density
or Lattice Elemental Density from the Result group on the Solution context tab or by right-clicking
the Solution folder (or in the Geometry window) and selecting Insert > Lattice Density/Lattice
Elemental Density.

Result Display Feature

Also like the Topology Optimization analysis, a lattice analysis automatically inserts a Lattice Density
Tracker as a child object of the Solution Information object that enables you to view the optimization
of the model during the solution.

Results Display Limitations

These result types do not support some of the display options available from the Geometry drop-down
menu on the Result Context tab, including Exterior, IsoSurfaces, and Capped IsoSurfaces.

Creating the Lattice Geometry

To make the optimized results available to a downstream geometry system, you need to create the
new system on the Workbench Project Schematic and link the Results cell of your Lattice Optimization
analysis to the Geometry cell of a new downstream system, either a Geometry component system
or the Geometry cell of another analysis system. An example of this configuration is illustrated below.

Geometry Reconstruction
The lattice type, cell size, and density information are automatically transferred when linking a Lattice
Optimization analysis to a Geometry system. Opening your new lattice geometry in the ANSYS
SpaceClaim application enables you to further modify aspects of your geometry.

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Analysis Types

In SpaceClaim, select Use Density Attributes from the Facets > Shell section. This option is available
once Basic infill is selected.

Level-Set Based Topology Optimization

The Topology Optimization analysis offers the Topology Optimization - Level-Set Based Optimization
Type. This method directly deals with the boundary of the shapes during the optimization process.
It is a physics driven optimization that is based on a set of loads and boundary conditions provided
by either a single preceding analysis or multiple preceding analyses. Using this method, the application
computes an optimal shape in the design domain that can be applied to a selected region of your

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

model and that can include specific design Objectives and Constraints (see the Applying Design Ob-
jectives and Constraints (p. 456) topic).

The Level-set optimization workflow is essentially the same as the density-based method with the
exceptions outlined below. Use these topics in combination with the existing Topology Optimization
Analysis (p. 447) Help to ensure the proper completion of your analysis.

Prerequisites and Requirements

As with the Topology Optimization analysis, all upstream Static Structural and Modal analyses being
used in your optimization problem must already be defined.

Specifying the Mesh

As with the other available methods, Topology Optimization analysis supports only solid elements in
the optimization region. The application excludes any other element type used in the Optimization Region
from the optimization solution. And, for the Level Set method, only 3D elements are supported for op-
timization.

Geometric Analysis
For the Objective and the Response Constraint objects, the Level Set method supports the following
settings for the Response Type and Response properties:

• Mass

• Volume

• Center of Gravity

• Moment of Inertia

Configuring Static Structural Analysis

Extend Compliance

For the Level Set method when you set the Response Type/Response for the Objective Worksheet
or a Response Constraint object to Compliance, Static Structural analyses supports the combin-
ation of force-based and displacement-based loading as well as thermal loading. This context for
Compliance is described by:

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Analysis Types

Where:

is the total strain vector.

the thermal strain vector.

is the elastic strain vector.

is the stress vector.

are the external loads (resp. volume and surface).

are the reaction force and the prescribed displacement.

These formulas are equivalent and are based on the potential energy. The compliance is a self-
adjoint response meaning that no adjoint problem needs to be solved. The compliance is always
computed over the whole model.

Displacement-based Criterion

Context for displacement-based response:

• For a singular node selection, the response = ( -th node, -axis). You can define an
upper limit for each direction.

• For multiple node selection, the response = (the average of the absolute

displacement along the k-axis).

Reaction Force Criterion

For a singular node selection, the response = ( -th node, -axis). You can
define an upper limit for each direction.

For multiple node selection, the response = (the absolute RF along

the k-axis).

Review the Best Practices and Recommendations (p. 506) topic below for additional information
for configuring your upstream analysis.

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 Topology Optimization Analysis

Configuring Modal Analysis

The Level Set method supports Frequency (Eigenfrequency) as the Response/Response Type setting.
Review the Best Practices and Recommendations (p. 506) topic below for additional information for
configuring your upstream analysis.

Manufacturing Constraint Definition

The Level Set method supports the following Manufacturing Constraint Subtypes (p. 472):

• Member Size: To properly represent the optimal shape, you should mesh your model such that
Maximum Size of the Member Size is greater than four times the element average size.

• Pull Out Direction: You can further define the Direction for this constraint: Along Axis (default),
Opposite to Axis, or Both Directions.

Note:

The moldability of the part could be lost during the optimization process.

The AM Overhang Constraint (p. 477) is also supported. This constraint enables you to further
the Build Direction and Overhang Angle.

Specific Analysis Settings

You specify Analysis Settings just as you would in a Topology Optimization analysis (see the Level
Set Based Analysis Settings (p. 456) topic for more information) with the exception of the Penalty
Factor (Stiffness) property that is not used for the Level Set approach.

You can specify the Move Limit property in order to define how much the boundary can move at
each iteration. It must be defined in the length units. By default, it is based on the element average
size.

Specify Optimization Type

You use the Optimization Region object to select a region of your geometry on which to perform
optimization. Using the properties of the object, you define the Design Region and the Exclusion
Region for the analysis.

• Design Region: The properties of the Design Region category enable you to define the geometry
as a Geometry Selection or a Named Selection. This is the region that you wish to optimize.

• Exclusion Region: The properties of the Exclusion Region category enable you to specify a region
(geometric entities or elements) to be excluded from optimization. You specify excluded regions
using defined Boundary Conditions, Geometry Selection, or a Named Selection. You can also define
the thickness (in the length units).

Defining Results
You use the Topology Optimization results Topology Density (p. 482) and Topology Elemental Dens-
ity (p. 486).

Here is an animated result example of the optimization of a part.

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Analysis Types

Best Practices and Recommendations

Review the following suggestions when performing this analysis.

Mesh Specifications

When specifying the mesh on your model, it is strongly recommended that you:

• Always use a uniform mesh (homogeneous element size). This enables you to capture the design
with the same precision everywhere on the model.

• Make sure that you have a sufficiently fine mesh. If the final design shows geometric features as thick
as an element size, it means that the mesh was not fine enough, as illustrated here.

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 Transient Structural Analysis

This illustration displays 238,000 tetrahedrons on the left and 950,000 on the right. The feature on
the left is very thin (one element size) and reaches the limit of the Level Set capability to properly
capture the design. The finer mesh on the right provides a improved design.

Configuring a Static Structural Analysis

When specifying your upstream Static Structural analysis, note the following:

• A minimum stress problem can be realized by a void design (no material) if there is no stiffness con-
straint - if there is no mass, there is no stress. Therefore, it is recommended that you use stress criterion
in combination with a stiffness criterion (nodal displacement, compliance, etc.).

• It is strongly encouraged that you specify an "exclusion zone" around the loading conditions (surface
or node-based).

• If your solution experiences disconnected clamped parts, it may be a result of the optimization aiming
to optimally distribute an amount of material. The algorithm sometimes chooses to save material by
disconnecting clamped parts and/or to reinforce others. This characteristic of optimization is useful
in order to identify useful and/or otherwise impractical fixed parts.

Configuring a Modal Analysis

You can control an eigenmode whose the frequency always has the same ranking during the optim-
ization process. If its ranking changes, the algorithm will face some difficulty.

Transient Structural Analysis

Introduction
A transient analysis, by definition, involves loads that are a function of time. In the Mechanical application,
you can perform a transient analysis on either a flexible structure or a rigid assembly. For a flexible
structure, the Mechanical application can use the ANSYS Mechanical APDL, Samcef, or ABAQUS solver
to solve a Transient Structural analysis.

You can perform a transient structural analysis (also called time-history analysis) in the Mechanical ap-
plication using the transient structural analysis that specifically uses the ANSYS Mechanical APDL solver.
This type of analysis is used to determine the dynamic response of a structure under the action of any
general time-dependent loads. You can use it to determine the time-varying displacements, strains,
stresses, and forces in a structure as it responds to any transient loads. The time scale of the loading is
such that the inertia or damping effects are considered to be important. If the inertia and damping effects
are not important, you might be able to use a static analysis instead.

Points to Remember
A transient structural analysis can be either linear or nonlinear. All types of nonlinearities are allowed
- large deformations, plasticity, contact, hyperelasticity, and so on. ANSYS Workbench offers an additional
solution method of Mode-Superposition to perform linear transient structural analysis. In the Mode-
Superposition method, the transient response to a given loading condition is obtained by calculating
the necessary linear combinations of the eigenvectors obtained in a modal analysis. For more details,
refer to Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System (p. 517) section. The Mode
Superposition method is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

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Analysis Types

A transient dynamic analysis is more involved than a static analysis because it generally requires more
computer resources and more of your resources, in terms of the “engineering” time involved. You can
save a significant amount of these resources by doing some preliminary work to understand the physics
of the problem. For example, you can:

1. Try to understand how nonlinearities (if you are including them) affect the structure's response by doing
a static analysis first. In some cases, nonlinearities need not be included in the dynamic analysis. Including
nonlinear effects can be expensive in terms of solution time.

2. Understand the dynamics of the problem. By doing a modal analysis, which calculates the natural frequencies
and mode shapes, you can learn how the structure responds when those modes are excited. The natural
frequencies are also useful for calculating the correct integration time step.

3. Analyze a simpler model first. A model of beams, masses, springs, and dampers can provide good insight
into the problem at minimal cost. This simpler model may be all you need to determine the dynamic response
of the structure.

Note:

Refer to the following sections of the Mechanical APDL application documentation for a
more thorough treatment of dynamic analysis capabilities:

• The Transient Dynamic Analysis chapter of the Structural Analysis Guide - for a technical overview
of nonlinear transient dynamics.

• The Multibody Analysis Guide - for a reference that is particular to multibody motion problems.
In this context,“multibody” refers to multiple rigid or flexible parts interacting in a dynamic
fashion.

Although not all dynamic analysis features discussed in these manuals are directly applicable
to Mechanical features, the manuals provide an excellent background on general theoretical
topics.

Preparing a Transient Structural Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag a Transient Structural, Transient Structural (Samcef), or

Transient Structural (ABAQUS) template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

Material properties can be linear or nonlinear, isotropic or orthotropic, and constant or

temperature-dependent. Both Young’s modulus (and stiffness in some form) and density
(or mass in some form) must be defined.

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 Transient Structural Analysis

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for transient structural analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

You can define a Point Mass (p. 658) for this analysis type.

In a transient structural analysis, rigid parts are often used to model mechanisms that
have gross motion and transfer loads between parts, but detailed stress distribution is
not of interest. The output from a rigid part is the overall motion of the part plus any
force transferred via that part to the rest of the structure. A “rigid” part is essentially a
point mass connected to the rest of the structure via joints. Hence in a transient struc-
tural analysis the only applicable loads on a rigid part are acceleration and rotational
velocity loads. You can also apply loads to a rigid part via joint loads. Rigid behavior
cannot be used with the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

If your model includes nonlinearities such as large deflection or hyperelasticity, the

solution time can be significant due to the iterative solution procedure. Hence, you may
want to simplify your model if possible. For example, you may be able to represent your
3D structure as a 2-D plane stress, plane strain, or axisymmetric model, or you may be
able to reduce your model size through the use of symmetry or antisymmetry surfaces.
Similarly, if you can omit nonlinear behavior in one or more parts of your assembly
without affecting results in critical regions, it will be advantageous to do so.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Contact (p. 885), joints (p. 958) and springs (p. 1037) are all valid in a transient structural
analysis. In a transient structural analysis, you can specify a damping coefficient property
in longitudinal springs that will generate a damping force proportional to velocity.

For the Samcef and ABAQUS solvers, only contacts, springs, and beams are supported.
Joints are not supported.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Provide an adequate mesh density on contact surfaces to allow contact stresses to be

distributed in a smooth fashion. Likewise, provide a mesh density adequate for resolving

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Analysis Types

stresses; areas where stresses or strains are of interest require a relatively fine mesh
compared to that needed for displacement or nonlinearity resolution. If you want to
include nonlinearities, the mesh should be able to capture the effects of the nonlinear-
ities. For example, plasticity requires a reasonable integration point density (and therefore
a fine element mesh) in areas with high plastic deformation gradients.

In a dynamic analysis, the mesh should be fine enough to be able to represent the
highest mode shape of interest.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Transient Structural analysis, the basic Analysis Settings include:

Large Deflection (p. 1122)

Large Deflection is typically needed for slender structures. A rule of thumb is that you can
use large deflection if the transverse displacements in a slender structure are more than
10% of the thickness.

Small deflection and small strain analyses assume that displacements are small
enough that the resulting stiffness changes are insignificant. Setting Large Deflection
to On will take into account stiffness changes resulting from change in element
shape and orientation due to large deflection, large rotation, and large strain.
Therefore the results will be more accurate. However this effect requires an iterative
solution. In addition it may also need the load to be applied in small increments.
Therefore the solution may take longer to solve.

You also need to turn on large deflection if you suspect instability (buckling) in the
system. Use of hyperelastic materials also requires large deflection to be turned on.

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110)

Step Controls enable you to control the time step size in a transient analysis. Refer to the
Guidelines for Integration Step Size (p. 1167) section for further information. In addition this
control also enables you to create multiple steps. Multiple steps (p. 1110) are useful if new
loads are introduced or removed at different times in the load history, or if you want to
change the analysis settings such as the time step size at some points in the time history.
When the applied load has high frequency content or if nonlinearities are present, it may
be necessary to use a small time step size (that is, small load increments) and perform
solutions at these intermediate time points to arrive at good quality results. This group can
be modified on a per step basis.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Output Controls enable you to specify the time points at which results should be available
for postprocessing. In a transient nonlinear analysis it may be necessary to perform many
solutions at intermediate time values. However, i) you may not be interested in all the in-
termediate results, and ii) writing all the results can make the results file size unwieldy. This
group can be modified on a per step basis except for Stress and Strain.

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

Nonlinear Controls enable you to modify convergence criteria and other specialized
solution controls. Typically you will not need to change the default values for this control.

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 Transient Structural Analysis

This group can be modified on a per step basis. If you are performing a nonlinear Full
Transient Structural analysis, the Newton-Raphson Type property becomes available. This
property only affects nonlinear analyses. Your selections execute the Mechanical APDL
NROPT command. The default option, Program Controlled, allows the application to select
the appropriate NROPT option or you can make a manual selection and choose Full,
Modified, or Unsymmetric.

See the Help section for the NROPT command in the Mechanical APDL Command
Reference for additional information about the operation of the Newton-Raphson
Type property.

Damping Controls (p. 1143)

Damping Controls enable you to specify damping for the structure in the Transient ana-
lysis. Controls include: Stiffness Coefficient (Beta Damping) and Mass Coefficient (Alpha
Damping). They can also be applied as Material Damping (p. 1146) using the Engineering
Data tab. In addition, Numerical Damping is also available for handling result accuracy.
Damping controls are not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

Analysis Data Management settings enable you to save specific solution files from the
transient structural analysis for use in other analyses. The default behavior is to only keep
the files required for postprocessing. You can use these controls to keep all files created
during solution or to create and save the Mechanical APDL application database (db file).

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

1. A transient analysis involves loads that are functions of time. The first step in applying
transient loads is to establish initial conditions (that is, the condition at Time = 0).

2. The default initial condition for a transient structural analysis is that the structure is
“at rest”, that is, both initial displacement and initial velocity are zero. A transient
structural analysis is at rest, by default. The Initial Conditions object enables you to
specify Velocity.

3. In many analyses one or more parts will have an initial known velocity such as in a
drop test, metal forming analysis or kinematic analysis. In these analyses, you can
specify a constant Velocity initial condition if needed. The constant velocity could be
scoped to one or more parts of the structure. The remaining parts of the structure
which are not part of the scoping will retain the “at rest” initial condition.

4. Initial Condition using Steps (ANSYS solver only): You can also specify initial con-
ditions using step controls, that is, by specifying multiple steps in a transient analysis
and controlling the time integration effects along with activation/deactivation of loads
(ANSYS solver only) (p. 1112). This comes in handy when, for example, you have different
parts of your model that have different initial velocities or more complex initial condi-
tions. The following are approaches to some commonly encountered initial condition
scenarios:

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Analysis Types

a. Initial Displacement = 0, Initial Velocity ≠ 0 for some parts: The nonzero velocity
is established by applying small displacements over a small time interval on the
part of the structure where velocity is to be specified.

i. Specify 2 steps in your analysis. The first step will be used to establish initial
velocity on one or more parts.

ii. Choose a small end time (compared to the total span of the transient analysis)
for the first step. The second step will cover the total time span.

iii. Specify displacement(s) on one or more faces of the part(s) that will give you
the required initial velocity. This requires that you do not have any other
boundary condition on the part that will interfere with rigid body motion of
that part. Make sure that these displacements are ramped from a value of 0.

iv. Deactivate or release the specified displacement load in the second step so
that the part is free to move with the specified initial velocity.

For example, if you want to specify an initial Y velocity of 5 inch/second

on a part, and your first step end time is 0.001 second, then specify the
following loads. Make sure that the load is ramped from a value of 0 at
time = 0 so that you will get the required velocity.

In this case the end time of the actual transient analysis is 30 seconds.
Note that the Y displacement in the second step is deactivated.

v. In the Analysis Settings Details view, set the following for first step:

vi. You can choose appropriate time step sizes for the second step (the actual
transient). Make sure that time integration effects are turned on for the second
step.

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 Transient Structural Analysis

In the first step, inertia effects will not be included but velocity will be
computed based on the displacement applied. In the second step, this dis-
placement is released by deactivation and the time integration effects are
turned on.

b. Initial Displacement ≠ 0, Initial Velocity ≠ 0: This is similar to case a. above ex-

cept that the imposed displacements are the actual values instead of “small” values.
For example if the initial displacement is 1 inch and the initial velocity is 2.5 inch/sec
then you would apply a displacement of 1 inch over 0.4 seconds.

i. Specify 2 steps in your analysis. The first step will be used to establish initial
displacement and velocity on one or more parts.

ii. Choose a small end time (compared to the total span of the transient analysis)
for the first step. The second step will cover the total time span.

iii. Specify the initial displacement(s) on one or more faces of the part(s) as needed.
This requires that you do not have any other boundary condition on the part
that will interfere with rigid body motion of that part. Make sure that these
displacements are ramped from a value of 0.

iv. Deactivate or release the specified displacement load in the second step so
that the part is free to move with the specified initial velocity.

For example if you want to specify an initial Z velocity on a part of 0.5

inch/sec and have an initial displacement of 0.1 inch, then your first step
end time = (0.1/0.5) = 0.2 second. Make sure that the displacement is
ramped from a value of 0 at time = 0 so that you will get the required
velocity.

In this case the end time of the actual transient analysis is 5 seconds.
Note that the Z displacement in the second step is deactivated.

v. In the Analysis Settings Details view, set the following for first step:

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Analysis Types

vi. You can choose appropriate time step sizes for the second step (the actual
transient). Make sure that time integration effects are turned on for the second
step.

In the first step, inertia effects will not be included but velocity will be
computed based on the displacement applied. In the second step, this dis-
placement is released by deactivation and the time integration effects are
turned on.

c. Initial Displacement ≠ 0, Initial Velocity = 0: This requires the use of two steps
also. The main difference between b. above and this scenario is that the displace-
ment load in the first step is not ramped from zero. Instead it is step applied as
shown below with 2 or more substeps to ensure that the velocity is zero at the end
of step 1.

i. Specify 2 steps in your analysis. The first step will be used to establish initial
displacement on one or more parts.

ii. Choose an end time for the first step that together with the initial displacement
values will create the necessary initial velocity.

iii. Specify the initial displacement(s) on one or more faces of the part(s) as needed.
This requires that you do not have any other boundary condition on the part
that will interfere with rigid body motion of that part. Make sure that this load
is step applied, that is, apply the full value of displacements at time = 0 itself
and maintain it throughout the first step.

iv. Deactivate or release the specified displacement load in the second step so
that the part is free to move with the initial displacement values.

For example if you want to specify an initial Z displacement of 0.1 inch

and the end time for the first step is 0.001 seconds, then the load history
displays as shown below. Note the step application of the displacement.

In this case the end time of the actual transient analysis is 5 seconds.
Note that the Z displacement in the second step is deactivated.

v. In the Analysis Settings Details view, set the following for first step. Note that
the number of substeps must be at least 2 to set the initial velocity to zero.

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 Transient Structural Analysis

vi. You can choose appropriate time step sizes for the second step (the actual
transient). Make sure that time integration effects are turned on for the second
step.

In the first step, inertia effects will not be included but velocity will be
computed based on the displacement applied. But since the displacement
value is held constant, the velocity will evaluate to zero after the first substep.
In the second step, this displacement is released by deactivation and the
time integration effects are turned on.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

For a Transient Structural analysis applicable loads are all Inertial (p. 1174), structural, im-
ported, and interaction loads (p. 1191), applicable structural Supports (p. 1346), certain
Conditions Type Boundary Conditions (p. 1376), as well as supported Direct FE Type
Boundary Conditions (p. 1402). Joint Loads are used to kinematically drive joints. See the
Joint Load (p. 1245) section for details. Joint Loads are not available to the Samcef or
ABAQUS solver.

In this analysis, the load’s magnitude could be a constant value or could vary with time
as defined in a table or via a function. Details of how to apply a tabular or function load
are described in Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437). In addition, see the
Apply Loads and Supports (p. 238) section for more information about time stepping
and ramped loads.

For the solver to converge, it is recommended that you ramp joint load angles and po-
sitions from zero to the real initial condition over one step.

Note:

Acceleration (p. 1175) and/or Displacement (p. 1348) can be defined as a base
excitation only in a Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis
System (p. 517).

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

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Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

When performing a nonlinear analysis, you may encounter convergence difficulties due
to a number of reasons. Some examples may be initially open contact surfaces causing
rigid body motion, large load increments causing non-convergence, material instabilities,
or large deformations causing mesh distortion that result in element shape errors. To
identify possible problem areas some tools are available under Solution Informa-
tion (p. 1735) object Details view.

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the analysis. Any conver-
gence data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the
Solution Information (p. 1735) section.

You can display contour plots of Newton-Raphson Residuals in a nonlinear static ana-
lysis. Such a capability can be useful when you experience convergence difficulties in
the middle of a step, where the model has a large number of contact surfaces and other
nonlinearities. When the solution diverges, identifying regions of high Newton-Raphson
residual forces can provide insight into possible problems.

Result Tracker (p. 1745) is another useful tool that enables you to monitor displacement
and energy results as the solution progresses. This is especially useful in the case of
structures that may go through convergence difficulties due to buckling instability.
Result Tracker is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

All structural result types (p. 1514) except frequencies are available as a result of a transient
structural analysis. You can use a Solution Information (p. 1735) object to track, monitor,
or diagnose problems that arise during a solution.

Once a solution is available you can contour the results (p. 24) or animate the res-
ults (p. 1677) to review the response of the structure.

As a result of a nonlinear static analysis, you may have a solution at several time points.
You can use probes (p. 1462) to display the variation of a result item as the load increases.

Note:

Fixed body-to-body joints between two rigid bodies will not produce a joint
force or moment in a transient structural analysis.

Also of interest is the ability to plot one result quantity (for example, displacement at a
vertex) against another result item (for example, applied load). You can use the
Charts (p. 1449) feature to develop such charts. Charts (p. 1449) are also useful to compare
results between two analyses of the same model. For example, you can compare the
displacement response at a vertex from two transient structural analyses with different
damping characteristics.

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 Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System

Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

Because this analysis is linked to (or based on) modal responses, a modal analysis is a
prerequisite. This linked setup allows the transient system to share resources such as
engineering data, geometry, and boundary condition type definitions made in the
Modal Analysis.

Linking the Modal Solution cell to the Transient Setup cell configures the Transient
analysis so that the application selects, by default, the Mode-Superposition Solution
Method.

The Samcef and ABAQUS solvers do not support a linked Modal/Transient Structural
analysis. For additional support requirements and notes regarding this analysis configur-
ation, see the references at the bottom of this section.

Note:

• For a Mode Superposition Transient Structural analysis, the Modal analysis can
be pre-stressed (p. 236) by a Static Structural analysis.

• When solving a linked MSUP transient system database from a version prior to
the most current version of Mechanical, it is possible to encounter incompatibility
of the file file.full created by the modal system. This incompatibility can cause the
transient system’s solution to fail. In the event you experience this issue, use the
Clear Generated Data feature and resolve the modal system.

Refer to the Obtain the Mode-Superposition Transient Solution section of

the MAPDL Structural Analysis Guide for more information.

From the Toolbox, drag a Modal template to the Project Schematic. Then, drag a
Transient Structural template directly onto the Solution cell of Modal template.

Note:

You can create a modal environment in Transient Structural system that is

already open in Mechanical by:

1. Selecting the Modal option from the Analysis drop-down menu on the
Home (p. 9) tab (or displayed tab).

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Analysis Types

2. Setting the Modal Environment property of the Modal (None) object to

the Modal system. The Modal object is included under the Initial Condi-
tions object.

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Transient Structural system linked to a Modal system, the basic Analysis Set-
tings (p. 1109) include:

Step Controls (p. 1110)

This analysis is only compatible with constant time stepping. So, auto time stepping is
turned off and will always be in read only mode. The user specified substep or time step
value is applicable to all the load steps. All of the Step Controls settings applied to this
analysis are not step aware. The time integration is turned on by default and will always
be in read-only mode. A Time Step value that results in an integral number of sub steps
over the load step must be selected.

Options (p. 1139)

You can turn on the following properties:

• Include Residual Vectors. Set this property to Yes to execute the RESVEC command
and calculate residual vectors.

• Skip Expansion: If you set this property to Yes, the application does not create a result
file. Your results are evaluated using the Modal solution data and otherwise calculated
“on demand.” This property supports specific result types. See the property's description
in the Options (p. 1139) section for a listing.

Note:

The following boundary conditions do not support residual vector calcu-

lations:

• Nodal Force

• Remote Force scoped to a Remote Point (created via Model object)

• Moment scoped to a Remote Point (created via Model object)

Output Controls (p. 1151)

These controls enable you to request Stress, Strain, Nodal Force, Reaction, Velocity and
Acceleration results to be calculated. To expand reaction forces in the modal solution, set
the Nodal Force property to Yes or Constrained Nodes. The General Miscellaneous
property needs to be set to Yes in order to apply a Beam Tool (p. 1573) and/or to calculate
Beam Results (p. 1574). In addition, this setting is required to correctly produce twisted beam

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 Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System

shapes. For better performance, you can also choose to have these results expanded from
transient or modal solutions. The Contact Miscellaneous option is not available.

Note:

Solver Controls (p. 1117), Restart Controls (p. 1126), Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)
and Creep Controls (p. 1131) are not applicable to the current analysis.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

The Transient Structural analysis must point to a Modal analysis in the Modal (Initial
Conditions) object. This object also indicates whether the upstream Modal analysis is
pre-stressed. If it is a pre-stress analysis, the name of the pre-stress analysis system is
displayed in the Pre-Stress Environment field, otherwise the field indicates None. The
Modal Analysis (p. 283) must extract all modes that may contribute to the dynamic re-
sponse.

Note:

Command objects can be inserted into Initial Conditions object to execute

a restart of the solution process for the Modal Analysis.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

The following loads are allowed for the linked analysis:

• Acceleration (p. 1175)

• Acceleration (p. 1175) as a base excitation

• Pressure (p. 1193)

• Pipe Pressure (p. 1199)

• Force (p. 1210) (applied to a face, edge, or vertex)

• Line Pressure (p. 1239)

• Moment (p. 1232)

• Remote Force (p. 1215)

• Standard Earth Gravity (p. 1181)

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Analysis Types

Direct FE
The Direct FE option Nodal Force (p. 1404) is supported for node-based Named Selection
scoping.

Support Limitations
Note the following limitations:

• If the Skip Expansion property is set to On, Acceleration and Displacement applied as a Base Excitation are
not supported.

• If the Reference Temperature is set as By Body and that temperature does not match the environment
temperature, a thermally induced transient load will result (from the thermal strain assuming a nonzero
thermal expansion coefficient). This thermal transient loading is ignored for Transient Structural Analysis
using Linked Modal Analysis System.

• Remote Force is not supported for vertex scoping.

• During a linked MSUP Transient analysis, if a Remote Force or Moment scoped to an internal remote point
is specified with the Behavior property set to Deformable, the boundary conditions cannot be scoped to
the edges of line bodies such that all of their nodes in combination are collinear.

• Remote Force and Moment applied to a rigid body is not supported.

• Moment is not supported for vertex scoping on 3D solid bodies because a beam entity is created for the
load application. The beam entity changes the stiffness of the structural component shared and solved by
the preceding modal analysis.

• Joint probes (p. 1601), Energy Probe, and Strain Energy (p. 1530) results are not supported when expanded from
a Modal solution.

• Cyclic symmetry (p. 808) models are not supported for a Transient Structural Analysis that is using a linked
Modal Analysis System.

• Spring probe (p. 1604) only supports Elastic force result when expanded from modal solution where as it
supports both Elastic force and Elongation results when expanded from transient solution. The Elastic force
results include the spring damping effect if the Reduced method is selected from Modal Solver controls (p. 1117),
and Store Complex Solution is set to No.

• Standard Earth Gravity is not allowed in conjunction with the Acceleration load.

• Elemental Triads (p. 1453) results are not available on solid bodies.

• When the Step Controls are defined by Substeps, the time step value sent to the solver is based on the
settings for the first load step. For the load steps greater than one, you may notice an inconsistent value of
the number of sub-steps in the Details View or the Worksheet View.

• For the Samcef and ABAQUS solvers, Hydrostatic Pressure and Pipe Pressure are not supported.

Notes
• Remote Force and Moment loading combined with the Rigid contact behavior is allowed when the loading
is scoped through a Remote Point Application (p. 790).

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 Transient Thermal Analysis

• To obtain the most accurate results, it is recommended that you specify Bonded as the contact Type and
set the contact Formulation to MPC in the Details for the Contact Region. See the Contact Definition (p. 907)
and Contact Advanced Category (p. 912) for more detailed information about these settings.

• When the result is expanded from Modal Solution or when Reaction Object is scoped to a Contact Region,
the Reaction Object requires both Nodal Forces and Calculate Reactions Output Controls settings to be
turned On. If they are not set, the error message “A result is invalid with current output control settings”
displays. For other cases, the Reaction Object requires only the Calculate Reactions Output Controls setting
to be turned On.

• The default value of Numerical Damping is different for full and mode-superposition transient structural
analyses. So, the results comparison of a model must be done by matching the Numerical Damping value
settings in the Damping Controls (p. 1143) section.

Transient Thermal Analysis

Introduction
Transient thermal analyses determine temperatures and other thermal quantities that vary over time.
The variation of temperature distribution over time is of interest in many applications such as with
cooling of electronic packages or a quenching analysis for heat treatment. Also of interest are the
temperature distribution results in thermal stresses that can cause failure. In such cases the temperatures
from a transient thermal analysis are used as inputs to a structural analysis for thermal stress evaluations.
Transient thermal analyses can be performed using the ANSYS, Samcef, or ABAQUS solver.

Many heat transfer applications such as heat treatment problems, electronic package design, nozzles,
engine blocks, pressure vessels, fluid-structure interaction problems, and so on involve transient thermal
analyses.

Point to Remember
A transient thermal analysis can be either linear or nonlinear. Temperature dependent material properties
(thermal conductivity, specific heat or density), or temperature dependent convection coefficients or
radiation effects can result in nonlinear analyses that require an iterative procedure to achieve accurate
solutions. The thermal properties of most materials do vary with temperature, so the analysis usually is
nonlinear.

Preparing the Analysis

Create Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

... for this analysis type:

From the Toolbox, drag the Transient Thermal, Transient Thermal (Samcef), or Transient Thermal
(ABAQUS) template to the Project Schematic.

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

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Analysis Types

... for this analysis type:

Thermal Conductivity, Density, and Specific Heat must be defined for a transient thermal
analysis. Thermal Conductivity can be isotropic or orthotropic. All properties can be
constant or temperature-dependent.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

There are no special considerations for a transient thermal analysis.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

Mechanical does not support Rigid Bodies in thermal analyses. For more information,
see the Stiffness Behavior documentation for Rigid Bodies (p. 631).

You can define a Thermal Point Mass (p. 662) for this analysis type.

Define Connections

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

In a thermal analysis only contact is valid. Any joints or springs are ignored.

With contact the initial status is maintained throughout the thermal analysis, that is, any
closed contact faces will remain closed and any open contact faces will remain open for
the duration of the thermal analysis. Heat conduction across a closed contact face is set
to a sufficiently high enough value (based on the thermal conductivities and the model
size) to model perfect contact with minimal thermal resistance. If needed, you can
model imperfect contact by manually inputting a Thermal Conductance (p. 922) value.

By default, Contact Results (p. 1535) (accessible through User Defined Results (p. 1656) via
CONTSTAT or CONTFLUX – see the User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL Solv-
er (p. 1666) section.) are not written to the result file in a thermal analysis.

Apply Mesh Controls/Preview Mesh

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

There are no specific considerations for transient thermal analysis itself. However if the
temperatures from this analysis are to be used in a subsequent structural analysis the
mesh must be identical. Therefore in this case you may want to make sure the mesh is
fine enough for a structural analysis.

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 Transient Thermal Analysis

Establish Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

For a Transient Thermal analysis, the basic Analysis Settings controls include:

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1110)

Step Controls are used to: i) specify the end time of the transient analysis, ii) control the
time step size, and iii) create multiple steps when needed.

The rate of loading could be important in a transient thermal analysis if the material
properties vary rapidly with temperature. When such nonlinearities are present it
may be necessary to apply the loads in small increments and perform solutions at
these intermediate loads to achieve convergence. Multiple steps are needed if you
want to change the solution settings, for example, the time step size or the solution
output frequency over specific time spans in the transient analysis.

Output Controls (p. 1151)

Solver Controls enable you to specify the time points at which results should be available
for postprocessing. A transient analysis involves calculating solutions at several time points
in the load history. However: i) you may not be interested in all the intermediate results
and ii) writing all the results can make the results file size unwieldy. In this case you can
restrict the amount of output by requesting results only at certain time points.

Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

Nonlinear Controls enable you to modify convergence criteria and other specialized
solution controls. Typically you will not need to change the default values for this control.

Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)

Analysis Data Management settings enable you to save specific solution files from the
transient thermal analysis for use in other analyses.

Define Initial Conditions

Basic general information about this topic (p. 233)

... for this analysis type:

A transient thermal analysis involves loads that are functions of time. The first step in
applying transient thermal loads is to establish initial temperature distribution at Time
= 0.

The default initial condition for a transient thermal analysis is a uniform temperature of
22°C or 71.6°F. You can change this to an appropriate value for your analysis. An example
might be modeling the cooling of an object taken out of a furnace and plunged into
water.

You can also use the temperature results from a steady-state analysis of the same
model for the initial temperature distribution. A casting solidification study might start
with different initial temperatures for the mold and the metal. In this case a steady-state
analysis of the hot molten metal inside the mold can serve as the starting point for the
solidification analysis.

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Analysis Types

In the first iteration of a transient thermal analysis, this initial temperature is used as the
starting temperature value for the model except where temperatures are explicitly spe-
cified. In addition this temperature is also used to evaluate temperature-dependent
material property values for the first iteration.

If the Initial Temperature field is set to Non-Uniform Temperature, a Time field is

displayed where you can specify a time at which the temperature result of the steady-
state thermal analysis (selected in Initial Condition Environment field) will be used as
the initial temperature in the transient analysis. A zero value will be translated as the
end time (of the steady-state thermal analysis) and this value can not be greater than
the end time.

Apply Loads and Supports

Basic general information about this topic (p. 238)

... for this analysis type:

The following loads are supported in a transient thermal analysis:

• Temperature (p. 1250)

• Convection (p. 1253)

• Radiation (p. 1258)

• Heat Flow (p. 1262)

• Perfectly Insulated (p. 1263)

• Heat Flux (p. 1265)

• Internal Heat Generation (p. 1267)

• Imported Temperature (p. 1434)

• Imported Convection Coefficient (p. 1426)

• System Coupling Region (p. 1293)

In this analysis, the load’s magnitude could be a constant value or could vary with time
as defined in a table or via a function. Details of how to apply a tabular or function load
are described in Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437). In addition, see the
Apply Loads and Supports (p. 238) section for more information about time stepping
and ramped loads.

Solve

Basic general information about this topic (p. 239)

... for this analysis type:

The Solution Information (p. 1735) object provides some tools to monitor solution pro-
gress.

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 Special Analysis Topics

Solution Output continuously updates any listing output from the solver and provides
valuable information on the behavior of the structure during the analysis. Any conver-
gence data output in this printout can be graphically displayed as explained in the
Solution Information (p. 1735) section.

You can also insert a Result Tracker (p. 1745) object under Solution Information. This
tool enables you to monitor temperature at a vertex as the solution progresses. Result
Tracker is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Review Results

Basic general information about this topic (p. 240)

... for this analysis type:

Applicable results are all thermal result types (p. 1622).

Once a solution is available you can contour the results (p. 24) or animate the res-
ults (p. 1677) to review the response of the structure.

As a result of a nonlinear analysis you may have a solution at several time points. You
can use probes (p. 1462) to display the variation of a result item over the load history.
Also of interest is the ability to plot one result quantity (for example, maximum temper-
ature on a face) against another results item (for example, applied heat generation rate).
You can use the Charts (p. 1449) feature to develop such charts.

Note that Charts (p. 1449) are also useful to compare results between two analyses of the
same model.

Special Analysis Topics

This section includes special topics available the Mechanical application for particular applications. The
following topics are included:
Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation
Electromagnetics (EM) - Mechanical Data Transfer
External Data Import
External Data Export
External Study Import
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI)
Icepak to Mechanical Data Transfer
Mechanical-Electronics Interaction (Mechatronics) Data Transfer
Polyflow to Mechanical Data Transfer
Twin Builder/Rigid Dynamics Co-Simulation
Static Analysis From Rigid Dynamics Analysis
Submodeling
System Coupling
Thermal-Stress Analysis

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Analysis Types

Rotordynamics Analysis
Composite Analysis
ECAD Analysis using Trace Mapping
Transferring Hydrodynamic Loads to a Structural System
Inverse Solving for Nonlinear Static Structural Analyses

Additive Manufacturing Process Simulation

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a 3D printing process that constructs 3D objects by adding consecutive
layers of a specified material on top of one another until the object is complete. Of the various print
processes available for additive manufacturing, ANSYS Mechanical simulates the Powder Bed Fusion
(PBF) and Directed Energy Deposition (DED) processes for metals. These processes use a laser to melt
and fuse each individual layer of metal powder to the layers below it to create a part.

Refer to the Workbench Additive Manufacturing Analysis Guide for complete, step-by-step procedures
and relevant background information on additive manufacturing.

Review the following object reference sections for descriptions of the properties of the various objects
used with the AM process simulation:

• AM Process (p. 1946)

• Build Settings (p. 1968)

• Support Group (p. 2227)

• Generated Support (p. 2037)

• Predefined Support (p. 2169)

• STL Support (p. 2223)

Electromagnetics (EM) - Mechanical Data Transfer

You can import data generated by the HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D Extractor applications and perform an
analysis in Mechanical by applying the imported loads. In the case of loads originating from HFSS
and Maxwell, you can also export the temperature or deformation results obtained from the Mechan-
ical analysis so that they can be imported back into HFSS or Maxwell. Furthermore, you can import:

• Thermal loss data generated by the HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D Extractor applications and use the imported
load to perform a thermal analysis. The resulting temperature results then can be exported and applied
during the subsequent solution of the upstream Maxwell analysis.

• Force densities generated by the Maxwell application and use the data to perform a static or transient
structural analysis. The resulting deformation results can then be exported and applied during the sub-
sequent solution of the upstream Maxwell analysis.

• Forces and Moments or Surface Force Densities generated by the Maxwell application to use as loading
conditions in a Harmonic Response analysis using the load. If you perform a Maxwell Parametric Study,
the application automatically transfers all Maxwell loads for all RPMs.

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 Special Analysis Topics

Overall Workflow for an EM - Mechanical Analysis

1. Create and solve the electromagnetic application using HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D Extractor.

2. Drag and drop a steady-state thermal, transient thermal, static structural, transient structural, or harmonic
(Maxwell only) template on top of the HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D Extractor systems solution cell to enable
the data transfer.

3. Attach geometry to the Mechanical application, and then double-click Setup to open the Mechanical
window. An Imported Load or an Imported Remote Load folder is added under the Environment
folder, by default.

4. As required, you can add or generate imported loads and set their options.

5. Perform all steps to set up a Steady-State Thermal (p. 439), Transient Thermal (p. 521), Static Structur-
al (p. 434), Transient Structural (p. 507), or Harmonic Response (p. 266) analysis. Specify mesh controls,
boundary conditions, and solution settings as you normally would.

6. Solve the ANSYS analysis.

7. If applicable, export your results to make them available for import by the upstream applications.

See the following sections for more detailed procedures to import and/or export loads during Thermal,
Structural, and Harmonic analyses.

• Importing Data into Thermal or Structural (Static or Transient) Analyses (p. 527)

• Importing Data into Harmonic Response Analyses (p. 530)

• Exporting Results from Thermal or Structural Analyses (p. 535)

• Electric Machines NVH Analyses (with Waterfall Diagram) (p. 537)

For additional information, refer to the Maxwell Coupling section in the Maxwell Online Help,
available through the ANSYS customer site.

Importing Data into Thermal or Structural (Static or Transient) Analyses

This feature enables you to perform a one-way Electromagnetics (EM) - Mechanical interaction
problem by solving the electromagnetic analysis of the geometry in the HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D
Extractor applications, importing the thermal or structural results into the ANSYS Mechanical applic-
ation where the defined load is applied to a thermal or structural analysis which is then solved and
post processed.

For a thermal analysis, you can import Imported Heat Generation (p. 1429) and Imported Heat
Flux (p. 1429) load types.

For a structural analysis you can import Imported Body Force Density (p. 1423) (illustrated below)
and Imported Surface Force Density (p. 1434) load types.

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Analysis Types

Add the Imported Load

Follow these steps to add an imported load and associate it with parts of the geometry.

1. Double-click the Model cell in your analysis system to open the Mechanical application.

2. Click on the Imported Load group object. In the Details view, set the following field as needed:

• If you want to suppress all of the loads under this Imported Load group, set the Suppressed field
to Yes.

3. For the Body Force Density and the Surface Force Density loading types, you can choose to import
the Max Force Density or the DC Force Density, if the source provides the data, using the Data Type
property. By default, the application imports the DC Force Density values. The application combines
AC and DC values to calculate the Max Force Density value. Because the AC force is a complex vector,
the peak vector among all phases of the AC force is taken and added to the DC force to obtain the
Max Force Density.

4. There are several ways to select an imported load and associate it with a part of your model.

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 Special Analysis Topics

• Select an Imported Load group object in the tree, select a part of the model, then right-click Impor-
ted Loads and from the Insert menu, select the desired load type. The load will be applied to the
object you selected on the model.

• Click on an Imported Load group object in the tree, then select the Imported Loads drop-down
menu on the Context tab and select the desired load type from the allowed imported load types.
In the Details view, click the Geometry field. Select the objects in the model to which you want to
apply the load and click the Apply button in the Geometry field.

• Right-click the Imported Loads group object and select Insert and the desired load type from the
allowed imported load types. In the Details view, click the Geometry field. Select the objects in the
model to which you want to apply the load and click the Apply button in the Geometry field.

Note:

Heat generation loads scoped to a surface body use the constant thickness value
specified in the details view of the surface body object when data is imported. Surface
body thickness defined using the thickness object is not accounted for when data is
imported.

Set the Imported Load Options

1. Click on the imported load object that you've added to the tree.

2. Select the desired Ansoft solution you would like to import the load from. Some of the properties in
the Details view and Data View tab are filtered based on this selection.

3. Change any of the fields in the Details View as needed:

• Scoping Method: Select the method of choosing objects to which the load is applied: Geometry
Selection or Named Selection.

• Geometry or Named Selection: Use these fields to choose the objects to which the load is applied,
as appropriate from your Scoping Method choice.

• Suppressed: Select Yes to suppress this load.

• Ansoft Surface(s): Select the Ansoft Surface(s) for a Heat Flux or Surface Force Density load.

or

Ansoft Volume(s): Select the Ansoft Volume(s) for a Heat Generation or Body Force Density
load.

Set the Imported Load Analysis Options

You can specify when the imported data should be applied and also modify the imported data,
either by adding an offset or by using a scale factor.

To see the analysis setting for a load, click the object that you've added to the tree. The analysis
options appear in the Data View tab of the window below the model. Make any changes to the
load's analysis options as indicated below.

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Analysis Types

Change any of the columns in the Data View tab as needed:

• Source Frequency - Select from the drop-down list one of the frequencies supplied from the transfer
file. The load values associated with this frequency will be imported.

• Source Time - Select from the drop-down list one of the Source Times supplied from the transfer file.
The load values associated with this time will be imported.

• For thermal loads from Maxwell transient solutions, you must select from the drop-down list the desired
Source Start Time and Source Stop Time to define the interval for integrating the power loss density
distribution.

• Analysis Time - Choose the analysis time at which the load will be applied. This must coincide with the
end time of a step defined in the Analysis Settings object in the tree.

• Scale - The amount by which the imported load values are scaled before applying them.

• Offset - An offset that is added to the imported load values before applying them.

You must re-solve after making any changes to the analysis options of a load.

You can define multiple rows in the Data View tab to import additional data from the selected
Ansoft solution and apply the rows at different analysis times. If multiple rows are defined in the
Data View tab, you can display imported values at different time steps by changing the Active
Row option in the Details pane.

Right-click the Imported Load object and click Import Load to import the load. When the load
has been imported successfully, a contour plot of the temperatures will be displayed in the Geometry
window and a summary of the transfer is displayed as a comment in the particular load branch.

Importing Data into Harmonic Response Analyses

Mechanical enables you to import either object-based (Imported Remote Loads (p. 1417) - Forces
and Moments) or element-based (Surface Force Density (p. 1434) or Body Force Density (p. 1423))
data from an upstream analysis. If there is a frequency sweep setup in Maxwell, the element-based
data can be imported at any frequency specified in the upstream sweep. If a Parametric Setup is
defined in Maxwell, loads are imported for all RPMs. Object-based data are always imported at the
nominal frequency. Select a link below for additional information for each import type:

• Importing Forces and Moments (p. 531): Supported by Maxwell Transient and Eddy Current Solvers.

• Importing Surface Force Density (p. 533): Supported by Maxwell Eddy Current Solver and Transient
Solvers.

• Importing Body Force Density (p. 1423): Supported by Maxwell Eddy Current Solver and Transient
Solvers.

For additional information, refer to the Maxwell Coupling section in the Maxwell Online Help,
available through the ANSYS customer site.

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 Special Analysis Topics

Importing Forces and Moments

The following procedure assumes that you have properly defined your model in Maxwell and
that the source and target systems are connected on the Workbench Project Schematic. Given
that, follow these steps to import data and associate it with parts of the geometry.

1. Double-click the Model cell of your harmonic analysis system to open Mechanical.

2. Select the Imported Remote Loads object. In the Details view, define the following properties, if
necessary:

Scoping Method
This property defines the geometry on which the imported data is applied. Face/edge/vertex
selections are supported for 3D analyses and edges/vertices for 2D analyses. Options include:

• Geometry Selection: default setting, indicating that the load is applied to a geometry or
geometries.

When the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection, the Geometry property be-
comes visible. Use this property to specify your desired geometry selections. Once
specified, the field displays the type of geometry (Face or Edge) and the number of
geometric entities (1 Face, 2 Edges) to which the load has been applied using the selec-
tion tools.

• Named Selection: indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named Selection.

When the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection a Named Selection property
becomes visible. This property provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

Ansoft Solution
Select the desired Maxwell solution you would like to import the load from.

Remote Points
Select the appropriate option to generate Internal or Globally Available remote points.

On Data Refresh
This option is available when the Remote Points options is set to Globally Available. The Re-
generate option deletes the remote points that were created during the previous import and
adds new remote points when data is imported. The Reuse Remote Points option reuses the
previously added remote points and only updates the scoping and location, if necessary.

Import Status
This read-only property displays the status of the import. One of the following status conditions
will exist:

• Data Unavailable: no data is available to perform the import.

• Obsolete: data is available to be imported, but no data has been imported or the data is ob-
solete and should be re-imported.

• Uptodate: all data has been imported.

• Import Failed: an error occurred during the import process and no data was imported

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Analysis Types

• Number Of Frequencies To Consider: The default value is 25. Select the frequency row
number used to synchronize the Analysis Settings. For each RPM, the application uses the
RPM Frequency Range Maximum and RPM Solution Intervals of the selected Number Of
Frequency To Consider.

Suppressed
If you want to suppress all of the loads under this Imported Remote Loads object, set this
property to Yes.

Note:

Object-based data are always imported at the nominal frequency.

3. Once you have defined the necessary import options, right-click the Imported Remote Loads object
and select Generate Remote Loads. This action imports the source data and associates it with the
selected target geometry. Once executed, Mechanical adds objects to the tree based on the source
data.

The following items will be added into the tree based on the source data. For each location
that Maxwell reports the calculated forces, Mechanical:

• Adds a Remote Force object and a Moment object with the imported data. Each set of two loads
are named with a Group ID number, as illustrated in the following example.

• Creates a Remote Point at that location and associates it with the group of two loads. The Remote
Point is named with the same Group ID number as the load group, as illustrated below.

Note:

When using internal remote points, if you change the scoping or behavior of a
load, all loads of the group automatically update because they share the same
remote point.

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 Special Analysis Topics

For each scoped reference (face or edge), applied using the Scoping Method property on
the Imported Remote Load object, Mechanical finds the closest Remote Point and assigns
the reference as scoping for that Remote Point.

Maxwell Parametric Setup

If your Maxwell analysis contains a Parametric Setup, remotes forces are created for each
RPM and grouped into folders. In addition, RPM-varying Step Controls (p. 1115) (Analysis
Settings) are automatically defined.

Note:

For a Mode Superposition Harmonic Response analysis, the application applies

Remote Forces and Moments using Tabular Data.

4. Specify mesh controls, boundary conditions, and solution settings.

5. Solve the analysis.

Importing Surface Force Density

The following procedure assumes that you have properly defined your model in Maxwell and
that the source and target systems are connected on the Workbench Project Schematic. Given
that, follow these steps to import data and associate it with parts of the geometry.

1. Double-click the Model cell of your harmonic analysis system to open the Mechanical application.

2. Open the Imported Load object to display the Surface Force Density object(s).

If your Maxwell solution contains a Parametric Setup, you can use the context (right-click)
menu option Create Surface Force Densities and Sync Analysis Settings to automatically
create RPM varying analysis settings properties (Number of RPMs, RPM Value).

Note:

During a Mode Superposition Harmonic Response Analysis

• For improved solution processing, set the Load Application Type property to either
Program Controlled (default) or Nodal Force. The application uses the Nodal Force
setting when the property is set to Program Controlled.

• If you select Element Pressure optioin for Load Application Type property:

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Analysis Types

– It is recommended that you expand the results from the Modal solution to improve
performance.

– If the Surface Force Densities loads are the only loads generating load vectors, the
application issues the MODCONT,ON,,,ON command in the Modal restart phase to
reduce the solution time.

3. Select the Surface Force Density object and change the default settings as necessary. The options
are described below.

Category Properties/Descriptions
Scope Scoping Method: Options include Geometry Selection and Named Selection.
Based on your selection, you need to specify the desired geometry or Named
Selection using the associated property.
Defini- Type: This read-only property indicates the imported load type - Surface Force
tion Density.

Tabular Loading: This property provides the following options.

• Program Controlled (default)

• Ramped

• Stepped

• Off

Suppressed: You use this property to include (No) or exclude (Yes) the load in
your analysis.

Load Application Type: This property is available for Mode Superposition

Harmonic Response analyses Options for this property include:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Element Pressure

• Nodal Force (used when Programmed Controlled is selected)

Graph- Complex Component: The options for this property include Imaginary (default)
ics and Real.
Con-
trols Component: This property provides the following options.

• All

• Total

• X Component (default)

• Y Component

• Z Component

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Category Properties/Descriptions
Trans- Ansoft Solution
fer
Defini- Solution: This property provides a drop-down menu of available upstream
tion systems.

Variation (Maxwell Parametric Setup only): This property provides a drop-down

menu that includes RPM values for the selected Solution.

Data Type: This is a read-only property. AC Force Density is the only supported
loading type.

Ansoft Surface(s): Select the Ansoft surface(s) for the Surface Force Density
load. The default setting is All Surfaces.

4. You can specify when the imported data should be applied and also modify the imported data,
either by adding an offset or by using a scale factor. Change any of the columns in the Data View
tab as needed:

• Source Frequency: Select from the drop-down list one of the frequencies supplied from the
transfer file. The load values associated with this frequency will be imported.

• Analysis Frequency: Select the frequency at which the load will be applied.

• Scale: The amount by which the imported load values are scaled before applying them.

• Offset: An offset that is added to the imported load values before applying them.

Note:

• You can define multiple rows in the Data View tab to import additional data from the
selected Ansoft solution and apply the load at different analysis frequencies. If multiple
rows are defined in the Data View tab, you can display imported values at different
frequency steps by changing the Active Row option in the Details pane.

• You need to re-solve the analysis if you make changes to the Data View options.

5. Solve the analysis.

Exporting Results from Thermal or Structural Analyses

If you have solved an analysis containing loads imported from Maxwell or HFSS, you can choose
to export temperature or deformation results and apply them during the subsequent solve of the
upstream analysis, if this option was previously set in the upstream analysis.

• Temperature results can be exported back to HFSS or Maxwell from a thermal analysis

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Analysis Types

• Deformation, Stress, and Strain results can be exported to Maxwell from a structural analysis.

Note:

Mechanical only supports exporting results when the geometry is three-dimensional

(3D) in both Mechanical as well as in Maxwell/HFSS.

Click on the Imported Load Group object in the tree to view the Details for the load. If the export
option is set, you will see an Export Definition section in the Details View. The Setup field enables
you to specify the Ansoft Setup for which the exported results will be written. The All option for
the Setup field exports results to all the setups requesting feedback.

In the Details view you can also set the analysis time at which results are exported. The default is
the end time of the analysis, which you select by entering 0. You must enter a value between 0
and the end time of the analysis.

If you want to export the results automatically at the end of the analysis, click on the Imported
Load (Ansoft) object in the tree before you start the analysis. In the Details panel, set the Export
After Solve field to Yes. The results will be written when the solution has finished.

If you want to export the results manually after the analysis, click the Imported Load (Ansoft) object
in the tree before you start the analysis. In the Details panel, set the Export After Solve field to

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 Special Analysis Topics

No. To export the file after the solution, right-click the Imported Load (Ansoft) object in the tree.
Select Export Results. The results will be written to the file.

If necessary, you can modify the load transfer Mapper Settings (p. 2283) for the export.

Note:

• Refer to the Ansoft application documentation for more details on settings required to support
the export from the Mechanical application to the Ansoft application.

• Results can only be exported to setups that have contributed to the current solution.

• This feature does not support the mapping of stress and strain results from shell bodies.
Shell bodies and their corresponding results are not included in during the mapping process.

Electric Machines NVH Analyses (with Waterfall Diagram)

When you analyze electric machines and the effects of electromagnetic forces, noise and vibration
is a primary consideration.

ANSYS Workbench enables you to evaluate Equivalent Radiated Power (ERP) Waterfall diagrams.
ERP diagrams provide efficient results that you can use to analyze structure vibration for a range
of rotating conditions and frequencies.

For a more in-depth acoustic analysis, you can generate waterfall diagrams for Far-field Sound
Power Level and Far-field Sound Pressure Level Microphone results. See the Adding an Acoustics
Analysis (p. 548) topic at the end of the section for the steps to incorporate this analysis type.

This section examines the workflows to simulate electromagnetic forces for rotational velocities as
well as the steps to transfer the data to a downstream ANSYS Mechanical (frequency domain) Har-
monic Response and Harmonic Acoustics systems. Example system configurations are show below.

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Analysis Types

Also note that you can use the operating conditions from your Harmonic Response analysis for
Acoustics analyses. This can include all or selected (more critical) operating conditions.

Maxwell Parametric Study

You can use a Maxwell analysis (2D or 3D) that includes several rotational velocities to analyze the
overall operating conditions of a mechanical system. You can use Maxwell to calculate the electro-
magnetic forces for each of the RPM (Rotations Per Minute). As depicted in the following dialog,
you can create a DesignXplorer setup in Maxwell using the rotational velocity as a variable for the
Sweep Definitions. See the Maxwell Help for more information.

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Import Loading
Based on the option Type (Object Based or Mesh Based) selected in Enable Harmonic Force Cal-
culation dialog in Maxwell, you send either integrated force per object or spatially varying data
are to Mechanical:

• Object Based: This type calculates remote forces (p. 1215) and moments (p. 1232) on each selected
object and imports frequency varying Remote Forces and Moments (p. 531) to Mechanical.

• Mesh Based (Surface): This type calculates forces on mesh entities for the selected objects, con-
verted to frequency domain, and imports spatially varying Surface Force Density (p. 533) loads to
Mechanical.

• Mesh Based (Volume): It type calculates forces on mesh entities for the selected objects, converted
to frequency domain, and imports spatially varying Body Force Density (p. 1423) loads to Mechanical.

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Object Based - Remote Force and Moment

For the Object Based option when you import your Maxwell analysis into Mechanical, the application
automatically creates an Imported Remote Loads object. The context (right-click) menu for this
object provides the option Generate Remote Loads. When you execute this option, the application
automatically imports the remote forces (p. 1215) and moments (p. 1232) from Maxwell and maps the
loads to the geometric entities on the model.

For each RPM variation solved in Maxwell, Mechanical creates a folder containing the forces associ-
ated with the rotational velocity. Here are the Details properties for a selected (imported) Remote
Force (p. 1215). You can see the load is specified as a varying load (RPM Varying property) and it
includes a load value (RPM Selection property).

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Analysis Types

Mesh Based - Surface Force Density

For the Element Based (Surface) option when you import your Maxwell analysis into Mechanical,
the application automatically creates an Imported Load object. The context (right-click) menu for
this object provides the option Create Surface Force Densities and Sync Analysis Settings. When
you execute this option, the application automatically imports the Surface Force Density (p. 533)
loads from Maxwell and maps the loads to the geometric entities on the model.

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The application creates a Surface Force Density object for each RPM variation created in Maxwell.

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Analysis Types

Mesh Based - Body Force Density

When you import your Maxwell analysis into Mechanical, the application automatically creates an
Imported Load object. The context (right-click) menu for this object provides the option Create
Body Force Densities and Sync Analysis Settings. When you execute this option, the application
automatically imports the Body Force Density loads from Maxwell and maps the loads to the
geometric entities on the model.

The application creates a Body Force Density object for each RPM variation created in Maxwell.

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Define Analysis Settings

When your Maxwell load data includes multiple RPM conditions, the application automatically reflects
the RPM conditions as load steps in the Step Controls (p. 1115) category of the Analysis Settings
of your downstream, Harmonic Response analysis. You can modify these RPMs (individually) using
the Step Controls category.

You can also modify the RPM Step Controls using the Worksheet.

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Analysis Types

Harmonic Solution Method

The application supports the Maxwell import scenarios both the Full and Mode Superposition
Solution Method in your Harmonic Response analysis. Each of these methods supports constant
loading conditions that you may apply (on each step) in addition to the imported RPM varying
loads, that the application applies on a per step basis. For example, you want to add loads in addition
to the imported electromagnetic forces. You may wish to add loading conditions to consider other
noise sources, such as those generated by bearings or aerodynamic forces.

For the Mode Superposition method, by default, the application defines the remote forces (p. 1215)
using the Table option for the Loading Application property to improve solution performance.

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 Special Analysis Topics

Also note that when you import Surface Force Densities, you can improve solution performance
by initiating the Expand Results From (p. 1155) property (Output Controls (p. 1151)) by setting either
the Stress, Strain, or Calculate Reactions properties to Yes.

ERP Waterfall Diagram

The Equivalent Radiated Power (ERP) (p. 1613) waterfall diagram results provide a global acoustic
signature based on the selected radiating faces. The application displays this result in two forms:
(1) using polylines for each RPM case or (2) on a 2D color map, as illustrated here. This result enables
you to detect the most critical operational conditions (RPM and Frequency) analyzed with additional
detail in a downstream Harmonic Acoustics analysis.

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Analysis Types

Adding an Acoustics Analysis

You can examine the acoustics of your structural vibrations by adding a Harmonic Acoustics analysis
to your NVH simulation. As illustrated, you insert a Harmonic Acoustics into the project as a
downstream system.

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Once opened in Mechanical, the application automatically creates an Imported Load object. By
default, the application inserts a Imported Velocity object.

You can add Imported Velocity objects by right-clicking on the Imported Load folder and selecting
Insert > Velocity or you can select the option Create Velocities and Sync Analysis Settings to
import and map all of the velocity loads available in the upstream system.

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Analysis Types

The application creates an Imported Velocity object for each RPM imported from the upstream
Harmonic Response analysis.

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When you import multiple RPMs, the application automatically reflects the RPM conditions as load
steps in the Step Controls category (that automatically displays in the Worksheet) of the Analysis
Settings of your downstream Harmonic Acoustics analysis. This behavior is similar to the Step
Controls of a Harmonic Response system. See the Step Controls for Harmonic Analysis Types (p. 1115)
section for more information.

Result Diagrams
Once you complete your analysis, the result options Far-field Sound Power Level Waterfall Diagram
and Far-field SPL Mic Waterfall Diagram enable you to analyze the acoustic behavior for the entire
range of RPMs and frequencies so that you can detect the most critical situations. An example is
illustrated below. See the Acoustic Waterfall Diagrams (p. 1622) for additional information.

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Analysis Types

External Data Import

This feature enables you to import data from one or more text files and apply it in a Mechanical
analysis. Data can be imported into a Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 552), Steady-State
Thermal, Transient Thermal, Thermal-Electric, or Explicit Dynamics 4 (p. 552), or Coupled Field Static
and Coupled Field Transient5 (p. 552) analyses.

Important:

For the analysis types listed above, note the following requirements:

• 1 - The rigid dynamics solver is not supported.

• 2 - Supported loads include Imported Displacement, Imported Force, Imported Pressure,

and Imported Velocity.

• 3 - Supported loads include Imported Stress and Imported Strain.

• 4 - The Explicit Dynamics system and the Workbench LS-DYNA ACT extension provide
only limited support for External Data Import at this time.

• 5 - Supported loads include Imported Thermal Condition and Imported Temperature.

Note:

The surface pressures and line loads calculated in a Hydrodynamic Diffraction analysis can
now be transferred to panel and beam elements in a Static Structural analysis using the

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Hydrodynamic Pressure Mapping ACT extension, through a link on the Workbench Project
Schematic page. See The Hydrodynamic Pressure Mapping Extension for more information.

To import data from an external file:

1. In the Project Schematic, add any number of files to an External Data system and specify the necessary
details.

• When multiple files are added to the same External Data system, each file is given a unique identifier
(that is, File1, File2, and so on). These identifiers are used in conjunction with the data identifiers
(Pressure1, Thickness1, and so on) to identify and apply the dataset(s) within Mechanical.

• If your files contain data for the same nodal coordinates, or if only one of your files contains the
nodal information, you can choose the Master option in the External Data system to designate a
master file. This option notifies the mapping utility that the group of files, defined in the External
Data system, share the same nodal information. The nodal information is therefore processed and
stored only from the master file. This greatly reduces the memory usage by only allocating space for
the nodes once, not once per file. It can also result in much faster import times as only one mapping
operation will be required.

• Mechanical APDL .cdb files can be added as a master mesh in the External Data system; for details,
see Importing a CDB File as Input in the Workbench User's Guide.

2. To transfer data to Mechanical, create a link between the Setup cell of the External Data system and
that of an applicable downstream system.

• To transfer shell thickness data to Mechanical, either:

– Drag the Setup cell of the External Data and drop it onto the Model cell of a Mechanical system
to create the link.

– Right-click the Setup cell of the External Data system and select Transfer Data to New > mech-
anical_system. This creates a link to the Model cell of a new Static Structural system and a
connection to the Setup cell. Remove the unwanted connection to the Setup cell.

• To transfer load data to Mechanical, drag the Setup cell of the External Data system and drop it
onto the Setup cell of an applicable Mechanical system.

Alternatively, you can right-click the Setup cell of the External Data system and select
Transfer Data to New > mechanical_system. This creates a link to the Setup cell of a
new Static Structural system and a connection to the Model cell. Remove the unwanted
connection to the Model cell.

• When an External Data System is connected to a system using the Samcef or ABAQUS solver, the
following quantities cannot be used: Body Force Density, Stress, Strain, Heat Flux, and the Emag
Condition.

• When an External Data System is connected to a system using the ABAQUS solver, the ABAQUS system
does not support the import of Forces.

3. Attach geometry to the analysis system, and then double-click Setup to open the Mechanical window.

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Analysis Types

Imported Thickness

If your simulation has a shell thickness defined from an External Data system, an Imported Thickness
folder is added under the Geometry folder.

1. Select appropriate geometry in the Details view, and then click Apply.

2. Select appropriate options in the Details view. You can modify the mapping settings to achieve the
desired mapping accuracy.

3. You can specify a thickness value for the unmapped target nodes using the Unmapped Data Value
property. By default, a zero thickness value is assigned to the unmapped nodes.

Important:

For the ANSYS solver, the thickness value at each node must be greater than zero.

4. Right-click the Imported Thickness, and then click Import Thickness to import the thickness. When
the thickness has been imported successfully, a contour plot will be displayed in the Geometry window
and any mesh display will be based upon the mapped thickness of the elements.

Imported Loads

If your simulation has load data defined from an External Data system, an Imported Load folder is
added under the Environment folder.

1. To add an imported load, select the Imported Load folder and select a desired load from the Imported
Loads drop-down menu on the Environment Context tab or right-click the Imported Load folder and
select the appropriate load from the Insert context menu.

2. Select appropriate geometry in the Details view, and then click Apply.

3. In a 3D structural analysis, if the Imported Body Temperature load is scoped to one or more surface
bodies, the Shell Face option in the Details view enables you to apply the temperatures to Both faces,
to the Top face(s) only, or to the Bottom face(s) only. See Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424) for addi-
tional information.

4. When mapping data to surface bodies, you can control the effective offset and thickness value at each
target node, and consequently the location used during mapping, by using the Shell Thickness Factor
property. By default, the thickness value at each target node is ignored when data is mapped.

You can choose to enter a positive or negative value for the Shell Thickness Factor. This value
is multiplied by each target node’s physical thickness and is used along with the node’s offset
to determine the top and bottom location of each target node. A positive value for the Shell
Thickness Factor uses the top location of each node during mapping, while a negative value
uses the bottom location of each node. For example:

• A value of 0.0 means that the physical thickness and offset of the surface body nodes will be ignored;
all target nodes are mapped at default surface body locations.

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• A value of 1.0 means that the thickness used for a target node will be equal to the physical thickness
value specified for that node. The top location of the node will be used during the mapping process.

• A value of -2.0 means that the thickness used for a target node will be equal to twice the physical
thickness value specified for that node. The bottom location of the node will be used during the
mapping process.

The view will look similar to the following for a value of –1.0. The colored dots represent the
location and corresponding values of the source nodes. In this case, each target node will be
projected using its physical thickness value to its bottom location and then mapped.

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5. Select appropriate options in the Details view. You can modify the data transfer settings (p. 2283) to
achieve the desired mapping accuracy. Mapping can be validated by using Mapping Validation (p. 2303)
the objects.

• For pressure loads, you can apply the load in the direction normal to the face or by specifying a dir-
ection. Setting Define By to Components enables you to define the direction by specifying the x, y,
and z magnitude components of the load. The z component is not applicable for 2-D analyses. For
pressure loads in Harmonic Response, you can apply both real and imaginary components of the
loads.

• In a 3D analysis, if the Triangulation mapping algorithm is used, the Transfer Type mapping option
defaults to Surface when an Imported Temperature or Imported Body Temperature load scoping is
only on shell bodies. If the scoping is on shell bodies and other geometry types, the Transfer Type
mapping option will default to Volumetric. In such cases, to obtain a more accurate mapping, you
should create a separate imported load for geometry selections on shell bodies, and use the Surface
option for Transfer Type. See Transfer Type under Mapping Settings (p. 2283) for additional informa-
tion.

• For Imported Pressure loads, you can apply the load onto centroids or corner nodes using the Applied
to property in the Details view. See Imported Pressure (p. 1433) for additional information.

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• For imported force loads, both conservative and profile preserving algorithms are available using
the Mapping property. See Imported Force (p. 1428) and Mapping Settings (p. 2283) for additional in-
formation.

6. For each load step, if an Imported Displacement and other support/displacement constraints are applied
on common geometry selections, you can choose to override the specified constraints by using the
Override Constraints option in the details of the Imported Displacement object. By default, the specified
constraints are respected and imported displacements are applied only to the free degrees of freedom
of a node.

7. For Vector2 (p. 552) and Tensor3 (p. 552) loads, the Coordinate System property can be used to associate
the component identifiers, defined in the worksheet, to a particular coordinate system. This option is
useful when the source data is defined, or needs to be defined, with respect to a coordinate system
that is not aligned with the Global coordinate system. If a cylindrical coordinate system is chosen, the
data is interpreted to be in the radial, tangential, and axial directions. By default, the Source coordinate
system is used.

Note:

The Source Coordinate System drop-down option is an internal coordinate system

used by Mechanical and is not visible in the tree. It represents the coordinate system
that was used to define source points in the upstream External Data system. If there
are no Rigid Transformations (Theta XY/YZ/ZX) defined in the upstream External Data
system, the Source Coordinate System is the same as the Global Coordinate System.

8. Under Data View, select the desired data Identifier, for the imported load. The data identifier (File
Identifier: Data Identifier) strings are specified in the upstream External Data system. You can also
change the Analysis Time/Frequency and specify Scale and Offset values for the imported loads.

• For Vector2 (p. 552) and Tensor3 (p. 552) loads, if the Define By property is set to Components you
should select data identifiers that represent the x/radial, y/tangential, and z/axial magnitude compon-
ents of the load. For Vector2 (p. 552) and Tensor3 (p. 552), the components are applied in the Coordin-
ate System specified in the Details view. The z component is not applicable for 2-D analyses. For
Imported Displacement load, you can choose to keep a component free, or fixed (displacement =
0.0) by selecting the Free or Fixed option from the list of data identifiers. For all other loads, you can
choose to ignore a component if you do not have data for that direction by selecting the Ignore
identifier from the drop-down list.

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Analysis Types

– For Imported Pressure/Imported Velocity in Harmonic response, you should select data identifiers
for both real and imaginary components. You can also specify Scale and Offset for both real and
imaginary components.

• For Imported Convections, you should select data identifiers for film coefficient and ambient tem-
perature. You can also specify Scale and Offset values for both film coefficient and ambient temper-
ature.

9. Right-click in the Data View and select Add row to specify additional data for a different analysis
time/frequency.

10. Change any of the columns in the Data View tab as needed:

• Magnitude \ Film Coefficient \ Ambient Temperature

Select the appropriate data identifier that represents the load values to be applied from the
drop-down list.

• X Component

Select the appropriate data identifier that represents the x component of the load values to
be applied from the drop-down list.

• Y Component

Select the appropriate data identifier that represents the y component of the load values to
be applied from the drop-down list.

• Z Component

Select the appropriate data identifier that represents the z component of the load values to
be applied from the drop-down list.

Note:

If you do not have data for a direction you can choose to ignore that component
by selecting Ignore from the appropriate drop-down box. Select the Fixed option
from the drop-down list to make the component constant with a value of zero or
the Free option for the component to be without any constraints.

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If multiple files have been used in the upstream External Data system, the data
identifiers for component-based vector or convection loads must come from the
same file or from files that have a master file association. For example, you can select
File1:PressureX, File1:PressureY, and File1:PressureZ, but you cannot select
File1:PressureX, File2:PressureY, File3.PressureZ (assuming that File1, File2, and File3
do not have a master file association).

• XX, YY, ZZ, XY, YZ, and ZXComponent

Select the appropriate data identifiers to represent the components of the symmetric tensor
to be applied from the drop-down list.

• Analysis Time/Frequency

Choose the analysis time at which the load will be applied.

• Scale

The amount by which the imported load values are scaled before applying them.

• Offset

An offset that is added to the imported load values before applying them.

11. In the Outline, right-click the Imported Load, and then click Import Load to import the load.

12. When the load has been imported successfully, a contour or vector plot will be displayed in the Geometry
window.

• For Vector2 (p. 552) loads, contours plots of the magnitude (Total) or X/Y/Z component can be viewed
by changing the Data option in the details pane. Defaults to a vector plot (All).

• For Tensor3 (p. 552) loads, contours plots of the Equivalent (von-Mises) or XX, YY, ZZ, XY, YZ and ZX
components can be viewed by changing the Data option in the details pane. Defaults to a Vector
Principal plot.

• For Imported Convections loads, contours plots of film coefficient or ambient temperature can be
viewed by changing the Data option in the details pane.

• For complex load types, e.g. Pressure/Velocity in Harmonic Response, the real/imaginary component
of the data can be viewed by changing the Complex Data Component option in the details pane.

Note:

The range of data displayed in the graphics window can be controlled using the Le-
gend controls options. See Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) for additional in-
formation.

13. If multiple rows are defined in the Data View, imported values at different time steps can be displayed
by changing the Active Row option in the details pane.

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14. To activate or deactivate the load at a step, highlight the specific step in the Graph or Tabular Data
window, and choose Activate/Deactivateat this step! See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for
additional rules when multiple load objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

Important:

• For Vector2 (p. 552) and Tensor3 (p. 552) loads, when the Define By property is set to Compon-
ents, any rotation transformations (Theta XY/YZ/ZX) specified in the External Data system will
be appropriately applied to the mapped data if the Coordinate System is specified as Source
Coordinate System. If any other coordinate system is specified then the components are applied
in the specified Coordinate System. Rotations, resulting from using a cylindrical projection
coordinate system, for 2D to 3D mapping are also appropriately applied to the mapped data.
Rotations, resulting from analytical transformations specified in the External Data system, do
not get applied to the mapped data.

• For Imported Displacements, selecting the Free identifier for a source component will result
in the corresponding target component being left unconstrained and free to deform in that
direction, whereas Fixed identifier results in a value of zero being applied. For other load types,
a value of zero is applied on selecting the Ignore component.

External Data Export

These features enable you to export results data to one or more text files and use them in an External
Data system. The External Data system can then be linked to a downstream system in order to apply
the exported data as boundary conditions; see External Data for more information.

Two methods of exporting are available. The first method uses the right-click Export option on a
Result object, see Exporting Data (p. 159). Be sure to include the Node Locations which are off by default
as described in the Exporting Data section.

The second method, available for thermal analyses, will export the temperatures and heat flows on
any surface with a Fluid Solid Interface boundary condition; see Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290) for more
information.

External Study Import

The External Study Importer is an ACT Console tool. It assists the designer-to-analyst workflow by
enabling you to import files from simulation applications such as Discovery Live and Autodesk Fusion
360 into Mechanical for further analysis. Imported files can include a full definition of geometry, ma-
terials, loads, and constraints from the source simulation. See External Study Import in the Discovery
Live documentation for more information.

Note:

The External Study Importer is not supported on Linux operating systems.

Creating an Autodesk Fusion 360 Simulation Data File

Perform these steps from within Autodesk Fusion 360 to create a Fusion 360 Simulation file:

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1. Open the Simulation workspace for a Generative Design outcome.

2. Select Send Study to ANSYS from the Solve group in the ribbon.

• If Mechanical 2020 R1 is installed, this will automatically populate a Workbench project with the
study and launch Mechanical.

• If Mechanical 2020 R1 is not installed, you can save a Fusion 360 Simulation (.sdz) file, which you
can later import via the External Study Importer.

Enabling the External Study Importer

The External Study Importer is provided as an ACT extension that is installed by default with Work-
bench.

To load the External Study Importer:

1. From the Project tab in Workbench, click ACT Start Page to open the ACT Home page.

2. Click Manage Extensions.

3. On the Extension Manager page, click ExternalStudyImporter and select Load extension from
the context menu.

If you want the External Study Importer to be loaded automatically for future Workbench
sessions, click ExternalStudyImporter and select Load as default from the context menu.

4. Return to the ACT Home page and click Launch Wizards.

5. On the Wizards page, click Execute wizard to launch the External Study Importer.

Importing a Discovery Live Simulation into Mechanical

After creating a Discovery Live Simulation Data file, you can import it into Mechanical. You can import
it into a new project or an existing project.

To import a Discovery Live simulation into a new project in Mechanical: in Windows File Explorer,
double-click a .dls file to launch Workbench and import the simulation into a new project.

To import a Discovery Live simulation into an existing project in Mechanical:

1. On the Wizards page (which you can access as described above), click Execute wizard to launch
the External Study Importer Wizard.

2. Ensure Study Type is set to Discovery Live Simulation.

3. In File To Import, browse to the Discovery Live Simulation Data file you want to add to the project
and click Open.

4. In the External Study Importer Wizard, click Import.

The import process creates a fully-populated Simulation System on the Workbench Project
Schematic page, which you can subsequently open in Mechanical.

5. In the External Study Importer Wizard, click Finish.

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Importing an Autodesk Fusion 360 Simulation into Mechanical

You can import an Autodesk Fusion 360 Generative Design simulation into Mechanical via a Fusion
360 Simulation file (.sdz). In 2020 R1, the External Study Importer supports Autodesk Fusion 360
Simulation files that have been created from Fusion 360 Generative Design outcomes. You can import
the .sdz file into a new project or an existing project.

To import an Autodesk Fusion 360 Generative Design simulation into a new project in Mechanical:
in Windows File Explorer, double-click a .sdz file to launch Workbench and import the simulation
into a new project.

To import an Autodesk Fusion 360 simulation into an existing project in Mechanical:

1. On the Wizards page (which you can access as described above), click Execute wizard to launch
the External Study Importer Wizard.

2. Ensure Study Type is set to Fusion 360 Simulation.

3. In File To Import, browse to the Fusion 360 Simulation Data file you want to add to the project and
click Open.

4. In the External Study Importer Wizard, click Import.

The import process creates a fully-populated Simulation System for each load case in the
Fusion 360 simulation, which you can subsequently open in Mechanical.

5. In the External Study Importer Wizard, click Finish.

Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI)

Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) analysis is an example of a multiphysics problem where the interaction
between two different physics phenomena, done in separate analyses, is taken into account. From
the perspective of Mechanical, an FSI analysis consists of performing a structural or thermal analysis
in the application, with some of the loads (forces or temperatures, for example) coming from a cor-
responding fluid analysis or previous CFD analysis. In turn, the results of the mechanical analysis may
be used as loads in a fluids analysis. The interaction between the two analyses typically takes place
at the boundaries that the mechanical model shares with the fluids model. These boundaries of inter-
action are collectively called the fluid-structure interface. It is at this interface where the results of one
analysis are passed to the other analysis as loads.

A general way of tying two otherwise independent analyses together is described in System Coup-
ling (p. 590). The specific use of System Coupling as one way to perform certain FSI analyses is men-
tioned where applicable in the following sections.

For one specific multiphysics problem, the structural thermal-stress analysis, an FSI analysis is not always
required. If the thermal capabilities of the Mechanical application are sufficient to determine a proper
thermal solution, an FSI approach (using separate applications for separate analyses) is not required
and the thermal-stress analysis can be done entirely within Mechanical. In the case where the thermal
solution requires the specialized capabilities of a CFD analysis, the structural thermal-stress analysis
is done using the FSI approach. The CFD analysis is done first, then the calculated temperatures at
the fluid-structure interface are applied as loads in the subsequent mechanical analysis.

Typical applications of FSI include:

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• Biomedical: drug delivery pumps, intravenous catheters, elastic artery modeling for stent design.

• Aerospace: airfoil flutter and turbine engines.

• Automotive: under-the-hood cooling, HVAC heating/cooling, and heat exchangers.

• Fluid handling: valves, fuel injection components, and pressure regulators.

• Civil engineering: wind and fluid loading of structures.

• Electronics: component cooling.

The Mechanical application supports two types of Fluid-Structure Interaction: one-way transfer (p. 563)
and two-way transfer (p. 564). In one-way FSI, CFD results are applied as loads in the mechanical
analysis, but the results of the mechanical analysis are not passed back to a fluids analysis. In two-
way FSI, the results of the mechanical analysis are passed back as loads to the fluids model. Two-way
FSI is important when the mechanical analysis could produce results that, when applied as loads in
the fluids analysis, would significantly affect the fluids analysis.

One-Way Transfer FSI

In a one-way transfer FSI analysis, the CFD analysis results (forces, pressures, temperatures, convection
loads, or heat flows) at the fluid-structure interface are transferred to the mechanical model and
applied as loads. The subsequently calculated displacements or temperatures at the interface are
not transferred back to the CFD analysis. One-way transfer is appropriate when displacements and
temperatures differentials calculated in the Mechanical application are not large enough to have
a significant effect on the fluid analysis.

There are four supported applications of a one-way FSI analysis:

1. Based on the setting of the Interpolation Type property:

• Mechanical-Based Mapping (default): Pressure results from a CFD analysis are input as normal
pressure in a structural analysis at the fluid-structure interface.

• CFD Results Interpolator: Pressure results from a CFD analysis are input as applied forces in a
structural analysis at the fluid-structure interface.

2. Temperature results from a heat transfer CFD analysis are input as body loads in a structural analysis
to determine the thermally induced displacement and stresses (thermal-stress analysis).

3. Convections from a heat transfer CFD analysis are input as convection boundary conditions (film
coefficients and bulk temperatures) in a thermal analysis at the fluid-structure interface.

4. Temperatures or heat flows from a heat transfer CFD analysis are input as temperature or heat flow
boundary conditions in a thermal analysis at the fluid-structure interface.

There are two methods available for performing a one-way FSI analysis: importing loads and System
Coupling. See Using Imported Loads for One-Way FSI (p. 564) and System Coupling (p. 590), respect-
ively.

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Two-Way Transfer FSI

In a two-way transfer FSI analysis, the CFD analysis results (forces, temperatures, heat flows, or heat
transfer coefficients and near wall temperatures) at the fluid-structure interface are transferred to
the mechanical model and applied as loads. Within the same analysis, the subsequently calculated
displacements, temperatures, or heat flows at the fluid-structure interface are transferred back to
the CFD analysis. Two-way transfer is appropriate when displacements and temperature differentials
calculated in Mechanical are large enough to have a significant effect on the fluid analysis.

Because of the two-way interaction between the two analyses, the analyses are looped through
repeatedly until overall equilibrium is reached between the Mechanical application solution and
CFD solution. Two-way FSI is supported between Mechanical and Fluent and Mechanical and CFX.
In either case, you set up the static or transient structural portion of the analysis in the Mechanical
application, including defining one or more fluid-structure interface boundary conditions. You
continue the analysis in Fluent or CFX, and view the structural results in the Mechanical application.
For more information on two-way FSI using Mechanical and Fluent, see Performing System Coupling
Simulations Using Fluent in the Fluent User's Guide. For more information on two-way FSI using
Mechanical and CFX, see Coupling CFX to an External Solver: System Coupling Simulations in the
CFX-Solver Modeling Guide.

Note:

In a System Coupling setup, if you apply an external force or external heat flow on the
same region as a Fluid-Structure Interaction load, this external variable will not be ac-
knowledged by the Mechanical APDL solver.

Using Imported Loads for One-Way FSI

This feature enables you to import fluid forces, pressures, temperatures, and convections from a
steady-state or transient CFD analysis to a Mechanical application analysis.

This one-way transfer of face forces (tractions) or pressures at a fluid-structure interface enables
you to investigate the effects of fluid flow in a static or transient structural analysis. Similarly, the
one-way transfer of temperatures or convection information from a CFD analysis can be used in
determining the temperature distribution on a structure in a steady-state or transient thermal
analysis or to determine the induced stresses in a structural analysis.

To import loads from a CFD analysis:

1. Complete your CFD analysis. From the Project Schematic, add an appropriate Mechanical analysis
and create links between:

a. The Solution cell of your CFD analysis and the Setup cell of the newly added Mechanical
analysis.

Your system should appear as illustrated here.

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2. Double-click Setup cell to open Mechanical. By default, an Imported Load folder is added under
the Environment folder.

3. Select the Imported Load (Group) object and:

a. Specify the Interpolation Type property as either: CFD Results Interpolator or Mechanical-
Based Mapping (default).

b. Right-click, select Insert, and then select the desired load type you wish to add. Loads can
also be added via the Environment Context Tab Imported Loads drop-down menu.

4. For your newly inserted load object, you can modify the following properties in the Definition
category:

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• Tabular Loading: This property controls the creation and content of the Data View table. Data
View values are applied at each load step. The options for this property include Program
Controlled (default), Ramped, Stepped, Off.

• Source Time: This property enables you to manage how the data from your source analysis is
imported into the Data View table. The options for this property include Worksheet (default),
All, and Range. Based on your selection, the time-based data contained in the Data View table
displays accordingly.

Note:

– While defining source times and time step data, at any time you can right-click
on the imported load object and select the option Sync Analysis Times. This
option synchronizes the data of the Data View table with your Step Con-
trols (p. 1110) in the Analysis Settings object.

– As needed, you can also change the values of the Source Time column entries in
the Data View table. To do so, select a Source Time cell for the imported load in
Data View table and specify a different value. Press Enter. The Source Time Step
value changes based on the source time you select. If the selected source time
corresponds to more than one source time step, you will also need to select the
desired time step value. You can also change the Analysis Time and specify Scale
and Offset values for the imported loads.

5. For your newly inserted load object, you can modify the following properties in the Transfer
Definition category based on the setting of the Interpolation Type property. Note the following
when making your specifications:

• If you specify the Interpolation Type property as Mechanical-Based Mapping (default), refer
to the Data Transfer Mesh Mapping (p. 2283) section for detailed descriptions of the properties
contained in the Settings, Graphics Controls, and Legend Controls categories.

• Under the Transfer Definition category:

– For surface transfer, open the drop-down menu for the CFD Surface property and select the
corresponding CFD surface. If you have specified the Interpolation Type property as
Mechanical-Based Mapping, you can use the Ctrl key to select multiple options from this
menu.

– For volumetric transfer, open the drop-down menu for the CFD Domain property and select
the corresponding CFD Domain. If you have specified the Interpolation Type property as
Mechanical-Based Mapping, you can use the Ctrl key to select multiple options from this
menu.

• For CFD Convection loads only: select the appropriate Ambient Temperature Type.

Note:

– CFD Near-Wall Ambient (bulk) Temperature (default): This option uses

the fluid temperature in the near-wall region as the ambient temperature
for the film coefficient calculation. This value will vary along the face. When

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you specify Mechanical-Based Mapping as the Interpolation Type, make

sure that you select Wall Adjacent Temperature in the Data File Quantities
dialog in Fluent.

– Constant Ambient Temperature: This constant value applies to the entire

scoped face(s). The film coefficient will be computed based on this constant
ambient temperature value. Use of a constant ambient temperature value
in rare cases may produce a negative film coefficient if the ambient temper-
ature is less than the local face temperature. If this is the case, you can
define a Supplemental Film Coefficient. This value will be used in place of
the negative computed film coefficient and the ambient temperature adjus-
ted to maintain the proper heat flow.

• In a structural analysis, if the Imported Body Temperature load is scoped to one or more surface
bodies, the Shell Face option in the details view enables you to apply the temperatures to
Both faces, to the Top face(s) only, or to the Bottom face(s) only. See Imported Body Temper-
ature (p. 1424) for additional information.

6. In the Project Outline, right-click the imported load object and then select the Import Load option
to import the load. When the load has been imported successfully, a contour plot will be displayed
in the Geometry window.

Once the solution is complete for the Interpolation Type property set to CFD Results Interpolator,
a CFD Load Transfer Summary is displayed as a Comment in the particular CFD load branch. The
summary contains the following information:

• For a CFD Pressure load: the net force, due to shear stress and normal pressure, on the face computed
in CFD and the net force transferred to the Mechanical application faces. Note that Mechanical-Based
Mapping only imports normal pressure.

• For a CFD Temperature load: For surface transfers - the average computed temperature on the CFD
boundary and the corresponding average mapped temperature on the Mechanical application faces.

For volumetric transfers – the average, maximum, and minimum temperature of the CFD domain
and the corresponding Mechanical Application body selection(s).

• For a CFD Convection load: the total heat flow across the face, and the average film coefficient and
ambient temperature on the face.

The computed and mapped face data may be compared in order to get a qualitative assessment
of the accuracy of the mapped data. Examples of the Imported Load Transfer Summary for the
Interpolation Types are illustrated below.

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CFD Results Interpolator Mechanical-Based Mapping

The following additional topics are covered in subsequent sections:

Face Forces at Fluid-Structure Interface
Face Temperatures and Convections at Fluid-Structure Interface
Volumetric Temperature Transfer
CFD Results Mapping

Face Forces at Fluid-Structure Interface

You can use results at a fluid-structure interface from a CFD analysis as face forces (from the
vector sum of the normal pressures and shear stresses) on corresponding faces in the Mechanical
application. The import process involves interpolating a CFD solution onto the Mechanical applic-
ation face mesh. This requires that the following conditions are met:

• The fluid-structure interface must be a defined boundary in CFD.

• The location of the CFD boundary (with respect to the global Cartesian coordinate system) must be
the same as the corresponding face(s) in the Mechanical application model.

Refer to the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for more information.

Face Temperatures and Convections at Fluid-Structure Interface

This feature allows the transfer of either of the following thermal solutions from a CFD solution
boundary to a corresponding face in the Mechanical application model:

• Temperatures at the fluid-structure interface.

• Film coefficients and bulk temperature values at the fluid-structure interface.

The import process involves interpolating a CFD solution onto the Mechanical application face
mesh. This requires that the following conditions are met:

• The fluid-structure interface must be a defined boundary in CFD.

• The location of the CFD boundary (with respect to the global Cartesian coordinate system) must be
the same as the corresponding face(s) in the Mechanical application model.

Refer to the Imported Loads (p. 1417) section for more information.

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Volumetric Temperature Transfer

You can transfer temperature results from a CFD analysis and apply them as body loads in the
Mechanical application. The import process involves interpolating a CFD solution onto the mesh
for the bodies selected in the Mechanical application. This requires that the following condition
is met:

• The location of the bodies in the Mechanical application model (with respect to the global Cartesian
coordinate system) must be the same as the corresponding CFD domains.

CFD Results Mapping

When mapping CFD results onto the Mechanical application face(s) the Mechanical nodes are
projected on to the CFD face. All the Mechanical application face nodes will map to the CFD face
according to the following rules:

a. Project normal to the CFD mesh faces.

b. If rule a fails, project to the closest edge.

c. If rule b. fails, project to the closest node on the CFD face.

Rule c. will always work, so in the end every node will get some kind of mapping. However the
most accurate load mapping occurs for nodes projected normal to the mesh face. The percentage
of the Mechanical application nodes that mapped successfully using rule a. above is reported in
the diagnostics. When the Mechanical application mesh is very coarse, there can be some misses
near the edges of the CFD boundary. However all nodes become mapped eventually. The accuracy
of force transfer improves as the Mechanical application mesh is refined.

When mapping CFD domain results onto the corresponding Mechanical Application body selec-
tion(s), all the Mechanical Application nodes that cannot be mapped to the CFD domain will be
set to the average temperature.

Icepak to Mechanical Data Transfer

The Mechanical application enables you to transfer temperature data from Icepak into Mechanical.
This process involves the import of temperature data from the solid objects defined in Icepak onto
the geometry defined in Mechanical. As the meshes used in Icepak and Mechanical could be quite
different, mapping the temperatures involves an interpolation method between the two. Once the
mapping is completed, it is possible to view the temperatures and utilize them to perform a Mechan-
ical analysis. The workflow is outlined below.

Workflow for Icepak Data Transfer

1. In Icepak, perform all steps for an Icepak analysis by creating the Icepak model, meshing and solving the
model. After the solution has finished, Icepak writes out the temperature data for each of the solid objects

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to a file with the extension loads. In addition, a summary file with the extension load summary is written
out.

Note:

The CFD Post/Mechanical data option must be enabled in the Solve panel to transfer
data to CFD-Post/Mechanical. If this option was not enabled prior to solving, you also
have the option of exporting data using the Post > Workflow data menu in ANSYS
Icepak.

2. Drag and drop a Mechanical cell, which could be one of Static Structural, Steady-State Thermal, Transient
Structural, Transient Thermal, or Thermal-Electric analysis on top of the Icepak Solution cell.

3. Import the geometry or transfer the geometry into the Mechanical application. Double click the Setup
cell to display the Mechanical application.

4. In the Details section of Imported Temperature or Imported Body Temperature under Imported
Loads, you will first select the Scoping method. Select Geometry Selection as the Scoping method unless
you have created a Named Selection. See Scoping Analysis Objects to Named Selections (p. 784) for a
detailed description.

5. If Geometry Selection is selected as the Scoping method, pick the geometry using Single select or
Box select and click Apply or select a Named Selection object in the drop-down list.

6. In a structural analysis, if the Imported Body Temperature load is scoped to one or more surface bodies,
the Shell Face option in the details view enables you to apply the temperatures to Both faces, to the
Top face(s) only, or to the Bottom face(s) only. See Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424) for additional
information.

7. To suppress this load, select Yes. Otherwise, retain the default setting.

8. In the drop-down field next to Icepak Body, select one body at a time, All or a Named Selection. If se-
lecting an individual body, make sure your selection corresponds to the volume selected in step 5. If All
bodies were selected, select All.

9. The Icepak Data Solution Source field displays the Icepak temperature source data file.

10. You can modify the Mapper Settings (p. 2283) to achieve the desired mapping accuracy.

11. Click on the imported load object, then right-click and select Import Load. This process first generates
a mesh, if one doesn't already exist, and then interpolates the temperatures from the Icepak mesh onto
the Mechanical mesh. This process might take long if the mesh size or the number of bodies is large.
Improving the quality of the mesh will improve the interpolation results but the computation time may
be higher.

Note:

If the import is successful, you can see the temperature plot in the graphics display
window.

If multiple time steps refer to the same time, an error will be displayed in the Mechan-
ical message window.

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12. You can apply other boundary conditions and click Solve to solve the analysis.

How to Set up a Transient Problem

1. In Icepak, perform all steps for a transient Icepak analysis and solve the model.

2. Perform steps 2 – 9 as described above.

3. Click the Analysis Settings object in the tree. Begin adding each step's End Time values for the various
steps to the tabular data window. You can enter the data in any order but the step end time points will
be sorted into ascending order. The time span between the consecutive step end times will form a step.
You can also select a row(s) corresponding to a step end time, click the right mouse button and choose
Delete Rows from the context menu to delete the corresponding steps. See Establish Analysis Set-
tings (p. 230) for further information. Whenever a new row is added or deleted, the imported body tem-
perature data view will be updated to match the number of rows in the Analysis Settings.

4. Click on the imported load object and the Data View tab with updated Analysis Times is displayed. If
the Analysis Time is different, the Source Time will display the original time, matching to the closest
available Source Time coming from Icepak. If the match is not satisfactory, you can select a Source
Time(s) from the drop-down list and Mechanical will calculate the source node and temperature values
at that particular time. This combo box will display the union of source time and analysis time values.
The values displayed in the combo box will always be between the upper and lower bound values of
the source time. If the user modifies the source time value, the selection will be preserved until the user
modifies the value even if the step's end time gets changed on the analysis settings object. If a new end
time value is added/deleted, Source Time will get the value closest to the newly added Analysis time
value.

5. Click on the imported load object, then right-click and select Import Load. This will interpolate the value
at all the selected time steps.

6. User can display interpolated temperature values at different time steps by changing the Active Row
option in the detail pane.

7. Apply required boundary conditions, continue with any further analysis and solve.

Mechanical-Electronics Interaction (Mechatronics) Data Transfer

You can export a reduced model that can be imported into Twin Builder.

Overall Workflow for Mechatronics Analysis

1. Create a modal analysis system.

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2. Define the inputs using Remote Points and/or Named Selections. The names of the entities created
must include the prefix input_ and the degree of freedom in the trailing suffix, signified by an underbar
(e.g. "input_MyName_ux").

Note:

The Named Selection can only be scoped to a vertex.

3. Define the outputs using Named Selection. The names of the entities created must include the prefix
output_ and the degree of freedom in the suffix (e.g. "output_MyName2_rotx”).

Note:

The Named Selection can only be scoped to a vertex.

4. Specify the modal damping in a Commands Object under an Environment, e.g.:

dmprat,.02 ! 2% damping on all modes
mdamp,1,.05 ! 5% damping on mode 1

5. At Solution level, add a Commands Object and import the macro ExportStateSpaceMatrices.mac
to export the reduced model. It is located at the installation folder under: ANSYS
Inc\v201\AISOL\DesignSpace\DSPages\macros

Note:

The macro is based on the Mechanical APDL command SPMWRITE.

6. Solve the Modal Analysis.

7. The reduced model file (file.spm) and the graphics file (file_spm.png) will exist in the solver
files directory and can then be imported into Twin Builder. (See Saving and Managing Project Files in
Workbench User's Guide for more information on solver files directories.)

Set up the Mechanical Application for Export to Twin Builder

To set up the Mechanical application to retrieve the inputs and outputs defined so they can be
used in the reduced model exported to Twin Builder:

1. From the File tab, select the Variable Manager option.

2. In the Variable Manager window, add/activate the variable ExportToTwinBuilder and set it to 1.

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Polyflow to Mechanical Data Transfer

This feature enables you to import data from a Polyflow system and apply it in a Mechanical application
analysis. Temperature data can be imported into a static structural, transient structural1 steady-state
thermal, transient thermal or thermal-electric analysis.

To import data from a Polyflow system:

• In the Project Schematic, right-click the Solution cell of the Polyflow system and select Transfer Data
to New><mechanical system>, a link is created to the Model cell of the selected Mechanical system.
If you select Transfer Data to New > <mechanical system>, this operation automatically creates a
link to the Model cell of the Mechanical system. Alternatively, you can drag the Solution cell of the
Polyflow system and drop it onto the Model cell of a Mechanical system to create the link.

• To transfer temperature data to Mechanical, drag the Solution cell of the Polyflow system and drop it
onto the Setup cell of an applicable Mechanical system.

• To transfer thickness data to Mechanical, drag the Solution cell of the Polyflow system and drop it onto
the Model cell of an applicable Mechanical system.

If your simulation has thickness defined from a Polyflow system, an Imported Thickness folder is
added under the Geometry folder.

1. Select appropriate geometry in the Details view, and then click Apply.

2. Select appropriate options in the Details view. You can modify the mapping settings to achieve the
desired mapping accuracy.

3. You can specify a thickness value for the unmapped target nodes using the Unmapped Data Value
property. By default, a zero thickness value is assigned to the unmapped nodes.

Important:

For the ANSYS solver, the thickness value at each node must be greater than zero.

4. Right-click the Imported Thickness object, and then click Import Thickness to import the thickness.
When the thickness has been imported successfully, a contour plot will be displayed in the Geometry
window and any mesh display will be based upon the mapped thickness of the elements.

If your simulation has temperature data defined from a Polyflow system, an Imported Load folder is
added under the Environment folder.

1. Select an imported temperature load to add from the Imported Loads drop-down menu on the Envir-
onment Context tab or right-click the Imported Load folder and select the appropriate load from the
Insert context menu.

2. Select appropriate geometry in the Details view, and then click Apply.

3. In a 3D structural analysis, if the Imported Body Temperature load is scoped to one or more surface
bodies, the Shell Face option in the details view enables you to apply the temperatures to Both faces,

1
The rigid dynamics solver is not supported.

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Analysis Types

to the Top face(s) only, or to the Bottom face(s) only. See Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424) for addi-
tional information.

4. Select appropriate options in the Details view. You can modify the mapper settings (p. 2283) to achieve
the desired mapping accuracy.

• In a 3D analysis, if the Triangulation mapping algorithm is used, the Transfer Type mapping option
defaults to Surface when an Imported Temperature or Imported Body Temperature load scoping is
only on shell bodies. If the scoping is on shell bodies and other geometry types, the Transfer Type
mapping option will default to Volumetric. In such cases, to obtain a more accurate mapping, you
should create a separate imported load for geometry selections on shell bodies, and use the Surface
option for Transfer Type.

5. Under Data View, select the desired data Identifier, for the imported load. The data identifier (File
Identifier: Data Identifier) strings are specified by the upstream Polyflow system. You can also change
the Analysis Time and specify Scale and Offset values for the imported loads.

6. Right-click in the Data View and select Add row to specify additional data for a different analysis time.

7. In the project tree, right-click the Imported Load object, and then click Import Load to import the
load. When the load has been imported successfully, a contour plot will be displayed in the Geometry
window.

8. If multiple rows are defined in the Data View, imported values at different time steps can be displayed
by changing the Active Row option in the details pane.

9. Change any of the columns in the Data View tab as needed:

• Magnitude

Select the appropriate data identifier that represents the load values to be applied from the
drop-down list.

• Analysis Time

Choose the analysis time at which the load will be applied. For the ANSYS solver, this must
coincide with the end time of a step defined in the Analysis Settings object in the tree.

• Scale

The amount by which the imported load values are scaled before applying them.

• Offset

An offset that is added to the imported load values before applying them.

10. To activate or deactivate the load at a step, highlight the specific step in the Graph or Tabular Data
window, and choose Activate/Deactivateat this step! See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for
additional rules when multiple load objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

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Twin Builder/Rigid Dynamics Co-Simulation

This feature is a co-simulation link (transient-transient) between Twin Builder and the ANSYS Rigid
Dynamics solver. This link enables you to combine detailed rigid mechanics models with system
models such as complex electronic semiconductor device models used in controls. You can export a
rigid dynamics sub-circuit and perform an analysis of the structure in Twin Builder.

Note:

You can also perform an FMU co-simulation with an external tool (co-simulation master).
For more details about the FMI standard and tools that support co-simulation with FMU,
see fmi-standard.org. You set up an FMU co-simulation in the same manner as described
here for a Twin Builder co-simulation.

• Twin Builder and rigid dynamics models are connected by Co-Simulation Pins (p. 576).

• Simulation is driven by Twin Builder.

• Results can be reviewed in Twin Builder, and then imported back to ANSYS Mechanical.

Preparing the Analysis

Create a Rigid Dynamics Analysis System

Basic general information about this topic (p. 217)

Define Engineering Data

Basic general information about this topic (p. 218)

... for this analysis type:

Density is the only material property utilized in a rigid dynamics analysis. Models that
use zero or nearly zero density fail to solve using the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver.

Attach Geometry

Basic general information about this topic (p. 220)

... for this analysis type:

Only sheet and solid bodies are supported by the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver. Plane
bodies and line bodies cannot be used.

Define Part Behavior

Basic general information about this topic (p. 224)

... for this analysis type:

You can define a Point Mass (p. 658) for this analysis type. Part stiffness behavior is not
required for the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver in ANSYS Workbench.

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Analysis Types

Define Joints and Springs

Basic general information about this topic (p. 229)

... for this analysis type:

Applicable connections for this type of analysis are joints (p. 958) or springs (p. 1037).

When an assembly is imported from a CAD system, joints and constraints are not im-
ported; however, joints can be created automatically or manually after the model has
been imported.

Each joint is defined by its coordinate system of reference. The orientation of this co-
ordinate system is essential, as free and fixed degrees of freedom are defined in this
coordinate system.

Define Input and Output Pins

Basic general information about this topic (p. 576)

... for this analysis type:

The quantities that are driven by Twin Builder are defined as input pins. The quantities
that are monitored by Twin Builder are defined as output pins.

Define Analysis Settings

Basic general information about this topic (p. 230)

... for this analysis type:

Some of the analysis settings might be overwritten by those defined in Twin Builder,
because Twin Builder drives the co-simulation.

Co-Simulation Pins

Note:

Pins apply for both Twin Builder and FMU co-simulations, but they are discussed here
in the context of co-simulation with Twin Builder.

Co-simulation Pins are connection points that describe the interface between a rigid dynamics
model and a Twin Builder model.

Pins have two distinct natures:

• Input Pins are used by Twin Builder to drive the rigid dynamics model.

• Output Pins are sensors used by Twin Builder to monitor the rigid dynamics model state.

Pins are defined by the degrees of freedom of joints (p. 958). One pin can be attached to each degree
of freedom of a joint. The type of joint quantity attached to pin depends on the nature of the degrees
of freedom.

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Translational degrees of freedom can have Displacement, Velocity, Acceleration, and Force pins.

Rotational degrees of freedom can have Rotation, Angular Velocity, Angular Acceleration, and
Moment pins.

Note:

It is not recommended that you place additional joint conditions on degrees of freedom
that are associated with pins.

To create pins for a Rigid Dynamics analysis system:

1. Open a Rigid Dynamics analysis in Workbench, then double-click the Model field to open the model
for editing in the Mechanical application.

2. Select the Rigid Dynamics (Transient) system in the Outline. From the Simplorer group on the En-
vironment Context tab, select the Cosimulation Pin option.

If you select the Cosimulation Pin option while a joint is selected, the pin will automatically
have joint information associated with it. If no joint is selected, you will need to associate the
pin with a joint at a later time.

3. With the new pin selected in the Outline view, edit the DOF, Type, and Pin Nature fields in the Details
view to complete the pin setup.

4. Rename the pin as it should appear in Twin Builder.

5. Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 to add all pins of interest.

6. When finished adding pins, refer to Writing ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Files (p. 1812) for more information.

Static Analysis From Rigid Dynamics Analysis

You can perform a Rigid Dynamics Analysis (p. 340) and then change it to or link it to a downstream
Static Structural Analysis (p. 434) analysis for the purpose of determining deformation, stresses, and
strains (which are not available in the Rigid Dynamics analysis).

Note:

The Motion Loads (p. 404) ACT extension allows you to more easily apply the loads created
in a Rigid Dynamics analysis on the flexible bodies in a Static Structural analysis especially
when the model contains joints with translational joint degrees of freedom.

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Analysis Types

Creating an Analysis System

1. From the toolbox, drag and drop a Rigid Dynamics template onto the project schematic. Follow the
procedure for creating a rigid dynamics (p. 340) analysis. Apply forces and/or drivers, and insert any valid
solution result object(s).

2. Specify the time of interest in the tabular data table or in the Graph window.

3. Select a solution result object and click the right mouse to display the popup menu. Select Export Motion
Loads and specify a load file name.

4. In the project schematic, duplicate the Rigid Dynamics analysis system. Replace the duplicated analysis
system with a Static Structural analysis system.

Note:

If you do not need to keep the original Rigid Dynamics analysis, you can replace it
with the Static Structural analysis system.

5. Edit the Static Structural analysis (using Model, Edit) by suppressing all parts except the desired part
for the Static Structural analysis.

6. Change the Stiffness Behavior of the part to be analyzed from Rigid to Flexible.

7. Change mesh solver preference to be ANSYS Mechanical instead of ANSYS Rigid Dynamics.

8. Delete or suppress all loads used in the Rigid Dynamics analysis.

9. Import the motion loads that were exported from the Rigid Dynamics analysis. Highlight the Static
Structural branch and then right mouse click, Insert> Motion Loads....

Note:

Moments and forces created for the static structural analysis can be in an invalid state
if all three components of the force/moment are almost equal to zero.

10. Delete the result objects and add new ones.

11. Solve the single part model with the static structural analysis and evaluate the results.

Point to Remember
It is important that you create the Static Structural analysis after the Rigid Dynamics analysis is
finished and the export load is done.

Submodeling
The Submodeling feature in Mechanical enables you to import the solution output of an upstream
(source) analysis and apply that output as boundary conditions in the downstream (target) system
in order to more closely analyze a region of interest. The application uses the results for your entire

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 Special Analysis Topics

model as the imported data. The application interpolates the data for the geometry region you specify
as the submodel.

In order to use this feature, you need to prepare your submodel in the appropriate modeling applic-
ation and understand where on the geometry the loading will be applied.

Note:

For nonlinear, load-history-dependent problems (for example, when plastic materials exist),
you must cut boundary conditions from the coarse model at multiple substeps to simulate
the load history dependency in the fine-mesh model analysis. The more boundary cutting
you do, the more accurate are the results of the fine-mesh model analysis.

During the data transfer process, the application creates a Submodeling object in Mechanical. This
object is essentially the same as an Imported Load (Group) (p. 2080).

Mechanical allows submodeling for structural (stress) and thermal analyses. In a thermal analysis, the
temperatures calculated on the cut boundary of the coarse model are specified as boundary conditions
for the submodel.

Take the time to review the Submodeling section of the Advanced Analysis Guide for a more detailed
technical description of the feature and the principles in use. Also see the Shell-to-Solid Submod-
els (p. 589) section for the specific requirements for submodeling shells.

Restrictions
The following restrictions apply to submodeling:

• Supported for the Mechanical APDL solver only.

• The principle behind submodeling assumes that the cut boundaries are far enough away from the
stress concentration region. You must verify that this assumption is adequately satisfied.

Benefits
Aside from the obvious benefit of yielding more accurate results in a region of your model, the sub-
modeling technique has other advantages:

• It reduces, or even eliminates, the need for complicated transition regions in solid finite element
models.

• It enables you to experiment with different designs for the region of interest (different fillet radii, for
example).

• It helps you in demonstrating the adequacy of mesh refinements.

Application
See the following topics for additional information and the steps to perform submodeling in structural
and thermal analyses:

• Structural Submodeling Workflow (p. 580)

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Analysis Types

– Beam-to-Solid/Shell Submodels (p. 584)

• Thermal Submodeling Workflow (p. 586)

• Shell-to-Solid Submodels (p. 589)

Structural Submodeling Workflow

Use the workflow below to perform a submodeling analysis using linked structural systems. You
should review the Data Transfer Mesh Mapping content in Appendix B: Data Transfer Mapping and
Validation (p. 2283) of the Help. This section describes the various Details view properties associated
with the loading types for the submodeling feature. Refer to this section as needed during your
analysis.

Note:

You can add a template for the linked structural systems by creating your own template.

Supported Boundary Conditions

A structural analysis supports the following imported load options:

Body Temperature
This option inserts an Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424) object when you transfer temperatures
from the coarse analysis.

Cut Boundary Constraint

This option inserts an Imported Cut Boundary Constraint (p. 1427) object when you transfer dis-
placements for Solid- or Shell-Solid submodeling and displacements and rotations for Shell-Solid
submodeling. Also see the Imported Displacement (p. 1427) section.

Cut Boundary Remote Force (Beam to Shell or Solid Only)

This option inserts an Imported Cut Boundary Remote Force (p. 1427) object in order to map
forces and moments from beam-based coarse models to shell or solid submodels. These loading
conditions are generated from the results defined on the nearest beam node of coarse model.

Important:

In order to add beam forces to the results file and make them available for your
submodel, you need to set the Nodal Forces property (Analysis Settings>Output
Controls (p. 1151)) to On in the coarse model.

Cut Boundary Remote Constraint (Beam to Shell or Solid Only)

This option inserts an Imported Cut Boundary Remote Constraint (p. 1425) object in order to
map remote displacements and rotational forces from beam-based coarse models to shell or
solid submodels. These loading conditions are generated from the results defined on the nearest
beam node of coarse model.

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Structural Analysis Submodeling Workflow

1. On the Workbench Project page, create and complete (solve) a static or transient structural analysis.
Perform all of the steps to set up and analyze the model. Specify mesh controls, boundary conditions,
and solution settings as you normally would and solve the analysis.

To easily identify this initial model, this example uses the name "Coarse" to identity the upstream
system. This does not mean that the mesh refinement is coarse, only that it is relatively coarse
compared to the "Submodel."

2. Create a new Static Structural or Transient Structural analysis on the Project page. Link the Solution
cell of the upstream onto the Setup cell of the downstream system. As required, you can also link
the Engineering Data and Geometry cells.

3. Double-click the downstream system's Setup cell to open Mechanical. The application automatically
adds a Submodeling object to the system's tree. This object references the upstream analysis'
Solution object in parenthesis, for example, Submodeling "(A6)".

4. Select the Submodeling object and add the desired imported conditions by:

• Selecting the appropriate load from the Imported Loads drop-down menu on the Environment
Context tab.

Or...

• Right-clicking on the Submodeling object and selecting Insert and then selecting the appropriate
load from the context menu.

5. Now, you need to select the appropriate cut-boundaries from the geometry using either the Geometry
or the Named Selection scoping option. The scoping options for the imported boundary conditions
are described below.

Load Type 3D Solid Analyses 2D Shell

Analyses
Imported Cut Boundary Constraint Face, Edge, or Nodes Face, Edge,
or Node
Imported Cut Remote Force Face or Edge Edge

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Analysis Types

Imported Boundary Remote Face or Edge Edge

Constraint
Thermal Condition Body or Nodes Body or
Nodes

Note:

• You cannot mix the scoping of surface bodies with other geometry types.

• Node-based Named Selections are not valid for transferring temperatures for Shell-Shell
submodeling.

6. The application automatically populates the Transfer Key property. Options include:

Shell-Shell
The application selects this option for a shell-based geometry in the upstream system.

Note the following for Shell-Shell submodeling:

• You have the option to import Displacements, Rotations, or Both using the Sub Type
property.

• You have the option to import temperatures from the Top/Bottom face or
the Middle shell plane using the Shell Face option. The Top/Bottom option uses the
temperature on both the top and bottom shell face to calculate the temperature on a
target node, whereas the Middle option only uses the temperature at the middle shell
plan.

Solid-Solid
The application selects this option for a solid body geometry in the upstream system.

Shell-Solid
You may select this Transfer Key option for Shell-to-Solid (p. 589) submodels.

For Shell-Solid submodeling, you have the option to import temperatures on Top/Bottom
face or the Middle shell plane using the Shell Face option. The Top/Bottom option calcu-
lates and applies the temperatures on the top and bottom face independently, whereas
the Middle option calculates the temperature at the middle shell plane and applies it
across the thickness of the shell.

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Beam-Shell/Solid
The application selects this option for a beam-based geometry in the upstream system.

Important:

If your submodel includes only forces and moments and has no other constraints,
you must set the Weak Springs (p. 1121) property (Analysis Settings>Solver Set-
tings (p. 1117)) to On.

Note:

• When you set the Transfer Key property to Shell-Shell or Shell-Solid, only shell bodies
are selected from the upstream analysis.

• When the Transfer Key is set to Beam-Shell/Solid, only beam bodies are selected from
the upstream analysis.

• When you set the Transfer Key property to Solid-Solid, the values on the middle shell
plane of shell bodies are used for mapping.

• Mapping Validation is not supported when the Transfer Key property is set to Shell-
Solid or Beam-Shell/Solid.

7. As needed, modify Details view properties. See Appendix B: Data Transfer Mapping and Valida-
tion (p. 2283) for additional information.

8. Select your defined imported load, right-click the object, and click Import Load. When the load suc-
cessfully imports, a plot of the mapped values displays in the Geometry window.

For displacement loads, the following data is available for viewing:

• Displacement

• Rotations (Transfer Key setting of Shell-Shell only)

Note:

• When multiple data types are available for viewing, the appropriate data type can be
chosen in the Data field the Graphics Controls category.

• Contours plots of the magnitude (Total) or X/Y/Z component can be viewed by changing
the Vector Component option in the details pane. Defaults to a vector plot (All).

• The range of data displayed in the Geometry window can be controlled using the
properties of the Legend Controls category. See Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417)
for additional information.

• For temperature loads on bodies when the Transfer Key property is set to Shell-Shell,
the Shell Face option becomes available under Graphics Controls. This property enables
you to view the data on top, middle or the bottom face of the shell.

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Analysis Types

• The data displayed on the middle face is calculated by averaging the interpolated data
on the top and bottom face.

9. To activate or deactivate the load at a step, highlight the specific step in the Graph or Tabular Data
window, and select Activate/Deactivate.

See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when multiple load objects
of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

10. Define any other loads and boundary conditions, specify load step options, and obtain the submodel
solution.

11. The final step is to verify that the cut boundaries of the submodel are far enough away from the
concentration. You can do this by comparing results (stresses and so on) along the cut boundaries
with those along the corresponding locations of the coarse model. If the results are in good agreement,
it indicates that proper cut boundaries have been chosen; otherwise, you will need to recreate and
reanalyze the submodel with different cut boundaries further away from the region of interest.

Note:

If the upstream (coarse) system is modified and re-solved after importing the load, a re-
fresh operation on the Submodel system’s Setup cell is required to notify Mechanical
that source data has changed and re-import is required. Alternatively, the source data
can be refreshed using the right-click operation on the Submodeling folder and choosing
the Refresh Imported Load option.

Beam-to-Solid/Shell Submodels
For the Beam-to-Shell or -Solid submodeling technique, the coarse model is a beam model, and
the submodel is either a 3D solid model or 3D shell model.

During the process of beam submodeling:

• The application determines the beam node that is nearest to each cut face (for beam-solid) or
edge (for beam-shell) on the submodel. Then, depending upon the desired submodeling method,
the application calculates either forces and moments or displacements and rotations from the
coarse analysis’s beam solution. If the scoped cut boundaries include connected faces or edges,
the application uses the result from the nearest common beam node for each group of connected
boundaries.

• The application applies the extracted forces and moments or displacements and rotations, from
the beam nodes to the submodel by generating remote loads. The application positions these
remote loads at the nearest beam node, but scoped to the appropriate cut face or edge on the
submodel.

• Beam to shell or solid submodeling transfers can transfer the following from a beam model:

– Forces and moments using the Cut Boundary Remote Force option. Using this method, each
remote force and moment pair share a remote point that is by default, deformable. See ex-
amples below.

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– Displacements and rotations using the Cut Boundary Remote Constraint option. Using this
method, the application applies displacements and rotations using remote displacement objects
that by default, are rigid. See examples below.

• The generated remote loads are by default, read-only, however, you can change this setting using
the Read Only property for generated load.

Loading Condition Examples

Here is an example of imported forces and moments using the Cut Boundary Remote Force
import option. Note the beam nodes at the cut face locations (as well as all beam node locations).
The remote points are located at the nearest beam node.

This example illustrates the force and moment loads for a specific cut face.

This example illustrates the Cut Boundary Remote Constraint import option.

Here you can see the remote displacements for the imported loading for the specific cut faces.

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Analysis Types

In addition, note the information provided by the Imported Load Transfer Summary object.
This important tabular information enables validation of the data transfer. In particular, the nodes
used to map the imported loads as well as the target coordinates.

Thermal Submodeling Workflow

Use the workflow below to perform a submodeling analysis using linked thermal systems. You
should review the Data Transfer Mesh Mapping content in Appendix C (p. 2283) of the Help. This
section describes the various Details view properties associated with the loading types for the
submodeling feature. Refer to this section as needed during your analysis.

Supported Boundary Conditions

Thermal submodeling analyses support the Imported Temperature (p. 1434) only.

Thermal Analysis Submodeling Workflow

1. On the Workbench Project page, create and complete (solve) a steady-state thermal or transient
thermal analysis. Perform all of the steps to set up and analyze the model. Specify mesh controls,
boundary conditions, and solution settings as you normally would and solve the analysis.

To easily identify this initial model, this example uses the name "Coarse" to identity the upstream
system. This does not mean that the mesh refinement is coarse, only that it is relatively coarse
compared to the "Submodel."

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2. Create a new Steady-State Thermal or Transient Thermal analysis on the Project page. Link the
Solution cell of the upstream onto the Setup cell of the downstream system. As required, you can
also link the Engineering Data and Geometry cells.

Note:

• You can add a template for the linked thermal systems by creating your own template.

• Data can be transferred from a 2D coarse model to a 3D submodel. The settings for 2D
projection of target mesh nodes can be specified in Appendix B: Data Transfer Mapping
and Validation (p. 2283).

3. Double-click the downstream system's Setup cell to open Mechanical. The application automatically
adds a Submodeling object to the system's tree. This object references the upstream analysis'
Solution object in parenthesis, for example, Submodeling "(A6)".

An imported temperature object is automatically inserted under the Submodeling folder to

represent the transfer. To add additional Imported Temperature objects, right-click the Sub-
modeling folder and select the appropriate load from the Insert context menu.

4. Now, you need to select the appropriate cut-boundaries from the geometry using either the Geometry
or the Named Selection scoping option.

The Imported Temperature (p. 1434) boundary condition supports Face, Edge, and Node selections
for 3D solids and Edge and Node selections for 2D shells.

Note:

You cannot mix the scoping of surface bodies with other geometry types.

5. The application automatically populates the Transfer Key property. Options include:

Shell-Shell
The application selects this option for a shell-based geometry in the upstream system.

Solid-Solid
The application selects this option for a solid body geometry in the upstream system.

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Analysis Types

Shell-Solid
You may select this Transfer Key option for Shell-to-Solid (p. 589) submodels.

For Shell-Solid submodeling, you have the option to import temperatures on Top/Bottom
face or the Middle shell plane using the Shell Face option. The Top/Bottom option calcu-
lates and applies the temperatures on the top and bottom face independently, whereas
the Middle option calculates the temperature at the middle shell plane and applies it
across the thickness of the shell.

Beam-Shell/Solid
The application selects this option for a beam-based geometry in the upstream system.

Note:

• When you set the Transfer Key property to Shell-Shell or Shell-Solid, only shell bodies
are selected from the upstream analysis.

• When the Transfer Key is set to Beam-Shell/Solid, only beam bodies are selected from
the upstream analysis.

• Mapping Validation is not supported when the Transfer Key property is set to Shell-
Solid or Beam-Shell/Solid.

• If you are using the Material Assignment (p. 753) feature on source bodies that are differ-
ent (shell and beam), you could experience mapping errors. The application may skip
a source body during the mapping process. To address this issue, use the feature on
the bodies individually – do not mix body types.

• The application only considers beam and shell section type elements from the source
data. It ignores all other section types.

• The range of data displayed in the graphics window can be controlled using the Legend
controls options. See Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) for additional information.

6. As needed, modify Details view properties. See Appendix C (p. 2283) for additional information.

7. Right-click the Imported Load object and click Import Load to import the load. When the load has
been imported successfully, a plot of the mapped values will be displayed in the Geometry window.

8. To activate or deactivate the load at a step, highlight the specific step in the Graph or Tabular Data
window, and choose Activate/Deactivateat this step!

See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when multiple load objects
of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

9. Define any other loads and boundary conditions, specify load step options, and obtain the submodel
solution.

10. The final step is to verify that the cut boundaries of the submodel are far enough away from the
concentration. You can do this by comparing results (stresses and so on) along the cut boundaries
with those along the corresponding locations of the coarse model. If the results are in good agreement,

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 Special Analysis Topics

it indicates that proper cut boundaries have been chosen; otherwise, you will need to recreate and
reanalyze the submodel with different cut boundaries further away from the region of interest.

Note:

If the upstream (Coarse) system is modified and re-solved after importing the load,
a refresh operation on the Submodel system’s Setup cell is required to notify
Mechanical that source data has changed and re-import is required. Alternatively,
the source data can be refreshed using the right-click operation on the Submodeling
folder and choosing the Refresh Imported Load option.

Shell-to-Solid Submodels
In the shell-to-solid submodeling technique, the coarse model is a shell model, and the submodel
is a 3D solid model, as shown in this example:

Figure 15: 3D Solid Submodel Superimposed on Coarse Shell Model

The procedure for shell-to-solid submodeling is essentially the same as that for solid-to-solid sub-
modeling, with these exceptions:

• Shell-to-solid submodeling is activated by setting the Transfer Key to Shell-Solid in the Imported Load
details view.

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• Cut boundaries on the submodel are the end planes that are normal to the shell plane (see Fig-
ure 16: Node rotations (a) before mapping command, (b) after mapping command (p. 590)).

• To determine the degree-of-freedom values at a cut-boundary node, the program first projects the
node onto the nearest element in the shell plane. The degree-of-freedom values of this projected point
are then calculated by interpolation and assigned to the corresponding node.

• In a structural analysis, only translational displacements are calculated for the cut-boundary nodes, but
their values are based on both the translations and rotations of the projected point. Also, the node is
rotated such that the nodal UY direction is always perpendicular to the shell plane, as shown in Fig-
ure 16: Node rotations (a) before mapping command, (b) after mapping command (p. 590). A UY constraint
is calculated only for nodes that are within 10 percent of the average shell element thickness from the
shell plane, preventing overconstraint of the submodel in the transverse direction.

Figure 16: Node rotations (a) before mapping command, (b) after mapping command

Note:

• If you are using the Material Assignment (p. 753) feature on source bodies that are different
(shell and beam), you could experience mapping errors. The application may skip a source
body during the mapping process. To address this issue, use the feature on the bodies indi-
vidually – do not mix body types.

• The application only considers beam and shell section type elements from the source data.
It ignores all other section types.

System Coupling
You can use ANSYS System Coupling to perform coupled simulations between multiple physics solvers,
coupling active co-simulation participants and/or importing static data from a external data source.
For example, you can run ANSYS Mechanical and ANSYS CFX in a single analysis or import data from
an output file into an ANSYS Fluent analysis.

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System Coupling can be used in the following contexts:

• System Coupling in Workbench: System Coupling is run from the Workbench interface.

In this context, you'll connect the Setup cell from a Workbench analysis system to the Setup
cell for the System Coupling component system, signalling that the Mechanical solver will act
as a co-simulation participant in a coupled analysis. Most of the coupling-related analysis settings
are made using the System Coupling system's Setup cell.

An extensive list of coupling participants is given in Supported Coupling Participants for System
Coupling in Workbench.

For more information, see Using System Coupling in Workbench in the System Coupling User's
Guide.

• System Coupling's user interfaces: System Coupling is run from its graphical user interface (GUI) or
its command-line interface (CLI). System Coupling's interfaces provide enhanced control over coupled
simulation processes, including automatic starts and restarts for participants, the ability to manipulate
System Coupling's data model, and an interactive solution workflow.

In these contexts, you still set up participant physics in the participant's user interface, but
you'll perform the coupled analysis — starting the System Coupling, loading participants,
specifying values for coupling-related analysis settings, and automatically starting participants
— using System Coupling's GUI or CLI.

An extensive list of coupling participants is given in Supported Coupling Participants.

For more information, see Using System Coupling's User Interfaces in the System Coupling
User's Guide.

The few coupling-related settings that are required in the setup are described below in System
Coupling Related Settings in Mechanical (p. 594).

Once the physics and coupling setups are complete, the coupled analysis is executed and managed
by System Coupling.

Additional information can be found in the following sections:

Supported Capabilities and Limitations
Variables Available for System Coupling
System Coupling Related Settings in Mechanical
Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) - One-Way Transfers Using System Coupling
Thermal-Fluid-Structural Analyses using System Coupling
Coupling with Wall/Wall-Shadow Pairs or Thin Surfaces
Restarting Structural Mechanical Analyses as Part of System Coupling
Running Mechanical as a Coupling Participant in System Coupling's GUI or CLI
Troubleshooting Two-Way Coupling Analysis Problems
Product Licensing Considerations when using System Coupling

Supported Capabilities and Limitations

Mechanical supports the following capabilities when used in a System Coupling analysis:

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• Data exchange across the fluid-solid and System Coupling Region (p. 1293) interfaces. The fluid-solid in-
terface defines the interface between the fluid in the coupled participant system (for example, Fluent)
and the solid in the Mechanical system. This interface is defined on regions in the Mechanical model
(see Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290)).

• Thermal-fluid-structural coupling between Mechanical and another participant system (for example,
Fluent) is supported as an expert option, and requires the use of appropriate coupled field elements
(SOLID226 and SOLID227). See Thermal-Fluid-Structural Analyses using System Coupling (p. 597) for
details about how to set up this type of analysis.

• Shared memory parallel mode. Note that convergence and therefore results will change between repeated
runs of Mechanical in shared memory parallel mode. These changes will occur even if no setup changes
were applied. The changes in the coupled analysis' convergence and results are due to the segregated
solution algorithm used and the inherent sensitivity of the coupled physics problems being solved.

• Distributed parallel mode. Note that in order to run Mechanical in distributed parallel mode from
within the Workbench interface, the working directory must be a shared network directory with the
same path for all computer servers. Alternatively, the analysis can run in different working directories
on all servers if Mechanical is run as a coupling participant from one of System Coupling's user interfaces.
For more information, see Running Mechanical as a Coupling Participant in System Coupling's GUI or
CLI (p. 603).

• SOLID and SHELL elements. For a complete list of elements, see Load-Transfer Coupled Analysis --
Workbench: System Coupling in the Coupled-Field Analysis Guide.

• Structural convergence information and Result Tracker information are provided to System Coupling
for display in Viewing System Coupling Charts.

When using the Result Tracker in a System Coupling analysis, note that Kinetic Energy and Stiffness
Energy are only computed at the end of a coupling step, and values of zero are reported for the
intermediate coupling iterations. The Kinetic Energy and Stiffness Energy values reported in System
Coupling are lagged, so the value reported at the start of a coupling step is actually the value
corresponding to the end of the previous coupling step. The value corresponding to the last
coupling step will not be reported in System Coupling.

• Data transfer regions are the regions upon which the Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290) ( System Coupling
Region (p. 1293)) condition is applied. In a coupled analysis, at each data transfer region, only one type
of variable can be sent, and one type of variable received.

– In a coupled structural analysis, force and displacement can be transferred at data transfer regions.

– In a coupled thermal analysis, heat transfer coefficients and near wall temperatures, temperatures,
and heat flows can be transferred at data transfer regions.

See Variables Available for System Coupling (p. 593) for more information about the variables
transferred.

Note the following limitations when using Mechanical in a System Coupling analysis:

• System Coupling requires participants to use 3D meshes, with data transfer regions consisting of element
faces within the 3D mesh. Data transfer regions cannot exist in 2D meshes (where the data transfer
would be a line/curve). Line elements such as BEAM elements in Mechanical cannot form Data Transfer
regions, but may be included elsewhere in the Mechanical model.

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• In a System Coupling setup, if you apply an external force or external heat flow on the same region as
a Fluid-Structure Interaction interface, this external variable will not be acknowledged by the Mechan-
ical APDL solver.

• When Mechanical participates in a System Coupling analysis only one load step can be defined in
Mechanical. Loads can still vary as a function of time within this load step. Other operations that would
normally require multiple load steps will require a System Coupling restart to be performed. For example,
a pre-stressed analysis can be performed by executing a System Coupling simulation using the pre-
stressing load conditions in Mechanical, then continuing the analysis by restarting System Coupling
after making the necessary changes in Mechanical.

• Mechanical restarts are not supported for the transfer of thermal variables.

• Note that the internally computed contact damping is a function of the total number of substeps. The
internal damping is reduced in subsequent substeps within a load step, and very little damping is applied
in the last substep. Therefore, the solution convergence pattern is different when solving a contact
analysis that has only one substep (or a few substeps) per load step compared to an analysis having
multiple substeps per load step. Often times, the solution fails to converge if a small number of substeps
is used per load step. You can specify absolute damping coefficients to overwrite internal damping
values by inserting a Command object (p. 1823) under the Contact Region and setting appropriate values
for the real constants, FDMN and FDMT.

• The Save Project Before Solution and Save Project After Solution properties of the Project (p. 2175)
object are not supported if you are using a System Coupling in Workbench component system in
combination with your Mechanical analysis.

• When transferring data to or from a wall boundary in a sliding mesh zone, you must make sure that
Mechanical does not rotate the mesh. You can accomplish this by using a Rotational Velocity (p. 1183).
For information about sliding meshes in ANSYS Fluent, see the Using Sliding Meshes Help in the Fluent
User's Guide.

Variables Available for System Coupling

The following variables are available on all data transfer regions.

Table 1: Variables On Boundary Wall Regions

Display Name / Internal Name Transfer Data Type Physical

Direction Type
force / FORC Input VectorXYZ* Force
displacement / INCD Output VectorXYZ* Length
temperature / TEMP Input and Scalar Temperature
Output
heat flow / HFLW Input and Scalar Heat Rate
Output
heat transfer coefficient / Input Scalar Heat
HCOE Transfer
Coefficient

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Analysis Types

Display Name / Internal Name Transfer Data Type Physical

Direction Type
near wall temperature / Input Scalar Temperature
TBULK

Table 2: Variables On Body System Coupling Regions

Display Name / Internal Name Transfer Data Type Physical

Direction Type
temperature / TEMP Output Scalar Temperature
heat generation / HGEN Input Scalar Heat Rate
Density

* Represents the force vector ( , , ) and the incremental displacements vector ( , ,

) respectively.

displacement
In a general coupled analysis, when the solver receiving the motion (such as Fluent) solves before or
simultaneously to the solver sending the motion (such as Mechanical), then the incremental displace-
ment transferred during the first coupling iteration of each coupling step is identically zero.

heat transfer coefficient

Heat transfer coefficient is also known as "convection coefficient."

near wall temperature

Near wall temperature is also known as "bulk temperature," or "ambient temperature."

Note:

The data plotted in System Coupling's chart monitors is provided by the coupling parti-
cipants. For non-linear analyses, the structural convergence quantities from Mechanical
are plotted in terms of the activated degrees of freedom in the structural solver. For the
linear analyses, the structural convergence quantities from Mechanical are only plotted
for thermal analysis with the temperature degrees of freedom.

System Coupling Related Settings in Mechanical

End Time Specification
For transient analyses, ANSYS Mechanical requires the end time specified in the setup to be respected.
When coupling participants require their end time to be respected, the maximum allowable end
time for the coupled analysis is the minimum of the end time specified by such participants.

Other participant systems, such as Fluent, can run past the end time specified in the setup. These
participant systems have no effect on the allowable end time of the coupled analysis.

Ramping of Data-Transfer Loads

Mechanical has two types of ramping that can modify the loads obtained through data transfers
in a coupled analysis. The two types of ramping are ramping over substeps, and ramping over
coupling steps. The ramping on your load will be determined by the interaction of ramping settings

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 Special Analysis Topics

you have set between Mechanical as well as System Coupling. Both Mechanical ramping behaviors
are controlled by the Solution Command Object KBC, which can be set to 1 or 0. In a steady-state
analysis, the default setting is KBC = 0 (ramping on). In a transient analysis, the default setting is
KBC = 1 (ramping off ).

In System Coupling, substeps are unique to Mechanical, and are steps within a coupling iteration.
Loads can be ramped over these substeps. The ramping factor applied to these loads is based on
the number of substeps, . At the substep, the ramping factor of is applied. This
ramping is based on the initial value of the load at the end of the last step. When KBC = 0 and
, ramping over substeps occurs. If KBC = 1 or , ramping over substeps does not occur.

In System Coupling, Mechanical has a second ramping option which ramps loads over the coupling
steps. Regardless of what other ramping settings are on, System Coupling always transfers the full
load at the end of the coupling step, and then Mechanical applies a ramping factor to this full value
at each coupling step. The ramping factor applied to the full load at the coupling step is based on
the number of coupling steps, . At the coupling step, the ramping factor of is applied.
When KBC = 0 and , ramping over coupling steps occurs. If KBC = 1 or , ramping over
coupling steps does not occur. Note that if you set ramping over coupling steps to occur in a
transient analysis, loads received from System Coupling will be ramped over all coupling steps, and
so the full load will only be applied at the last coupling step. This situation is not physical, but may
still be useful when using a Transient Structural system to get steady-state results, for example
when pre-stressing the structure for a further transient analysis.

Ramping of Loads Within Mechanical

Loads within the Mechanical system (that is, loads that are not transferred to Mechanical through
the coupled analysis) are ramped linearly using the Step End Time specified in Mechanical. In a
steady-state coupled analysis, ramping of these loads is controlled by the relationship between the
Step End Time specified in Mechanical, and the number of coupling steps specified in System
Coupling. For a steady-state analysis, each coupling step in System Coupling corresponds to 1 s of
time in Mechanical.

• When the number of seconds set for the Step End Time in Mechanical equals the number of
coupling steps set in System Coupling, the load is ramped linearly across all steps in the coupled
analysis.

• When the number of seconds set for the Step End Time in Mechanical is less than the number of
coupling steps set in System Coupling, the load is ramped linearly to the coupling step that matches
the end time, and then the full load is applied for the remaining steps.

• When the number of seconds set for the Step End Time in Mechanical is more than the number
of coupling steps set in System Coupling, the load is ramped linearly, but it will not reach its full
value. The final value applied will be the ramped value that corresponds to the last coupling step,
which may cause inaccuracies in your simulation.

• If Mechanical's Step End Time is set to 1s, this ramping will not occur.

Note that Mechanical's computational end time and its load-based end time are independent. The
computational end time is equal to the number of coupling steps. The load-based end time controls
the ramping behavior, and is set by the Step End Time option in the Mechanical Interface.

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Output Controls
When Mechanical is connected to System Coupling, behavior of the Output Controls is changed.
For a normal Mechanical run, the "Store Results At" settings are applied per step and "Specified
Recurrence Rate" is defined as the output frequency within a step at some substep frequency. When
the Mechanical application is connected to System Coupling, these settings are applied across all
steps, not within one step. This means that you cannot output results within a step. System Coupling
simulations may run many steps, so these settings should be used to reduce the results frequency
as needed.

For more information about how to use Mechanical for FSI analyses, see Fluid-Structure Interaction
(FSI) (p. 562).

Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) - One-Way Transfers Using System Coupling

The System Coupling approach may be used to transfer force into, structural data out of, or thermal
data into or out of the Mechanical analyses. In some cases, System Coupling is an alternative to
transferring data using Imported Loads. System Coupling is particularly useful as a first step in a
sequence of coupled analyses that may advance to co-simulation involving two-way transfers. In
all cases, begin by defining a Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290) or System Coupling Region (p. 1293)
boundary conditions at the location corresponding to the fluid-structure interface.

Transferring Data Into Mechanical Analyses

When the External Data system is connected to the Mechanical system via System Coupling,
Mechanical is given access to static data from .axdt files. When a co-simulation coupling participant,
such as the ANSYS Fluent system, is connected to the Mechanical system via System Coupling,
Mechanical is given access to data directly from the other participant. To start the setup of the
coupled analysis, link the Setup cell from the Mechanical system to the Setup cell in the System
Coupling system. See System Coupling (p. 590) for more information.

In a one-way coupled analyses, you can transfer steady-state or transient thermal data (temperature,
heat flow, or heat transfer coefficient and near wall temperature), or force (from CFD pressures and
viscous forces) to the Mechanical system. To transfer data from a co-simulation participant directly
through System Coupling, connect a co-simulation compatible coupling participant, (such as the
Fluent, Steady-State Thermal, or Transient Thermal system), to the System Coupling system that is
connected to your Static or Transient Structural system. In the System Coupling system, define the
desired data transfers from the other coupling participant to your Mechanical system.

To transfer static data into Mechanical, an External Data system is connected to the System Coupling
system. Transferring data using the External Data system is useful when people with different licenses
are working on the same project.

To use the External Data system, connect the External Data system to the System Coupling system
that is connected to your thermal or fluid system. In the External Data system, select one or more
ANSYS External Data files (with an .axdt extension). In the System Coupling system, define the desired
data transfers from the External Data coupling participant to the Mechanical coupling participant.
The ANSYS External Data text-formatted files can be generated by the CFD-Post component system
from another participant's (such as Fluent's) analysis results.

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Transferring Data Out of Mechanical Analyses

The System Coupling system is also able to provide other coupling participants with access to data
from the Mechanical system.

Data transfers out of Mechanical are available directly through the System Coupling system. In
these coupled analyses, you can transfer displacement or thermal data (temperature or heat flow)
from Mechanical. To set up this transfer, link your Static or Transient Structural system and another
compatible coupling participant, (such as the Fluent, Steady-State Thermal, or Transient Thermal
system), to a System Coupling system. In the System Coupling system, define the desired data
transfers from the Mechanical system to the other co-simulation coupling.

To transfer static data, the External Data system using ANSYS External Data files (with an .axdt ex-
tension) can also be used. These files are automatically output in the Mechanical solver files directory
when you set the Export Results property of the Fluid Solid Interface or System Coupling Region
to Yes. Transferring data using the External Data system is useful when people with different licenses
are working on the same project.

In a thermal coupled analysis, if you are running Mechanical through the command line, you need
to add the macro dumpFSIHeats.mac to your Mechanical APDL running directory in order to
export static data into an axdt file. This macro is available from C:\Program Files\ANSYS
Inc\v201\aisol\DesignSpace\DSPages\macros, and should be added to your Mechanical
APDL directory before running Mechanical through the command line.

To transfer static Mechanical data (in the .axdt file) into an External Data system, introduce an Ex-
ternal Data system into your schematic, edit the External Data Setup, and select one or more of
the ANSYS External Data files. For more detail, see the Export Results in the Detail View Properties
of the Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290) section of the "Setting Up Boundary Conditions" chapter. One
of these .axdt files is created for each Fluid Solid Interface or System Coupling Region boundary
condition, and each file may contain temperatures and heat flows. Only corner node values for
temperatures and heat flows are recorded in the .axdt file (mid-side noded heat flow values, if
present, are summed to the corresponding corner nodes). The heat flow data includes the sum of
heat flows through surfaces with applied temperatures, convections and radiation. Finally, link the
External Data system's Setup cell to the System Coupling system's Setup cell, and define the desired
data transfer in the System Coupling setup.

Thermal-Fluid-Structural Analyses using System Coupling

Thermal-fluid-structural coupling between Mechanical and another participant system (such as
Fluent) are supported, with an expert option used in Mechanical to enable the data transfers. For
this analysis, the Mechanical model needs to be created using the Static Structural or Transient
Structural system, and you also need to use the appropriate Coupled Field Elements (SOLID226 and
SOLID227).

To do a thermal-fluid-structural analysis, in Mechanical's Details of “Fluid Solid Interface” or

System Coupling Region, you have to set Definition>Data to Transfer [Expert]>System Coupling
Data Transfers. This expert setting allows the fluid solid interface regions to participate in force,
displacement, and thermal couplings through System Coupling.

For a thermal-fluid-structural analysis, the coupled field elements SOLID226 and SOLID227 (KEY-
OPT(1)=11) need to be used in Mechanical because they have the appropriate degrees of freedom.
The element SOLID226 replaces any SOLID186, and the element SOLID227 replaces any SOLID187.

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To select the proper coupled field elements into your structural analysis, follow these steps to insert
the correct Commands objects:

1. In your Workbench Project Schematic, update your structural system’s Setup cell and locate the
ds.dat file. Or, you can use Tools>Write Input File to write out this file.

2. Open the ds.dat file in a text editor and search for “et,” to locate the element types for each body.
In the example below, the body named "fea" has SOLID186 elements. Bodies may have more than one
element type ("fea" may also contain SOLID187). Make sure to keep searching until you have identified
all of the element types associated with each solid body.

Figure 17: Example of a search for element types in a ds.dat file

3. In Mechanical’s Outline tree, below Geometry, right-click the solid body and insert a Command. Add
the appropriate ET commands under each solid body, replacing SOLID186 with SOLID226, and SOLID187
with SOLID227.

For the case shown in Figure 18: Example of element types in multiple solid bodies (p. 599), the
commands that you would use for each body are:

• For Body 1 “Pipe”, the command is: et,matid,226,11

• For Body 2 “Clamp”, the command is: et,matid,227,11 and et,matid+1,226,11

• For Body 4 “Support”, the command is: et,matid,226,11

Note that matid and matid+1 are used to refer to the element type number.

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Figure 18: Example of element types in multiple solid bodies

4. In the Outline tree, below Static or Transient analysis, insert a Commands object to define the thermal
boundary conditions.

5. Create Named Selections for regions that require thermal boundary conditions, then refer to these
named selections in the Commands object that you created in step 4. Within your Commands, the
IC command sets the initial temperature. The SF command is used to define convection, heat flux,
and radiation loads. The D command is used to set a temperature constraint on the named selection.

In your thermal-fluid-structural analysis using coupled field elements:

• be careful if you change units, as the commands may need to be changed too.

• use a zero displacement constraint rather than any fixed supports. A fixed support sets all of the
degrees of freedom (DOF) to zero, including the thermal DOF for coupled field elements.

• make sure the initial temperature is set correctly. In Mechanical’s Outline tree, under Details of
“Transient”, the value set in Options>Environment Temperature defines the temperature at
which there is zero thermal stress. The initial temperature defaults to this Environment Temper-
ature. To define a different initial temperature, use the IC command within your command object
created in step 4 above.

Coupling with Wall/Wall-Shadow Pairs or Thin Surfaces

To transfer forces from Fluent's wall and wall-shadow pair or CFX's thin surface, you need to have
a duplicate surface in Mechanical so that two mechanical surfaces exist to match the two surfaces
in Fluent/CFX.

Once you have two surfaces in Mechanical:

1. Use a bonded contact to connect the two mechanical surfaces.

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2. Assign each mechanical surface half the true thickness of the wall.

3. Add an offset parameter to each of the mechanical surfaces to ensure that the shell elements represents
the true geometry. Typically, one surface uses offset = top and the second uses offset = bottom.
Ensure your elements are similar to the image below, where the mesh elements are not overlapping.

4. Create two fluid-solid interfaces in Mechanical, one for each surface body.

In this case, you cannot use a single set of shell elements in Mechanical. An example of a wall and
wall-shadow pair is two different fluids on either side of a zero-thickness internal wall in Fluent.

Figure 19: Two Surfaces in Mechanical with the Correct Offset Parameter for Coupling with
a Thin Surface

Restarting Structural Mechanical Analyses as Part of System Coupling

Go to one of the following sections for the steps needed to restart a coupled analysis and for links
to context-specific information. To restart your coupled analysis, you will also need restart information
specific to the participants connected to your System Coupling system.

• Restarting a Coupled Analysis

• Restarting a Coupled Analysis in Workbench

For details on other participant systems connected to your System Coupling system, see the following
lists of supported systems and references to their corresponding documentation regarding restarts:

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• Supported Coupling Participants

Note:

Mechanical restarts are not supported for:

• Coupled analyses that include Steady-State Thermal or Transient Thermal systems.

• The transfer of thermal variables.

Generating Mechanical Restart Files

Restarts of a System Coupling analysis requires corresponding restart points to exist in the
coupling service and in each of the solvers participating in the analysis.

In order to generate the restart files in Mechanical (rdb/rXXX files), you need to:

1. In the Mechanical interface, select Analysis Settings.

2. In Details of "Analysis Settings", ensure that Restart Controls > Retain Files After Full Solve
setting is set to Yes.

Specifying a Restart Point in Mechanical

The restart point selected in the Mechanical solver must be consistent with the restart points
selected for System Coupling and other coupling participants. A run-time error will be issued if
an analysis is restarted with incompatible time points.

To specify a restart point in Mechanical, perform the following steps:

1. Double-click the Mechanical’s Solution cell in Workbench.

2. In the Outline view tree, select Analysis Settings.

3. In the Details of Analysis Settings”, under Restart Analysis, set Restart Type to Manual and
select the correct restart point from the drop-down menu of Current Restart Point.

4. Close the Mechanical application.

5. In the Project Schematic, right-click Mechanical system’s Setup cell and select Update.

Making Changes in Mechanical Before Restarting

In some cases, setup changes are desired or are required to avoid failure of the coupled analysis.
To modify settings in Mechanical:

1. If the Mechanical interface is not already open, in the Project Schematic, double-click Mechanical’s
Solution cell.

2. Modify the needed settings in Mechanical.

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3. Save the project and close the Mechanical application. All of the setup changes will be applied for
the subsequent coupled analyses.

Note:

The modification of some settings in Mechanical may invalidate and cause the deletion
of all restart points. This deletion of restart points can cause the runtime error which
warns of incompatible restart points. For a list of these settings, see Modifications Af-
fecting Restart Points (p. 1728).

Save your project before modifying any settings in Mechanical so that if needed, you
are able to restore the saved project and any deleted restart points.

Recovering the Mechanical Restart Point after a Workbench Crash

Workbench or one of the components may crash such that restart files are available but they are
not recognized or populated in the Workbench project.

See Recovering from a Workbench Crash for the steps needed to recover a coupled analysis after
a Workbench crash. You will also need the information below about Mechanical, as well as inform-
ation specific to the other participant systems connected to System Coupling. For other participant
systems connected to your System Coupling system, see Supported Coupling Participants for
System Coupling in Workbench for a list of supported systems and references to their correspond-
ing documentation regarding restarts.

The result files from the run that crashed may reside in either the system’s solution folder or in
the _ProjectScratch directory. The _ProjectScratch directory is a temporary directory
used by the Mechanical APDL solver. This directory contains the latest structural results and restart
points written during the System Coupling run before Workbench crashed. Mechanical will need
to read these file to recover the project using the steps below.

Note that the .backup directory contains the original version of any files which have been
modified since the last save. These files are useful to recover the last saved state, but they are
not useful for restarting your analysis.

To recover Mechanical’s restart point after a workbench crash:

1. In the Project Schematic, double-click Mechanical’s Setup cell. In the Mechanical interface, select
the Solution entry from the tree.

2. From the Solution Context tab, select the Read Result Files option from the Tools group.

3. Browse to the location of the result files (which may be the systems solution directory or the
_ProjectScratch directory ) and select file.rst. Uncombined result files from a Distributed
ANSYS solution can also be used instead of a single combined result file. In order to use the uncom-
bined result files, the result file chosen must be file0.rst. Mechanical will now patch itself into
a state consistent with the results files, with restarts points (if they were written) available for selec-
tion in Mechanical.

4. Select the restart point in Mechanical as in Specifying a Restart Point in Mechanical (p. 601) above.

5. Once you have selected Mechanical’s restart point, in the Project Schematic, right-click Mechanical’s
Setup cell and select Update.

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Restarting a Thermal-Structural Coupled Analysis

When restarting coupled thermal-structural cases in which Mechanical APDL serves heat flow,
use the default solve order, with Mechanical APDL solving first.

Mechanical APDL does not save the heat flows from the previous analysis, so initial heat flows
sent to System Coupling are zero. Once Mechanical APDL has solved the first coupling iteration,
the correct heat flows are sent to System Coupling.

If the default solve order is used, with Mechanical APDL solving first, then this will have no effect
on the simulation because heat flows will have been calculated before Fluent solves the first
coupling iteration. If the solution order is changed so that Fluent solves first, then Fluent will re-
ceive zero heat flow in the first coupling iteration after a restart, which could cause problems
with the solution process.

Note:

The above information is for a coupled thermal-structural system. Mechanical does

not support restarts for coupled analyses which include Steady-State Thermal and
Transient Thermal systems.

Running Mechanical as a Coupling Participant in System Coupling's GUI or CLI

Coupled analyses can be run using either of System Coupling's user interfaces. To run Mechanical
as a coupling participant:

For analyses that were set up using System Coupling in Workbench

System Coupling analyses that are set up in Workbench, as described in Setting Up a Coupled Analysis
in Workbench for a User-Interface Run, can be run from System Coupling's GUI or from the command
line in its CLI.

To run Mechanical as a coupling participant, execute the following steps:

• Complete the System Coupling-related settings in Mechanical (see System Coupling Related
Settings in Mechanical (p. 594))

• Write the Mechanical APDL application input file:

– Highlight the Solution object.

– Select the Write Input File option from the Tools group.

– In the Save As dialog box, specify a location and name for the input file.

• Run the Workbench setup in System Coupling's GUI or CLI, as described in Running a Work-
bench Setup in a User Interface.

• From the resulting System Coupling Server (SCS) file, obtain information needed to set the
Mechanical-specific System Coupling command-line options (described in Starting a Mechan-
ical APDL Session from the Command Level in the Operations Guide). Specifically:

– the port and host on which the service is being run, and,

– the identifier (or name) for Mechanical.

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Note that for System Coupling cases run on Linux, when you launch Mechanical APDL
from the command line, you need to be careful about the participant name that you
use. You may need to escape the quotes or the space if a name with a space, such as
"Solution 1", is used for Mechanical APDL. For example, appropriate text in the command
line is:

– ansys192.exe -scname \"Solution 1\" or

– ansys192.exe -scname "Solution\ 1"

For cases that were set up in a System Coupling interface

• To set up a coupled analysis from either System Coupling's GUI or its CLI, follow the steps outlined
in Preparing for a Coupled Analysis, Creating a Coupled Analysis, and Modifying Coupled Analysis
Settings.

• To run the case from either System Coupling's GUI or CLI, follow the steps outlined in Running a
Coupled Analysis.

For information on how to restart an analysis set up and run from one of System Coupling's
user interfaces, see Restarting a Coupled Analysis.

For details on alternate workflows and capabilities, see Advanced System Coupling Workflows.

Troubleshooting Two-Way Coupling Analysis Problems

The following files, found in the Mechanical run directory (SYS/MECH under a Workbench design
point directory), may prove useful in troubleshooting coupled analysis problems:

• file.err: This file contains a summary of all of the errors that occurred during the run.

• solve.out (or other output file): This file contains a complete summary of the current/latest run's
evolution. This is one of the most useful files to determine why the coupled analysis failed. To
generate extensive debug output during the analysis, enter the following command as a command
snippet in the analysis branch when completing the Mechanical problem setup:
/debug,-1,,,,,2

Provide all of these files when submitting a request for service to ANSYS personnel.

Product Licensing Considerations when using System Coupling

The licenses needed for Mechanical as part of a System Coupling analyses are listed in the table
below. Additional licenses may be required for other participant systems in the coupled analysis,
but no additional licenses are required for the System Coupling infrastructure itself.

The simultaneous execution of coupling participants currently precludes the use of the license
sharing feature that exists for some product licenses. The following specific requirements con-
sequently exist:

• Distinct licenses are required for each coupling participant.

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 Special Analysis Topics

• Licensing preferences should be set to ‘Use a separate license for each application’ rather than
‘Share a single license between applications when possible.’

Note:

If you are running one of the ANSYS Academic Mechanical and CFD licenses (Associate,
Research, or Teaching) with a solver license that supports license sharing, then you will
be able to run an FSI simulation with a single license.

Table 3: Licenses required for Mechanical as part of a System Coupling analysis

System Commercial License Academic License Required

Required
Static • ANSYS Mechanical • ANSYS Academic Associate
Structural or Enterprise or Mechanical and CFD,
Transient
Structural • ANSYS Mechanical • ANSYS Academic Research
Enterprise Solver Mechanical and CFD,

• ANSYS Academic Research

Mechanical,

• ANSYS Academic Teaching

Mechanical and CFD, or

• ANSYS Academic Teaching

Mechanical

Steady-State • ANSYS Mechanical • ANSYS Academic Associate

Thermal, Enterprise or Mechanical and CFD,
Transient
Thermal, or • ANSYS Mechanical • ANSYS Academic Research
Thermal-Electric Enterprise Solver Mechanical and CFD,

• ANSYS Academic Research

Mechanical,

• ANSYS Academic Teaching

Mechanical and CFD, or

• ANSYS Academic Teaching

Mechanical

Thermal-Stress Analysis
The Mechanical application enables you to apply temperatures from a thermal analysis as loads in a
structural analysis for thermal stress evaluations. The load transfer is applicable for cases when the
thermal and structural analyses share the mesh as well as for cases when the two analyses are solved
using different meshes. For cases when the meshes are different, the temperature values are mapped
and interpolated between the source and target meshes.

Workflow for performing a thermal stress analysis with:

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Shared Model

1. From the toolbox, drag and drop a transient or steady-state thermal template onto the project
schematic. Perform all steps to set up a Steady-State Thermal (p. 439) or Transient Thermal (p. 521).
Specify mesh controls, boundary conditions, and solution settings as you normally would and solve
the analysis.

2. Drag and drop a Static Structural, Transient Structural or Workbench LS-DYNA template on top of
the thermal system's solution cell to enable the data transfer.

3. Double-click the structural systems Setup cell. In the Mechanical application an Imported Body
Temperature (p. 1424) load is automatically added into the structural system's tree under an Imported
Load folder.

4. Select appropriate geometry in the Details view of the Imported Body Temperature object using
the Geometry or Named Selection scoping option. If the load is scoped to one or more surface
bodies, the Shell Face option in the details view enables you to apply the temperatures to Both
faces, to the Top face(s) only, or to the Bottom face(s) only. See Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424)
for additional information.

Note:

In a Workbench LS-DYNA system, temperatures cannot be scoped to beams.

5. Change any of the columns in the Data View tab as needed:

• Source Time: The time at which the data will be imported from the thermal analysis.

• Analysis Time: Select the analysis time at which the load will be applied.

Note:

The Data View can automatically be populated with the source and analysis
times using Source Time property in the Details view. Use All to import data at
all times in the source analysis, or Range to import data for a range specified by
a Minimum and a Maximum.

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6. Right-click the Imported Body Temperature object and click Import Load to import the load. When
the load has been imported successfully, a contour plot of the temperatures will be displayed in the
Geometry window.

Note:

The range of data displayed in the graphics window can be controlled using the
Legend controls options. See Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) for additional
information.

7. You can define multiple rows in the Data View tab to import source data at multiple times and apply
them at different analysis. If multiple rows are defined in the Data View, it is possible to preview
imported load vectors/contour applied to a given row or analysis time in the Data View. Choose
Active Row or Analysis Time using the By property under Graphics Controls in the details of the
imported load and then specify the Active Row/Analysis Time to preview the data.

Note:

If the Analysis Time specified by the user does not match the list of analysis times
in the Data View, the data is displayed at the analysis time closest to the specified
time.

Unshared Model

1. From the toolbox, drag and drop a steady-state or transient thermal template onto the project
schematic. Perform all steps to set up a Steady-State Thermal (p. 439) or Transient Thermal (p. 521).
Specify mesh controls, boundary conditions, and solution settings as you normally would and solve
the analysis.

2. Drag and drop a Static Structural, Transient Structural or Workbench LS-DYNA template onto the
project schematic. Share the Engineering Data and Geometry cells if required and then drag the
Solution cell of the thermal system onto the Setup cell of the structural system.

3. Double-click the structural systems Setup cell. In the Mechanical application, an Imported Body
Temperature (p. 1424) load is automatically added into the structural system's tree under an Imported
Load folder.

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Analysis Types

4. Select appropriate geometry in the Details view of the Imported Body Temperature object using
the Geometry or Named Selection scoping option. If the load is scoped to one or more surface
bodies, the Shell Face option in the details view enables you to apply the temperatures to Both
faces, to the Top face(s) only, or to the Bottom face(s) only. See Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424)
for additional information.

Note:

In a 3D analysis, if the Triangulation mapping algorithm is used, the Transfer Type

mapping option defaults to Surface when the load is scoped to shell bodies.

Note:

In a Workbench LS-DYNA system, temperatures cannot be scoped to beams.

5. The Source Bodies option in the Details view enables you to select the bodies, from the thermal
analysis, that make up the source mesh for mapping the data. You can select one of the following
options:

• Automatic: The application uses heuristics based on the geometry to automatically match source
and target bodies and map temperature values. A source body is matched with a target body if it
satisfies the following criteria:

– The percent volume difference is within the user-defined tolerance.

– The distance between the centroid locations divided by the diagonal of the bounding box is
within the user defined tolerance.

The percent tolerance values can be specified in the Tolerance field. The default is set at
1%. The matching process is done in increments of 0.1 of the tolerance value, up to the
defined tolerance. The process fails if multiple source bodies are found to match a target
body or if no match is found for a target body. After the import is completed, a Load
Transfer Summary is displayed as a comment object in the particular load branch. The
summary shows the matched source and target bodies as well as the values that were used
to determine the match. It is recommended that you verify the import using this information.

Important:

This option requires that:

– Element volume results are present in the thermal results file. In the thermal analysis,
make sure that the Calculate Thermal Flux or the General Miscellaneous property
under the Analysis Settings object is set to Yes so that this result is available.

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– Each scoped body of the target has a matching source body with a unique material
id. Therefore, this option may not work when Imported Trace or Material Assign-
ment objects are present.

Note:

This option is not allowed when scoped to a node-based Named Selection as

the heuristic is geometry based.

• All: The source mesh in this case will comprise all the bodies that were used in thermal analysis.
For cases where the temperature values are significantly different at the boundaries across two
or more bodies, this option could result in mapped target values that are generated by taking a
weighted average of the source values across multiple bodies. Target regions can exist where the
mapped temperatures differ significantly from the source.

• Manual: This option enables you to select one or more source bodies to make up the source mesh.
The source body selections are made in the Material IDs field by entering the material IDs that
correspond to the source bodies that you would like to use. Type material IDs and/or material ID
ranges separated by commas to specify your selection. For example, type 1, 2, 5-10. The material
IDs for the source bodies can be seen in Solution Information Object (p. 1735) of the source analysis.
In the example below, text is taken from a solver output,
***********Elements for Body 1 "coil" ***********
***********Elements for Body 2 "core" ***********
***********Elements for Body 3 "bar" ************

body 'coil' has material ID 1, body 'core' has material ID 2 and body 'bar' has material ID 3.

6. Change any of the columns in the Data View tab as needed:

• Source Time: The time at which the data will be imported from the source analysis.

• Analysis time: Choose the analysis time at which the load will be applied.

Note:

The Data View can automatically be populated with the source and analysis
times using Source Time property in the Details view. Use All to import data at
all times in the source analysis, or Range to import data for a range specified by
a Minimum and a Maximum.

7. You can transform the source mesh used in the mapping process by using the Rigid Transformation
properties. This option is useful if the source geometry was defined with respect to a coordinate
system that is not aligned with the target geometry system.

8. You can modify the Mapper Settings (p. 2283) to achieve the desired mapping accuracy. Mapping can
be validated by using Mapping Validation (p. 2303) objects.

9. Right-click the Imported Body Temperature object and click Import Load to import the load. When
the load has been imported successfully, a contour plot of the temperatures will be displayed in the
Geometry window.

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10. You can define multiple rows in the Data View tab to import source data at multiple times and apply
them at different analysis. If multiple rows are defined in the Data View, it is possible to preview
imported load vectors/contour applied to a given row or analysis time in the Data View. Choose
Active Row or Analysis Time using the By property under Graphics Controls in the details of the
imported load and then specify the Active Row/Analysis Time to preview the data.

Note:

If the Analysis Time specified by the user does not match the list of analysis times
in the Data View, the data is displayed at the analysis time closest to the specified
time.

Note:

a. You can add a template for the linked thermal and structural systems by creating your
own template.

b. The transfer of temperatures is not allowed between a 2D analysis and 3D analysis or

vice-versa.

Note:

If the upstream (thermal) system is modified and re-solved after importing the load, a refresh
operation on the structural system's Setup cell is required to notify Mechanical that source
data has changed and re-import is required. Alternatively, the source data can be refreshed
using the Right-click operation on the Imported Load folder and choosing the Refresh
Imported Load option.

Note:

When there is a shared model that includes a thermal-stress analysis and the structural
system is duplicated using the Engineering Data, Geometry or Model cell context menu,
the result is the Setup cell of the Thermal system linked to the Solution cell of the duplicated
structural system. Temperature transfer to the duplicated structural system will require the
data to be mapped and interpolated between the source and target meshes.

Rotordynamics Analysis
Rotordynamics is a specialized branch of applied mechanics that studies the behaviors of rotating
structures. This rotating structure, or "rotor system," is typically composed of rotors, stators, and
bearings. For a simple rotor system, the rotor component rotates about an axis that is stabilized by
a bearing that is supported by a stator. This structure can be as simple as computer disk or as com-
plicated as a jet engine.

The Mechanical Rotordynamics Analysis helps to direct you when selecting properties such as rotor
stiffness and geometry, bearing stiffness, damping, and stator properties for a rotor system based on
a given rotating speed. For example, to effectively study a system’s vibratory characteristics, you can
use a Campbell diagram. A Campbell diagram enables you to determine critical speeds (for different
rotating modes), such as the rate at which the rotating structure experiences resonance (peak response)

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to avoid possible catastrophic failure. Or, a Rotordynamic Analysis can be used to determine safe
operational ranges for a rotor system.

In the Mechanical documentation, see the Rotordynamics Controls (p. 1164) section for more information,
and in the Mechanical APDL documentation, the Rotordynamic Analysis Guide.

Refer to the following areas of the documentation for additional and associated information for Ro-
tordynamics:

• Import Shaft Geometry

• Bearings (p. 1051)

• Campbell Diagram Chart Results (p. 1609)

Composite Analysis
You can create a layered composite model using the ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP) application.
You can then import the model into Mechanical and perform a composite analysis.

Often, you employ the Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560) to perform post-processing on your composite
structures that you modeled using ACP.

To better understand how to perform the steps for this analysis, see the Workbench Workflow Examples
in the ACP User's Guide.

ECAD Analysis using Trace Mapping

Mechanical's Map Trace Data feature provides a fast and efficient method to model Printed Circuit
Boards (PCBs) and packages that would otherwise require an inordinate amount of time to process
a geometry and mesh. Typically, the geometry that you produce in your electronic computer-aided
design (ECAD) system contains a large number of bodies and therefore large amounts of data. Given
the complexity of the system, producing a mesh can be very difficult. The Map Trace Data feature
simplifies your model by modeling the geometry as dielectric layers and includes the effect of traces
by mapping the metal fraction onto the dielectric layers.

Mapping takes place in two stages. As illustrated below, during the first stage, a representation of
the layout is built upon a rectangular grid using the data from a specified ECAD layout. The cell size
of the grid is governed by the smallest features in the layout that have to be resolved. This size can
be controlled by the user and should be specified based on the resolution required. A metal fraction
value is assigned to each cell depending on the contribution of metal to that cell. The metal fraction
value ranges from 0 to 1, where the 0 value represents a pure dielectric material and 1 a pure metal
material.

The conduction paths that connect the metal traces between the different layers, i.e., the vias, can
be specified as either hollow or solid (default).

Building a Representation Upon a Rectangular Grid

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During the second stage, the metal fraction values are mapped from the source grid to the target
mesh. Once the mesh is created, Mechanical then generates the mapped metal fractions. The sequence
of this construction is illustrated below.

Mapping Metal Fractions

Workflow
The following workflow is typical for this analysis in Mechanical:

1. Import supported ECAD files into External Data and update your project.

2. Add the supported Mechanical system to the project.

3. Add appropriate materials using Engineering Data.

4. Import the ECAD layout geometry into Workbench using SpaceClaim Engineer or SCDM.

5. Connect the External DataSetup cell to the analysis system's Model cell.

6. Launch Mechanical.

7. Specify vias as required.

8. Assign (p. 226) Dielectric material to the bodies.

9. Assign appropriate ECAD File to Imported Trace (p. 2095) object.

10. Verify that the Trace layout source is properly aligned with geometry.

11. Assign Metal material (p. 617) to Imported Trace layers.

12. Define and generate mesh.

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13. Set discretization (p. 616).

14. Generate the trace mapping.

15. Define boundary conditions (p. 1174).

16. Solve the analysis.

17. Define and evaluate results (p. 1447).

This workflow requires the following components or systems:

• Engineering Data: This component enables you to define materials required for the analysis. The
materials defined the in the Engineering Data component will be available in the corresponding
Mechanical model. For your convenience two materials (FR-4 and Copper Alloy) which commonly
represent dielectric and metal in a PCB are available in the General Materials sample library.

• Geometry: This component enables you to create or import the geometry representing the board
or the package layout. The SpaceClaim geometry editor enables you to directly import the supported
ECAD formats (see below) and automatically create a (trace layout) Geometry. See the ECAD section
in Importing and exporting in the SpaceClaim documentation for details.

• External Data: This component enables you to specify the ECAD file for import in Mechanical. The
following ECAD File formats are supported by External Data for Trace Analysis:

– ODB++ TGZ

– Ansoft ANF

– Icepak BOOL+INFO

– Icepak COND+INFO

Once an ECAD file is specified in External Data, additional Rigid Transformation controls are
available in the component to align the trace data with geometry.

• Mechanical Systems: The supported Mechanical systems enable you to import Trace Data, setup
the analysis and solve. The following analysis are supported:

Supported Structural Analysis Systems

– Harmonic Response

– Modal

– Static Structural

– Transient Structural

Supported Thermal Analysis Systems (Solid Bodies Only)

– Steady-State Thermal

– Transient Thermal

See Trace Mapping in Mechanical (p. 614) for the specifics of setting up a Trace Analysis.

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Analysis Types

You should review the ECAD tutorial, Thermal Induced Stresses on a PCB, located on the customer
site, for a PCB model that has thermal induced stresses applied to it.

Trace Mapping in Mechanical

On the Workbench Project page, you can specify the import of ECAD file format using the External
Data system. Once specified, connect the Setup cell of the External Data system to Model cell of
the Mechanical system to import Trace files into Mechanical. A multi system example is illustrated
below.

Refresh your project on the Workbench Project page and then open your system in Mechanical. In
Mechanical, the application automatically inserts an Imported Trace folder (p. 2094) and an Imported
Trace object (p. 2095) under the Geometry object.

Using the context menu (right-click) option Insert>Trace enables you to insert additional Imported
Trace objects into the tree as needed.

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Imported Vias
Once inserted, the Imported Trace: Vias Worksheet and the Data View window display. Once you
specify the External Data Identifier property, source system data populates various application
fields.

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Details Properties and Data View

The Details view and the Data View for the Imported Trace object enable you to control the spe-
cification of the imported trace file in Mechanical.

The following options are available in the Details view to control the Imported Trace specification.

• Scoping: The Geometry or the Named Selection properties, as specified by the Scoping Method
property, enable you to scope to the bodies representing the layer geometry for the PCB.

You can model the geometry of a PCB as a shell or solid. When modeled as solid, you should
model each layer as a separate body. When modeling shells, the application models all of
the layers as a single shell geometry. Mechanical uses layered shell elements to model the
layers of a PCB.

• External Data Identifier: This property provides a drop-down list of available ECAD files from the
list of files specified in the External Data system.

• X-/Y-Discretization: Mechanical performs a two stage mapping to calculate metal fractions on the
target mesh. First it computes a metal fraction distribution of the board from the source ECAD file
to a regular grid, and then from the regular grid to the target mesh. The X-/Y-Discretization
properties enable you to specify the size of the regular grid. The grid density count is 200 x 200
by default. Depending on the trace resolution and the computational costs desired, you can change
the values for the rows and columns to receive optimum results. For accurate results, it is recom-
mended that the X and Y discretization be specified such that the grid cell length be less than or
equal to the minimum trace width. The Mechanical mesh size is recommended to be less than 4
times the grid cell length.

These fields are read only when the ECAD File specified in External Data Identifier is of
Icepak COND+INFO format and displays the discretization of the COND file.

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Solid
Shell
Model
Model

The Data View of the Imported Trace object enables you to see and/or control/override the fol-
lowing properties of the layers in the trace layout:

• Layer: The name of the Layer.

• Thickness: The thickness of the layers.

• Trace Material: This property specifies the material for the metal traces on each layer. This mater-
ial is created in the Engineering Data workspace for the Mechanical system.

• Dielectric Material (shell geometry only): This property specifies the dielectric material for each
layer.

This option is only available for traces scoped to shells. For imported traces scoped to solids,
the base (dielectric) material is specified on the Material Assignment property of the selected
bodies (under the Geometry (p. 2040) object).

• Active: This option enables you to activate or deactivate one or more layers. This option is not
available for shell geometries. All layers are sent to the solver for traces imported on shells.

• Mechanical Layer No.: Only available for traces scoped to shells. This read-only field displays the
layer number by which this layer is identified in Mechanical. For example, if you want to post process
results on Signal-Top, you will need to specify layer 7 in the details view of the result object.

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Solid Model Shell Model

The Imported Trace: Vias Worksheet enables you to view and/or control and override the following
properties of the vias in the trace layout.

Worksheet
Column Worksheet Column Description
Heading
Name This field displays the name of the layer as defined in the source file.
Diamet- This read-only field displays the outer diameter value of the via.
er
Plating This field displays the thickness of the interior wall of the via that is not filled. Only
Thick- applicable when via is hollow (not filled).
ness
Filled Check and/or uncheck this fill to indicate whether the vias is filled or hollow.
Plating When active, this field displays the metal material of the via. It provides a drop-down
Material menu that enables you to specify different materials for the via.
Fill Ma- This field provides a drop-down menu when the corresponding Fill option is inactive,
terial i.e. via is hollow (not filled). It enables you to specify a material for the hollow region of
the via. You can assign Air (defined in Engineering Data) if the hollow region is empty.
Start/End These read-only fields display the layer associated with where the via starts and ends.

In addition to these basic controls, the Details view of the Imported Trace object provides addi-
tional properties that enable you to control/visualize the source data in Mechanical:

• Display Source Points/Interior Points: these properties enable you to visualize the source points
from the trace layout files. These settings can be used to verify the alignment of the source points

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with the target geometry. If misaligned, use the Rigid Transformation controls in the External
Data system to align the source mesh with the target.

• Mapping Control: this property controls mapping settings for the import.

Once fully defined, the Import Trace context menu option on the Imported Trace object imports
the trace layout data onto the specified bodies. Once fully imported, the following properties in
the Graphics category help to visualize the mapped data:

• Component: X, Y, or Z component or the average of the imported metal fraction data.

• Layer: Layer to display the data for (only applicable when scoped to shells)

Visualizing Source Data

The source data can be visualized using the Validation (p. 2239) object. To visualize the source data,
use the context menu option Insert>Validation on the Imported Trace object to insert a Validation
object in the tree. Once inserted, set the appropriate properties and use context menu option
Analyze on the validation object. See Mapping Validation (p. 2303) in the ANSYS Mechanical User's
Guide for details.

Applying Boundary Conditions

You can freely apply any supported boundary condition (p. 1174) on solid bodies scoped to Imported
Traces. Certain restrictions apply for boundary conditions on shell bodies scoped to Imported Traces.
For example boundary conditions like Thermal Condition (p. 1247) and Imported Body Temperat-
ure (p. 1424) can only be applied to both the shell faces.

Solution
The effects of Imported Trace data are included during the solution phase by computing the ma-
terial properties of the materials assigned to the bodies based on the metal fraction. The Modeling
property in the Material group controls how material properties are calculated based on computed
metal fraction values. Two options are available:

• Black/White: Assign trace material to regions with average metal fraction greater than or equal
to 0.5, and dielectric to the rest.

• Averaged: Calculate material properties based on calculated metal fraction. The supported mater-
ial properties based on metal fraction are listed in the tables below:

Thermal Analysis
The supported thermal material properties include:

– Thermal Conductivity (Kx/Ky/Kz)

– Specific Heat

Structural Analysis
The supported structural material properties include:

– Young's Modulus (Ex/Ey/Ez)

– Poisson's Ratio (PRxy/PRyz/PRxz)

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Analysis Types

– Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

– Density

Note:

– Non-linear materials are not supported when Material Modeling is set to Averaged.
If the application detects non-linear materials assigned either as trace or dielectric
material when the material modeling is set to Average, then the Imported Trace
object becomes invalid and the solution cannot proceed unless the conditions are
made valid.

– If any linear material properties other than the ones listed in the above table are
present on either the trace or dielectric material, they are not sent to the solver.

Material Property Calculation for Temperature Dependent Material Properties

For temperature dependent material properties, averaging takes place over two stages. First
the material properties are calculated at the union of all the temperatures, and then the
average metal properties are calculated based on the above table for each temperature
point. For example, the Metal material has property P specified at temperatures T1, T2 and
T3, whereas the Dielectric material has property P specified at T2 and T4, then the material
property is first calculated for both Metal and Dielectric materials at temperatures T1, T2,
T3, and T4, and then the effective material properties are calculated at T1, T2, T3, and T4
using the table specified above.

Offsets (Only applicable for shells)

When scoped to shells, the Shell Offset property allows user to specify the shell offset for the
scoped bodies. Available options are Top/Middle/Bottom and User Defined. The User Defined,
Membrane Offset property allows you to specify the offset value.

Result Evaluation
Once the solution is complete, user can insert appropriate results and evaluate them. Since the effect
of metal and dielectric within an element is captured through material property averaging, stress
results may deviate from full fidelity analysis. However it provides a qualitative description of stress
distribution. User may perform a subsequent Submodeling analysis to get accurate stress distribution.

Transferring Hydrodynamic Loads to a Structural System

The Hydrodynamic Pressure Mapping ACT extension transfers the surface pressures and line loads
calculated in a Hydrodynamic Diffraction analysis to panel and beam elements in a Static Structural
analysis, through a link on the Workbench Project Schematic page. This removes the need to create,
manipulate and run files external to Workbench. Multiple wave phase angles can be analyzed in a
single Static Structural calculation, to provide a clear picture of finite element results due to hydro-
dynamic loading over the whole wave cycle. To view the documentation explaining how to load and
use the extension, click here.

The Offshore ACT extension exposes the family of OCEAN commands that are offered in Mechanical
APDL. In this way the hydrodynamic loads on submerged beam and pipe elements – resulting from
the motion of the structure through the fluid, or from the fluid motion around the structure due to
current or waves – can be included in Static Structural, Transient Structural, Modal and Harmonic

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 Special Analysis Topics

Response analyses. At 2020 R1 a Beta version of this extension is available. To view the documentation
explaining how to load and use the extension, click here.

Inverse Solving for Nonlinear Static Structural Analyses

Introduction
The basic difference between a traditional (forward) analysis and the use of the Inverse Option, is the
state of the initial geometry. For a forward solution process, the initial geometry is deformed under
loading conditions and results are evaluated on the deformed geometry. While using the Inverse
Option for your solution, you begin with a known input geometry that is already deformed under a
set of loads that produced the deformation. Therefore, the solution output generated by the solver
is the geometry (also referred to as solution geometry or reference geometry) that would have existed
without the application of the loads. However, the result values are always calculated on the input
geometry during the inverse stage of the solution.

For both solution processes, the basic concepts, solution approaches, and steps are the same.

Important:

Inverse solving is only supported for Static Structural (p. 434) nonlinear analyses with the
Large Deflection property set to On, that is, when the deformations may be large enough
to affect the solutions results.

Application
To perform inverse solving, simply set the Inverse Option property to Yes in the Advanced cat-
egory (p. 1142) of the Analysis Settings. Setting the property to Yes also displays the End Step property.
The End Step property specifies the step number in the analysis when the inverse solving routine
ends. The default value of End Step is 1 and is read-only (unless Beta options are enabled). The steps
in the analysis until the End Step of Inverse Option are referred to as inverse steps. The steps in the
analysis that occur after the End Step of the Inverse Option are referred as forward steps.

When set to Yes, the Inverse Option will always perform an inverse solving on at least the first load
step. This assumes that the input geometry for the analysis is a geometry that is already deformed
under the specified loading during the inverse steps.

Proper specification of the End Step and Number of Steps properties enables you to perform:

• Inverse solving with the intent to obtain the solution/reference geometry only. You can perform
purely inverse solving by setting the same value for End Step and the Number of Steps properties.
The direction of force-based loading, such as Pressure, Force, etc., should be considered such that it
brings the Solution Geometry to the Input Geometry. However, for displacement-based loads, such
as Displacement, Remote Displacement, etc., the prescribed displacement should be defined such
that it brings the Input Geometry to the Solution Geometry.

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Analysis Types

• Inverse solving followed by a forward solving. This is useful when you need to examine the structural
response under additional loading. You perform this type of analysis by setting the End Step property
to a value that is less than the value provided for the Number of Steps property. The analysis begins
with an input geometry that is already deformed under the specified loading conditions during the
inverse steps. During the start of the forward solution step, the solver resets the displacements to
zero and start from the Input geometry. As a result, you may see a sudden jump in displacement
from the end of inverse step to the beginning of the forward step because of this reset.

• Loop test to verify the modelling details used with Inverse Option. To perform a loop test, 1) enter
an End Step property value that is less than the setting of the Number of Steps property, 2) make
sure the applied loads remain the same between the inverse and forward steps. Because the applied
load is same for the Inverse and forward step, the same Input geometry, which exists at time = 0, will
be recovered at the end of the forward step.

Note:

To perform a loop test, it is recommended that you export the solution geometry
(Export > STL) following the inverse step in order to have a separate analysis and
apply the same loads that were applied for the inverse steps.

Be sure to review the Requirements and Limitations (p. 622) outlined below.

Requirements and Limitations

Review the categorized requirements and limitations listed below. In order to the inverse capability,
you must make sure these requisites are met.

Analysis Settings
When defining Analysis Settings, the Inverse option requires the:

• Large Deflection property to be set to On.

• The Inverse Option requires the Unsymmetric solver. If the Inverse Option property is set to Yes,
the application automatically selects this solver.

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 Special Analysis Topics

Elements
The Inverse Option only supports a mesh with higher order elements.

Contact
The Inverse option only supports the MPC setting for the Formulation property for contact conditions
and does not support Bearings, Springs, Joints, Beams, and Spot Welds connection types.

Loading and Boundary Conditions

Supported Load and Boundary Conditions include:

• Inertial (p. 1174): Acceleration, Standard Earth Gravity, Rotation Velocity, and Rotational Acceleration.

• Loads (p. 1191): Pressure (direct and normal pressures only), Remote Force, and Moment.

• Supports (p. 1346): Fixed Support, Displacement, Remote Displacement, Frictionless Support, and Cyl-
indrical Support.

• Conditions (p. 1376): Coupling and Constraint Equation.

• Direct FE (p. 1402): Nodal Force, Nodal Pressure, Nodal Displacement, and Nodal Orientation.

Important:

Because displacement type loads like Displacement and Remote Displacement brings
the displacement from Input Geometry to Solution Geometry, it is important to reverse
the direction of these prescribed displacements during the forward step if you wish
to perform the loop test or continue with additional loads/displacements in the forward
step.

Important:

The following loading conditions are not supported:

• Remote loads (Remote Forces/Remote Displacements/Moments) specified using

beam behavior.

• Loads that rely on the internal generation of elements (surface effect elements, beam
elements, pretension elements, etc.).

Materials
The Inverse option supports the following materials:

• Linear Elastic

• Hyperelastic with a material incompressibility factor d≠0.

Any nonlinear material effects, such as plasticity and creep, are not supported.

Linked Environments
If you use an inversely solved Static Structural analysis as a prestress environment for a downstream
Modal or Harmonic Response analysis:

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Analysis Types

• Only forward solved steps can be selected as prestress steps for linked Modal/Harmonic Response
analyses.

• For undamped Modal analyses, the application uses the Unsymmetric setting for the Solver Type
property (via the Program Controlled setting). The other solver types (Direct, Iterative, Subspace,
and Supernode) are not supported for an undamped Modal environment.

Post-Processing of Results
For result entities plotted at Time or Result Set corresponding to an inverse step, please note the
following:

• Deformation results retrieved for inverse step, represent the deformation of the model with respect
to the input geometry. Deformation results are plotted on the solution geometry.

• All other result items (e.g. stress, strains, probes etc.) are plotted on the input geometry of the analysis.

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 Special Analysis Topics

• Results produced during the Inverse solution are shown with a colored highlight in the Graph and
Tabular Data window.

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Analysis Types

• You can save the solution/reference geometry using the context (right-click) menu option Insert >
Export > STL on a deformation result created for the Display Time/Load Step corresponding to the
End Step of the inverse solution.

Note:

Be sure to use the Zoom to Fit Animation (p. 1679) option in the Graph window to
properly animate your Inverse results. When the option is active, Mechanical loops
through all the time steps to compute a scale factor that accommodates a full range
of time steps and makes sure that the animation fits properly within the Geometry
window.

MAPDL Reference
For an additional information, review the Nonlinear Static Analysis with Inverse Solving section of the
Mechanical APDL Structural Analysis Guide.

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Specifying Geometry
The following topics are included in this section:
Geometry Introduction
Solid Bodies
Surface Bodies
Line Bodies
Simulation without Geometry
2D Analyses
Point Mass
Distributed Mass
Surface Coating
Thermal Point Mass
Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies
Element Orientation
Geometry from Deformation Results
Geometry From Rigid Body Dynamics Results

Geometry Introduction
While there is no limit to the number of parts in an assembly that can be treated, large assemblies may
require unusually high computer time and resources to compute a solution. Contact boundaries can
be automatically formed where parts meet. The application has the ability to transfer structural loads
and heat flows across the contact boundaries and to "connect" the various parts.

The following topics are addressed in this section:

Parts and Bodies
Multibody Behavior and Associativity
Geometry Conditions and Requirements
Stiffness Behavior
Integration Schemes
Common Geometry Display Features

Parts and Bodies

Parts imported into Mechanical are a grouping or a collection of bodies as defined by the CAD applic-
ation you use to define the parts.

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Specifying Geometry

Multibody Parts
Imported parts are a grouping or a collection of bodies. Parts can include multiple bodies and are
referred to as multibody parts. Parts may consist of:

• One or more solid bodies.

• One or more surface bodies.

• One or more line bodies.

• Combinations of line and surface bodies.

• Combinations of solid and shell bodies (for models imported from DesignModeler, SpaceClaim, or
External Model).

All other combinations are not practically supported.

Note:

Body objects in the tree that represent a multibody part do not report centroids or moments
of inertia in their respective Details view.

Meshing Multibody Parts

The mesh for multibody parts created in SpaceClaim or DesignModeler share nodes where the bodies
touch one another. This facilitates the multiple parts having common nodes at the part interfaces.

Collapsing Line Bodies in SpaceClaim

For line body models in SpaceClaim, by default, the application imports one line body for every edge
present in the body in SpaceClaim. This may create an undesirable number of bodies in Mechanical.
To facilitate a more manageable model, SpaceClaim enables you to “collapse” all of the line bodies
that have the same cross section, material, and that touch one another, into one body by setting the
Share Topology property to either Share or Group. See the Shared topology in ANSYS section in
the SpaceClaim Online Help for additional information about the Share Topology property.

Working with Parts

There are several useful and important manipulations that can be performed with parts in an assembly.

• The part can include sold and shell geometries.

• Each part may be assigned a different material.

• Parts can be hidden for easier visibility.

• Parts can be suppressed, which effectively eliminates the parts from treatment.

• The contact detection tolerance and the contact type between parts can be controlled.

• When a model contains a Coordinate Systems (p. 2006) object, by default, the part and the associated
bodies use the Global Coordinate System (p. 2045) to align the elements. If desired, you can apply a

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 Geometry Introduction

local coordinate system (p. 877) to the part or body. When a local coordinate system is assigned to a
Part, by default, the bodies also assume this coordinate system but you may modify the system on
the bodies individually as desired.

Working with Bodies

There are several useful and important manipulations that can be performed with bodies in a part.

• Bodies grouped into a part result in connected geometry and shared nodes in a mesh.

• Each body may be assigned a different material.

• Bodies can be hidden for easier visibility.

• Bodies in a part group can be individually suppressed, which effectively eliminates these bodies from
treatment. A suppressed body is not included in the statistics of the owning part or in the overall
statistics of the model.

• Bodies can be assigned Full or Reduced integration schemes, as described above for parts (p. 636).

• When bodies in part groups touch they will share nodes where they touch. This will connect the
bodies. If a body in a part group does not touch another body in that part group, it will not share any
nodes. It will be free standing. Automatic contact detection is not performed between bodies in a
part group. Automatic contact detection is performed only between part groups.

• Bodies that are not in a part group can be declared as rigid bodies (p. 631).

• When a model contains a Coordinate Systems (p. 2006) object, by default, bodies use the Global Co-
ordinate System (p. 2045). If desired, you can apply a local coordinate system (p. 877).

Multibody Behavior and Associativity

Associativity that you apply to geometry attached from SpaceClaim or DesignModeler is maintained
in the Mechanical and Meshing applications when updating the geometry despite any part groupings
that you may subsequently change in SpaceClaim or DesignModeler. See Associativity (p. 629) for
further information.

When transferring multibody parts from SpaceClaim or DesignModeler, the multibody part has the
body group (part) and the prototypes (bodies) beneath it. When the part consists of just a single
body the body group is hidden. If the part has ever been imported as a multibody part you will always
see the body group for that component, regardless of the number of bodies present in any subsequent
update.

Associativity
Associativity that you apply to geometry originating from SpaceClaim or DesignModeler is maintained
in the Mechanical and Meshing applications when the geometry is updated despite any part groupings
that you may subsequently change in SpaceClaim or DesignModeler. Types of associativity that you
can apply include contact regions, mesh connections, loads, and supports. For example, consider the
following scenario:

1. A model is created in SpaceClaim or DesignModeler and has six independent parts with one body per
part.

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Specifying Geometry

2. The model is attached to Mechanical where loads and supports are applied to selected geometry.

3. In SpaceClaim or DesignModeler, the model is re-grouped into two multibody parts with each part in-
cluding three bodies.

4. The geometry is updated in Mechanical. The loads and supports remain applied to the same selected
geometry.

Note:

This feature does not hold true for instanced parts in SpaceClaim or DesignModeler.

The associativity is maintained only with geometry attached from SpaceClaim or DesignModeler and
Mechanical systems created in release 13.0 or later. To ensure that the data necessary for retaining
associativity is present in legacy dsdb/wbpj databases, you should perform the following:

1. Open the Mechanical session and open the SpaceClaim or DesignModeler session. This will ensure that
both the Mechanical and SpaceClaim or DesignModeler files are migrated to the current version of the
software.

2. Update the geometry model without making any changes to the model. This will ensure that the new
data necessary for associativity is transferred from the migrated DesignModeler file into the migrated
Mechanical file.

3. You can now modify and update the geometry as necessary.

Geometry Conditions and Requirements

Note the following for assemblies, parts, and bodies:

• Automatic contact detection will detect contact between bodies within a multibody part.

• To connect multiple bodies within a part using a shared node, the bodies must share a face or an edge.
If they do not, the application may not achieve appropriate contact for the analysis and the analysis could
experience rigid body motion.

• Removing (e.g., suppressing) a body or a part from your source geometry and then refreshing and/or
updating the geometry in Mechanical causes the application to remove the body or part from the tree
Outline. If you subsequently return the body/part to the source and return it to Mechanical through a refresh
or update, the body/part returns to default settings (Stiffness Behavior, material, etc.).

Stiffness Behavior
All geometry Bodies have an associated Stiffness Behavior property in Mechanical that you can
modify during an analysis. This is most often performed when Defining Part Behaviors (p. 224) once
you have imported your model into the application.

The Stiffness Behavior property is available for a body, a body group, surface bodies, and 2D models.

To set the Stiffness Behavior in the Mechanical application:

1. Select the desired Body in the Geometry folder.

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 Geometry Introduction

2. In the Details view, set the Stiffness Behavior property to Flexible, Rigid, Gasket, or Stiff Beam
(Line Bodies (p. 650) only).

See the following sections for more information about body stiffness behaviors:
Flexible Bodies
Rigid Bodies
Gasket Bodies
Stiff Beam

Flexible Bodies
The FlexibleStiffness Behavior option is the default option.

Rigid Bodies
When you define a body's Stiffness Behavior as Rigid, you are telling to the application to not
allow the body to deform during the solution process. This feature is useful if a mechanism has
only rigid body motion or, if in an assembly, only some of the parts experience most of the strains.
It is also useful if you are not concerned about the stress/strain of that component and wish to reduce
CPU requirements during meshing or solve operations.

The application does not mesh a rigid body and the solver represents the body as a single mass
element. However, the system maintains the mass element's mass and inertial properties. The Mass,
Centroid, and Moments Of Inertia properties for the body are available in the Details view of the
body object.

The following restrictions apply to rigid bodies:

• Rigid bodies are only valid in Static Structural (p. 434), Transient Structural (p. 507), Harmonic Re-
sponse (p. 266), Modal (p. 283), Rigid Dynamics (p. 340), Random Vibration (p. 291), and Response Spec-
trum (p. 298) analyses for the objects listed below. Animated results are available for all analysis types
except a Modal analysis.

– Point Mass

– Joint

– Spring

– Remote Displacement

– Remote Force

– Moment

– Contact

• Rigid bodies are valid when scoped to solid bodies, surface bodies, or line bodies in an Explicit Dynamics
analysis for the following objects:

– Fixed Support

– Displacement

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Specifying Geometry

– Velocity

– Spring

– Remote Displacement

The following outputs are available for rigid bodies, and are reported at the centroid of the rigid
body:

• Results: Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration.

• Probes: Deformation, Position, Rotation, Velocity, Acceleration, Angular Velocity, and Angular Acceleration.

Note:

• If you highlight Deformation results in the tree that are scoped to rigid bodies, the corres-
ponding rigid bodies in the Geometry window are not highlighted.

• You cannot define a line body, 2D plane strain body, or 2D axisymmetric body as rigid, except
that in an Explicit Dynamics analysis, 2D plane strain and 2D axisymmetric bodies may be
defined as rigid.

• All bodies in a body group (of a multibody part) must have the same Stiffness Behavior. When
Stiffness Behavior is Rigid, the body group acts as one rigid mass regardless of whether or
not the underlying bodies are topologically connected (via shared topology).

Gasket Bodies
Gasket joints are essential components in most structural assemblies. Gaskets as sealing components
between structural components are usually very thin and made of various materials, such as steel,
rubber and composites. From a mechanics perspective, gaskets act to transfer force between
components. The primary deformation of a gasket is usually confined to one direction, namely,
through thickness. The stiffness contributions from membrane (in plane) and transverse shear are
much smaller in general compared to the through thickness.

A typical example of a gasket joint is in engine assemblies. A thorough understanding of the gasket
joint is critical in engine design and operation. This includes an understanding of the behavior of
gasket joint components themselves in an engine operation, and the interaction of the gasket joint
with other components.

Gaskets can be defined in one of two ways:

• By setting the Stiffness Behavior as Gasket. In this case, a Gasket Mesh Control will be added as a child
of the gasket body in the model tree. You need to define the source face of the gasket in the Gasket
Mesh Control to define the gasket material orientation.

• By setting the Stiffness Behavior as Flexible. In this case, you need to define a Gasket Mesh Con-
trol (p. 2034) in the mesh folder. The gasket mesh control in the mesh folder can be applied to multiple
bodies, so if there are many gasket bodies this option may be a more convenient approach to setting
up the gaskets.

You must also specify a material with a valid gasket model in Engineering Data.

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 Geometry Introduction

The following restrictions apply to Gasket bodies:

• Gasket bodies are valid only in Static Structural analyses.

• Gasket bodies are valid for 3D solids only, that is, 2D gasket bodies cannot be specified.

• A valid gasket material model must be specified.

• In addition to gasket bodies, a multibody part may also include flexible bodies but not rigid bodies.

• Gasket bodies are not supported for cyclic symmetry analyses.

The overall procedure for simulating gaskets in ANSYS Workbench is to run a Static Structural
analysis and perform the following specialized steps:

1. Specify a material with a valid gasket model in Engineering Data.

2. Define the gasket using one of two ways:

a. Body-based approach:

Set the Stiffness Behavior of the Body object to Gasket. This produces a Gasket Mesh
Control object beneath the Body object.

Adjust Details view settings for the Gasket Mesh Control object and generate the mesh.
See the Gasket Meshing (p. 633) section for details.

b. Mesh control approach:

Set the Stiffness Behavior of the Body object to Flexible.

Define a Gasket mesh control object in the Mesh folder. Adjust the Details view settings
for the Gasket mesh control object and generate the mesh. See the Gasket Meshing (p. 635)
section for details.

3. Specify the value for the Gasket Initial Gap property. The default value is 0. Valid entries must be
greater than or equal to 0.

4. Solve and review the gasket result. See the Gasket Results (p. 1609) section for more information.

Gasket Meshing
A Gasket body is meshed with the INTER194 elements (if using Element Order = Quadratic, in
such cases a single layer of elements are generated with midside nodes on top and bottom faces,
but linear edges across thickness) or INTER195 elements (if using Element Order = Linear).

Define the gasket using one of two ways:

• Body-based approach (p. 633)

• Mesh control approach (p. 635)

Body-Based Gasket Meshing

Upon setting the Stiffness Behavior as Gasket, a Gasket Mesh Control object is added beneath
the Body object in the tree. The Mesh Method property for the object is automatically set to Sweep

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Specifying Geometry

and is read-only. By default, this property instructs the application to drop mid-side nodes on gasket
element edges that are parallel (Normal To) to the scoped sweep direction. You may wish to refer
to the Sweep Method Control section of the Meshing User's Guide for additional information about
this property. The Gasket Mesh Control operates in the same fashion.

After setting the 3D Body object's Stiffness Behavior to Gasket:

1. If desired, you can change the setting of the Free Face Mesh Type property. Options include All Quad,
Quad/Tri (default), or All Tri.

2. The Mesh Method is automatically set to Sweep and is read-only.

3. The Element Order property is set to Use Global Setting by default. This setting (as well as the
Quadratic setting) results in quadratic elements with midside nodes to be dropped in the normal
direction. When Element Order is set to Linear, the midside nodes are dropped, resulting in linear
elements.

4. Src/Trg Selection is set to Manual Source. These are the default settings.

5. Select a Source face. The selected face must lie on the gasket body.

6. The Target selection is Program Controlled by default. If desired, you can set Src/Trg Selection to
Manual Source and Target. You can then choose a Target face manually.

Note:

Mesh object (p. 2120) property changes affect the state of the Gasket Mesh Control object.

When generating the gasket element mesh with Element Order set to Quadratic, the application
drops the midside nodes on the edges that are parallel to the sweep direction. For example, consider
the mesh shown below. To define the sweep method, Src/Trg Selection was set to Manual Source;
one face (the “top” face) was selected for Source. In the resulting mesh, the gasket element faces
on the source and target are quadratic, but the faces on the sides are linear.

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 Geometry Introduction

Mesh Control for Gasket Meshing

After setting the Stiffness Behavior as Flexible, define a Gasket mesh control object beneath the
Mesh object. The MultiZone mesh method is used for this approach. Refer to the MultiZone
Method Control section of the Meshing User's Guide for additional information about this method.

Adjust the Details view settings for the Gasket mesh control object as follows:

1. Select the Scoping Method for choosing the gasket bodies. The options available are Geometry Se-
lection (default) or Named Selection. Based on your selection, you need to select the desired geometry
or Named Selection.

2. The Element Order property is set to Use Global Setting by default. This setting (as well as the
Quadratic setting) results in quadratic elements with midside nodes to be dropped in the normal
direction. When Element Order is set to Linear, the midside nodes are dropped, resulting in linear
elements.

3. Select the Source Scoping Method for choosing the source faces. The options available are Geometry
Selection (default) or Named Selection. Based on your selection, you need to select the desired
geometry or Named Selection. The selected faces must lie on the gasket body.

The target faces are determined automatically.

4. If desired, you can change the setting of the Free Face Mesh Type property. Options include Quad/Tri
(default), All Quad, or All Tri.

As in the example (p. 634), when generating the gasket element mesh with Element Order set
to Quadratic, the midside nodes are dropped on the edges that are parallel to the sweep dir-
ection.

Tip:

The gasket mesh control in the mesh folder can be applied to multiple bodies, so if there
are many gasket bodies this option may be a more convenient approach to setting up
the gaskets.

Note:

If a gasket is part of multibody part and the MultiZone mesh method is defined on the
connected body/bodies, the MultiZone method generates linear elements even though
the element order is set to quadratic when the mesh is generated for the whole
part/assembly together. This does not occur for selective meshing or if the gasket body
is meshed first.

Gasket Results
Specialized results are available for analyzing gaskets. See Gasket Results (p. 1609) for details.

Stiff Beam
Supported for line bodies only, when you define a line body's Stiffness Behavior as Stiff Beam:

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Specifying Geometry

• Only structural analyses support this feature. For example, thermal or electrical analyses are unaf-
fected.

• The application approximates a rigid beam by making the Young's modulus 1e4 times higher than
defined in the Engineering Data Workspace.

• The body must be assigned a material that is valid for Isotropic Young's Modulus.

• The application automatically specifies this option on a line body if the "RIGID" setting in SpaceClaim
Direct Modeler is equal to True (this is triggered by the SpaceClaim Split Operation).

• A body specified with this option is meshed and will have results.

Integration Schemes
The Brick Integration Scheme property provides the options Full and Reduced. Use the Full setting
for linear analyses or when the model has only one layer of elements in each direction. This method
does not cause hourglass mode, but can cause volumetric locking in nearly incompressible cases.

In order to help prevent volumetric mesh locking in nearly incompressible cases, use the Reduced
setting. However, hourglass mode might propagate in the model if there are not at least two layers
of elements in each direction.

Important:

This property supports hexahedral elements only.

Common Geometry Display Features

This section examines the following display features of the Geometry object.

• Hide or Suppress Bodies (p. 636)

• Hide or Show Faces (p. 637)

• Color Coding of Parts (p. 637)

Hide or Suppress Bodies

For a quick way to hide bodies (turn body viewing off ) or suppress bodies (turn body viewing off and
remove the bodies from further treatment in the analysis), select the desired body objects in the tree
or select the bodies in the Geometry window (using the Body selection filter (p. 172)). Then right-
click and choose Hide Body or Suppress Body from the context menu. Choose Show Body, Show
All Bodies, Unsuppress Body, or Unsuppress All Bodies to reverse the states.

The following options are also available:

• Hide All Other Bodies: show only selected bodies.

• Hide or Show: contains menu options to hide specific body types. Based on the body types of your
model, options include: Solid Bodies, Surface Bodies, and Line Bodies.

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 Geometry Introduction

• Invert Visibility: This option inverts the visibility of hidden bodies versus those that are visible. That is,
all hidden bodies become visible and all visible bodies become hidden.

• Suppress All Other Bodies, allows you to unsuppress only selected bodies.

Note:

• If another model level object, such as a Remote Point, Joint, or Contact Region, is scoped to a
Body that becomes Suppressed, that object also becomes suppressed until it is re-scoped or
the body is Unsuppressed.

• Results from hidden bodies are used in the formulation of the maximum and minimum values
in the contour legend and in the Details View.

• Results from suppressed bodies are suppressed and are not used in the formulation of maximum
and minimum values.

Hide or Show Faces

You can hide selected faces on a model such that you are able to see inside the model. This feature
is especially useful for bodies with interior cavities, such as engine blocks. To use the feature, first
select faces on the model that you want to hide, then right-click anywhere in the Geometry window
and choose Hide Face(s) in the context menu. This menu choice is only available if you have already
selected faces.

Choose Show Hidden Face(s) from the context menu to restore the visibility of faces previously
hidden using Hide Face(s). The Show Hidden Face(s) menu choice is only available if there are hidden
faces from choosing Hide Face(s). It cannot be used to restore the visibility of faces previously hidden
by setting Visible (p. 777) to No in the Details view of a Named Selection object.

Note:

The selected faces will appear hidden only when you view the geometry. The feature is
not applicable to mesh displays or result displays.

Color Coding of Parts

You can visually identify parts based on a property of that part. For example, if an assembly is made
of parts of different materials, you can color the parts based on the material; that is, all structural
steel parts have the same color, all aluminum parts have the same color and so on.

Select a color via the Display Style property of the Details view when the Geometry object is selected.
You can specify colors based on:

• Body Color (default): Assigns different colors to the bodies within a part.

• Part Color: Assigns different colors to the different parts.

• Shell Thickness (surface bodies only): Assigns different colors based on specified body thicknesses.
This coloring property does not apply to imported thicknesses or Thickness object (p. 2236) based

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Specifying Geometry

specifications. For those specifications, use the Shell Thickness display option of the Mesh ob-
ject (p. 2120).

• Assembly Color (Model assembly only): Assigns a common color to the bodies of each source system
(assembly).

• Material: The part colors are based on the material assignment. For example, in a model with five
parts where three parts use structural steel and two parts use aluminum, you will see the three
structural steel parts in one color and the two aluminum parts in another color. The legend will indicate
the color used along with the name of the material. You can now assign colors to materials from the
Outline Pane (p. 637) in the Engineering Data Workspace and have these colors display in Mechanical.
For composite materials, the color assignment is program controlled.

• Nonlinear Material Effects: Indicates if a part includes nonlinear material effects during analysis. If
you chose to exclude nonlinear material effects for some parts of a model, then the legend will indicate
Linear for these parts and the parts will be colored accordingly.

• Stiffness Behavior: Identifies a part as Flexible, Rigid, or Gasket during analysis.

• Body Type: This option assigns a color based on the different types of bodies within a part, such as
beam and link types within a Line Body.

• By Cross Section (line bodies only): The application assigns a color to a body based on its specified
cross section (p. 2008).

• Condensed Parts Colors (Rigid Dynamics analysis only): the application assigns colors per condensed
part.

Note:

A maximum of 15 distinct materials can be shown in the legend. If a model has more
than 15 materials, coloring by material will not have any effect unless enough parts
are hidden or suppressed.

You can reset the colors back to the default color scheme by right-clicking on the Geometry object
in the tree and selecting Reset Body Colors.

Example 3: Color by Parts

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Solid Bodies
You can process and solve solid models, including individual parts and assemblies. An arbitrary level
of complexity is supported, given sufficient computer time and resources.

Surface Bodies
You can import surface bodies from an array of sources (see Geometry Preferences). Surface bodies are
often generated by applying mid-surface extraction to a pre-existing solid. The operation abstracts away
the thickness from the solid and converts it into a separate modeling input of the generated surface.

Surface body models may be arranged into parts. Within a part there may be one or more surface
bodies; these may even share the part with line bodies.

Parts that feature surface bodies may be connected with the help of spot welds and contacts.

The following topics are addressed in this section.

Assemblies of Surface Bodies
Thickness Mode
Importing Surface Body Models
Importing Surface Body Thickness
Surface Body Shell Offsets
Specifying Surface Body Thickness
Specifying Surface Body Layered Sections
Faces With Multiple Thicknesses and Layers Specified

Assemblies of Surface Bodies

While preparing an assembly of surface bodies for solution you may find the need to understand and
modify the connectivity of the bodies involved. Mechanical offers tools to help you accomplish these
tasks. For example, you may:

• Confirm whether two surface bodies are topologically connected. This may be especially useful for surface
bodies obtained from a mid-surface operation on solids and created artificial gaps in their proximity.

• Confirm the connectivity of individual elements in the mesh of the surface bodies.

• Mend missing connections between surface bodies by joining their meshes with shared nodes.

To confirm the connectivity of surface bodies it is useful to review the connectivity of their edges
using a number of features in both Mechanical and DesignModeler. Edges can be classified depending
on the number of faces they topologically connect. For example, the boundary edge of a surface
body connects to a single face and is classified as a "single edge”, whereas an interior edge connecting
two faces of the surface body will be classified as a "double edge". Single and double edges can be
distinguished visually using the options of the Edge group (p. 38) on the Display tab. As an altern-
ative, you can Create a Named Selection Object (p. 761) that groups all edges of a given topological
connectivity by using the Face Connections (p. 764) criterion.

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Specifying Geometry

Edge group (p. 38) options can also be used to review the connectivity of not only the geometry,
but also the mesh elements. The same principles applied to the connectivity of a surface body edge
apply to element edges.

Mechanical provides Mesh Connections to mend surface body assemblies at locations that are disjoin-
ted. With this feature, the meshes of surface bodies that may reside in different parts can be connected
by joining their underlying elements via shared nodes. The Mesh Connection does not alter the
geometry although the effect can be conveniently previewed and toggled using the option in the
Edge group (p. 38).

Thickness Mode
You can determine the source that controls the thickness of a surface body using the Thickness
Mode indication combined with the Thickness field, both located in the Details view of a surface
Body object. Upon attaching a surface body, the Thickness Mode reads either Auto or Manual.

• In Auto Mode the value of thickness for a given surface body is controlled by the CAD source. Future CAD
updates will synchronize its thickness value with the value in the CAD system.

• In Manual mode the thickness for the surface body is controlled by the Mechanical application, so future
updates from the CAD system will leave this value undisturbed.

• A Thickness Mode will be Automatic until the Thickness is changed to some non-zero value. Once in
Manual mode, it can be made Automatic once again by changing the Thickness value back to zero. A
subsequent CAD update will conveniently synchronize the thickness with the value in the CAD system.

Thicknesses for all surface bodies are represented in a dedicated column on the Worksheet that is
displayed when you highlight the Geometry object.

Importing Surface Body Models

To import a surface body model (called a sheet body in NX), open the model in the CAD system and
import the geometry as usual. If your model mixes solid bodies and surface bodies, you should select
which type of entity you want to import via the Geometry preferences in the Workbench Properties
of the Geometry cell in the Project Schematic. Once in the Mechanical application, you can adjust
the Geometry preferences in the Details view (p. 67), where they take effect upon updating.

Note:

If you want to retain a preference selection in the Workbench Properties, you must first
save before exiting the ANSYS Workbench.

Importing Surface Body Thickness

When thickness is defined on the entire surface body

Surface body thickness will be imported from CAD (including DesignModeler) if, and only if, the existing
surface body thickness value in the Mechanical application is set to 0 (zero). This is true on initial attach
and if you set the surface body thickness value to zero prior to an update. This allows you the flexib-
ility of updating surface body thickness values from CAD or not.

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Surface Body Shell Offsets

Surface bodies have a normal direction, identified by a green coloring when the surface body face is
selected. Shell elements have a “top” surface (farthest in the positive normal direction) and a “bottom”
(farthest in the negative normal direction).

By default, the shell section midsurface is aligned with the surface body, but you can use the Offset
Type drop-down menu located in the Details view of a Surface Body object or an object scoped to
a surface body to offset the shell section midsurface from the surface body:

• Top - the top of the shell section is aligned with the surface body.

• Middle (Membrane) (default) - the middle of the shell section is aligned with the surface body.

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Specifying Geometry

• Bottom - the bottom of the shell section is aligned with the surface body.

• User Defined - the user defines the amount of offset (Membrane Offset), measured in the positive normal
direction from the middle of the shell section to the surface body (may be positive or negative value).

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Specifying Surface Body Thickness

The thickness of surface bodies can be prescribed in several ways:

1. A uniform thickness over the entire body which can be defined inside Mechanical or imported from a
CAD system (p. 640). Thicknesses imported from CAD can be overridden by the Thickness Mode (p. 640)

2. A constant or spatially varying thickness applied to a selection of surfaces or bodies.

3. Thickness values imported from an upstream system.

4. Layer information can be specified using a Layered Section (p. 645), or imported through an Imported
Plies (p. 2078).

See Faces With Multiple Thicknesses and Layers Specified (p. 649) for information on how Mechanical
resolves conflicts when multiple thickness specifications are applied to the same geometry.

To specify the thickness of an entire surface body:

Highlight the surface Body object and, in the Details view, enter a value in the Thickness field. A
value greater than 0 must be present in this field.

To specify the thickness of selected faces on a surface body:

1. Highlight the Geometry object in the tree and insert a Thickness object from the Geometry Context
tab or right-click and select Insert> Thickness.

Note:

The Thickness object overwrites any element that is scoped to the selected surfaces
that has thickness greater than 0 defined in the Details view of the surface Body object
(See above).

2. Apply scoping to selected faces on surface bodies.

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Specifying Geometry

3. Set the desired shell offset (p. 641).

4. Define the thickness as a constant (default), with a table, or with a function:

a. To define the thickness as a constant, enter the value in the Thickness field in the Details view.

b. To define the thickness with a table:

i. Click the Thickness property in the Details view, then click Tabular from the flyout menu.

ii. Set the Independent Variable in the Details view to X, Y, or Z.

iii. Choose a Coordinate System. The Global Coordinate System (Cartesian) is the default.

iv. Enter data in the Tabular Data window. The Graph window displays the variation of the thickness.

c. To define the thickness with a function:

i. Click the Thickness field in the Details view, then click Function from the flyout menu.

ii. Enter the function in the Thickness field. (Example: 45+10*x/591)

iii. Adjust properties in the Graph Controls category as needed:

• Number of Segments - The function is graphed with a default value of 200 line segments. You
can change this value to better visualize the function.

• Range Minimum - The minimum range of the graph.

• Range Maximum - The maximum range of the graph.

Note:

• Surface body thicknesses must be greater than zero. Failures will be detected by the solver.

• When importing surfaces bodies from DesignModeler, the associated thickness is automatically
included with the import. See Importing Surface Body Thickness (p. 640) for details.

• For the following, the nominal thickness of the body is used as opposed to the thickness con-
trolled by the Thickness objects being added (Thickness, Layered Thickness, Imported
Layered Thickness):

– Geometry: the read-only physical properties, Volume, Mass, Centroid, and Moment of
Inertia provided under the Details view Properties category of the Geometry object (p. 2040),
Part object (p. 2154), and the Body object (p. 1960). The properties based on any variable
thickness are correctly calculated in the solver and can be verified through miscellaneous
record results for Mechanical APDL based solutions.

– Meshing: during the meshing process, auto-detection based on surface body thickness,
automatic pinch controls, surface body thickness used as mesh merging tolerance.

– Solution: Heuristics used in beam properties for spot welds as well as moments applied to
vertices.

• Thickness objects are not supported for rigid bodies.

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 Surface Bodies

• Variable thickness is displayed only for mesh and result displays. Location probes, Path scoped
results, and Surface scoped results do not display nor account for variable thickness. They as-
sume constant thickness.

• If multiple Thickness objects are applied to the same face, only those properties related to the
last defined object will be sent to the solver, regardless of whether the object was defined in
DesignModeler or in Mechanical. See Faces With Multiple Thicknesses and Layers Spe-
cified (p. 649) for details.

You can import thicknesses from an upstream system. Basic setup steps are given below. You can
find more information on mapping data in the Mechanical application in the appendix (Ap-
pendix B: Data Transfer Mapping and Validation (p. 2283)).

Note:

Thickness import is supported for 3D shell bodies or planar 2D bodies using Plane Stress.
The Mechanical APDL Solver for 3D shell bodies will use the nodal thicknesses directly via
the SECFUNCTION command. For the Explicit Solver or MAPDL solver for 2D bodies, the
element's nodal thicknesses are converted to an average element thickness.

To import thicknesses from an upstream system:

1. In the project schematic, create a link between the Solution cell of a system and the Model cell of an
upstream system.

2. Attach geometry to the analysis system, and then double-click Model cell to open Mechanical. An Im-
ported Thickness folder is added under the Geometry folder and an imported thickness is added to
the Imported Thickness folder, by default.

3. Select the appropriate options in the Details (p. 2090) view.

4. Select Imported Thickness (p. 2090) and select Import Thickness from the context menu.

Specifying Surface Body Layered Sections

Layers applied to a surface body can be prescribed in several ways:

• A defined Layered Section object can be scoped to a selection of surfaces on the geometry.

• An Imported Plies (p. 2078) object can provide layer information for the elements within a surface body.

Note:

Layered Section objects can only be used in the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Response

• Eigenvalue Buckling

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Specifying Geometry

• Modal

• Random Vibration

• Response Spectrum

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

The following sections describe the use of the Layered Section object.
Defining and Applying a Layered Section
Viewing Individual Layers
Layered Section Properties
Notes on Layered Section Behavior

Defining and Applying a Layered Section

1. Select the Geometry object in the tree and insert a Layered Section object from the Geometry
Context tab or choose Insert > Layered Section (right-click and choose from context menu).

2. Select the Scoping Method that you will use:

• Geometry Selection: Click in the Geometry field that appears, to enable you to pick surface bodies
or individual faces from the model and select Apply.

• Named Selection: Click on the Named Selection drop down that appears and select one of the
available named selections.

3. Choose a Coordinate System. You may choose any user-defined Cartesian or Cylindrical coordinate
system. The Body Coordinate System option specifies that the coordinate system selected for each
body will be used. There is no default.

4. Set the desired Offset Type (p. 641). Offset Type is not supported in Explicit Dynamics analyses.

5. Click on the arrow to the right of Worksheet in the Layers field then select Worksheet to enter the
layer information for this Layered Section. The Layered Section worksheet can also be activated by the
Worksheet option.

The worksheet displays a header row, and two inactive rows labeled +Z and -Z to indicate the
order in which the materials are layered. Layer one will always be the layer at the bottom of
the stack (closest to -Z). When you insert a layer, all of the layers above it will renumber.

To add the first layer, right-click anywhere in the Layered Section Worksheet and select Add
Layer. Once the layer is added:

• Click in the Material column of the row and select the material for that layer from the drop-down
list.

• Click in the Thickness column and define the thickness of that layer. Individual layers may have zero
thickness, but the total layered-section thickness must be nonzero.

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• Click in the Angle column and define the angle of the material properties. The angle is measured
in the element X-Y plane with respect to the element X axis. This value can be entered as degrees
or radians, depending on how units are specified.

To add another layer, do one of the following:

• With no layers selected, you can right-click the header row, +Z row, or -Z row to display a
context menu. Select Add Layer to Top to add a layer row at the top (+Z) of the worksheet.
Select Add Layer to Bottom to add a layer row to the bottom of the worksheet (-Z).

• With one or more layers selected, you can right-click any selected layer to display a context
menu. Select Insert Layer Above (which inserts a layer row above the selected row in the +Z
direction) or Insert Layer Below (which inserts a layer row below the selected row in the -Z
direction).

To delete a layer, select one or more rows, right-click any selected row, and select Delete Layer.

6. Select the Nonlinear Effects (p. 227) and Thermal Strain Effects (p. 227) settings in the Material category
of the Details view. The reference temperature specified for the body on which a layered section is
defined is used as the reference temperature for the layers.

Nonlinear Effects and Thermal Strain Effects are not supported in Explicit Dynamics analyses.

Viewing Individual Layers

In the Graphics Properties section of the Details panel, the Layer To Display field allows the visu-
alization of the thickness/offset/layer sequence of the layers composing a Layered Section object.
To view a particular layer, click the field and enter the layer number. You can use the up and down
buttons or enter a layer number directly. If you enter a number larger than the maximum number
of layers in that layered section, the value will be set to the maximum number of layers in that
layered section. If layer zero is selected, all the layers will be drawn (without the delineation between
layers) as a compact entity, shown the same as when the Mesh node is selected in the tree. All
other geometry not scoped to the current Layered Section object is shown with thickness zero.

Individual layers will be visible only when Show Mesh is enabled (if the model has been meshed
previously), and only on Layered Section objects. If Show Mesh is not enabled, just the geometry
and the scoping will be shown on the model.

When a layer is selected to display, the layer with its defined thickness, offset, and sequence will
be displayed in the graphics window. Due to the limitations described for the Show Mesh option,
it is recommended that the user switch back and forth if needed to Wireframe/Shaded Exterior
View mode to properly see annotations.

Note:

When viewing Imported Plies (p. 2078), the thickness that you see is not relative to the
geometry like it is with a Layered Section object.

Layered Section Properties

The following Properties are displayed in Details panel for Layered Sections:

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• Total Thickness - Total thickness of the section, including all of the layers defined for the section. Used
when displaying the mesh.

• Total Mass - Total mass of all of the layers in the section. The density of the material for each layer is
calculated at a reference temperature of 22° C.

Notes on Layered Section Behavior

Note:

• If multiple thickness objects (including Layered Section objects) are applied to the same
face, only those properties related to the last defined object will be sent to the solver, regard-
less of whether the object was defined in DesignModeler or in Mechanical. See Faces With
Multiple Thicknesses and Layers Specified (p. 649) for details.

• If adjacent elements within the same part have different thickness values, the elements will
appear to be ramped.

• Layered Sections cannot be scoped to rigid bodies.

• Layered Sections do not affect the following items:

– Assembly properties: volume, mass, centroid, and moments of inertia. This is for display
in the Details view only. The correct properties based on any variable thickness are correctly
calculated in the solver and can be verified through miscellaneous record results for
Mechanical APDL based solutions.

– Meshing: auto-detection based on surface body thickness, automatic pinch controls, surface
body thickness used as mesh merging tolerance.

– Solution: Heuristics used in beam properties for spot welds.

• A Thermal Condition applied to a Layered Section is only valid if applied to both shell faces
(Shell Face is set to Both, not to Top or Bottom).

• Layered Sections are not valid with cyclic symmetry.

• The following material properties are supported by Layered Sections in an Explicit Dynamics
analysis:

– Isotropic Elasticity, Orthotropic Elasticity

– Johnson Cook Strength, Zerilli Armstrong Strength, Steinberg Guinan Strength, Cowper
Symonds Strength

– Orthotropic Stress Limits, Orthotropic Strain Limits, Tsai-Wu Constants

– Plastic Strain, Principal Stress, Stochastic Failure,

• For orthotropic materials in Explicit Dynamics, the Z material direction is always defined in
the shell normal direction. The X material direction in the plane of each element is determined
by the x-axis of the coordinate system associated with the Layered Section. If the x-axis of
this coordinate system does not lie in the element plane, then the x-axis is projected onto
the shell in the coordinate system z-axis direction. If the z-axis is normal to the element plane,

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 Surface Bodies

then the projection is done in the coordinate system y-axis. For cylindrical systems, it is the
y-axis that is projected onto the element plane to find the Y material direction.

Faces With Multiple Thicknesses and Layers Specified

Thickness and Layered Section (p. 645) objects may be scoped to more than one face of a surface
body. As a result, a face may have more than one thickness definition.

The order of precedence used to determine the thickness that will be used in the analysis is as follows:

1. Imported Plies objects

2. Imported Thickness objects

3. Layered Section objects

4. Thickness objects

5. Thickness as a property of a body/part

For multiple objects of the same type, the object lower in the tree (more recently created) will be
used in the analysis.

This thickness may not be the desired thickness to be used in the analysis. In a large model, you may
want to fix this problem prior to solving the model.

You can search for faces with multiple thicknesses by selecting Search Faces with Multiple Thick-
nesses from the context menu of any of the following: the Geometry folder, a Body object (individual
or group of objects), a Thickness object or a Layered Section object. For each face found with
multiple thicknesses, a warning message similar to the one shown below will be displayed in the
message box.

This face has more than one thickness defined. You may graphically select the face via RMB on
this warning in the Messages window.

To find the face and its corresponding thickness objects for a particular message, highlight that
message in the message pane, right-click the message and choose Go To Face With Multiple
Thicknesses from the context menu. The face associated with this message is highlighted in the
Geometry window and the corresponding thickness objects are highlighted in the tree.

If there is no face with multiple definitions, the following information will be displayed in the message
box.

No faces with multiple thicknesses have been found.

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Specifying Geometry

A related Go To (p. 60) option is also available. If you highlight one or more faces with thickness
definition of a surface body, then right-click in the Geometry window and choose Go To> Thicknesses
for Selected Faces, the corresponding thickness objects will be highlighted in the tree.

Note:

You cannot search for Imported Plies that overlap with other thickness objects. However
a warning will be generated during the solution if this situation might exist.

Line Bodies
A line body consists entirely of edges and does not have a surface area or volume. Although multiple
CAD sources can provide line bodies to ANSYS Workbench, only DesignModeler and ANSYS SpaceClaim
Direct Modeler provide the additional cross section data needed to use line bodies in an analysis. For
those CAD sources that cannot provide the cross section data, you need to import them into Design-
Modeler or ANSYS SpaceClaim Direct Modeler, define the cross sections, and then send the geometry
to the Mechanical application in ANSYS Workbench. Cross sectional data is imported into Mechanical
and provided by Cross Section Objects (p. 2008).

In addition to specifying the cross section type and offset, DesignModeler and SpaceClaim also allow
you to align cross sections to ensure they have the proper orientation. For more information on Frame
Alignment and how to override the default alignment algorithm, see Cross Section Alignment. Illustrated
below are examples of the alignment algorithm options from DesignModeler.

Line Body Overview

Once imported, a line body is represented by a Line Body object in the tree, where the Details view
includes the associated cross section information of the line body that was defined in SpaceClaim Direct
Modeler, DesignModeler, or supported CAD system. Depending on your application, you can further
define the line body as either a Beam, Pipe, Link/Truss, Cable, or as Thermal Fluid (thermal analysis
only). Here are some guidelines:

• Beam (BEAM188/BEAM189): This option is usually a suitable option when analyzing thin to moderately thick
beam structures. A variety of cross-sections can be associated with beams.

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• Pipe (PIPE288/PIPE289/ELBOW290): This option is suitable for analyzing initially circular cross-sections and
thin to moderately thick pipe walls. Users can apply special loads on pipes such as Pipe Pressure (p. 1199) and
Pipe Temperature (p. 1202). Curved pipe zones or high deformation zones in pipes can be further modeled
using the Pipe Idealization (p. 1380) object.

• Link/Truss (LINK180): This option is a suitable option when analyzing uniaxial tension-compression scenarios.
For stress and strain output, the Mechanical APDL solver only produces the AXL component (e.g. SX, EPELX,
EPPLX, ...). This element type is not supported by the Beam Tool or the Beam Probe.

• Cable: This is a suitable option when analyzing uniaxial tension only scenarios like cables. For stress and
strain output, the Mechanical APDL solver only produces the AXL component (e.g. SX, EPELX, EPPLX,...). This
element type is not supported by the Beam Tool or the Beam Probe. This option is equivalent to the
Link/Truss option with Behavior property set to Tension Only.

• Thermal Fluid: Thermal fluid flow models heat distribution between fluid and solid bodies during steady-
state and transient thermal analyses. This selection activates the Mechanical APDL element FLUID116 with
TEMP (Temperature) as the degree of freedom. Activating Fluid Flow (via Convection (p. 1253)) is equivalent
to a reduced-order model for a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis, for a one-dimensional fluid
flow. This provides an accurate solution that does not require significant computation time. Heat flow is
generated by the conduction within the fluid and the mass transport of the fluid (p. 1270).

Note:

For the Link/Truss and Cable options, the application meshes the line body with only one
element if the body is a line with a single edge. You can override this behavior by specifying
a mesh Sizing control that has the Behavior property set to Hard.

Defining a Line Body

To define your line body, highlight the Line Body object and set the following in the Details view:

1. Stiffness Behavior (p. 224): As applicable, use this property to modify the stiffness behavior of the line
body. Options include Flexible (default) and Stiff Beam.

2. Coordinate System (p. 225): As needed, use this property to change the assigned default coordinate
system.

3. Reference Temperature (p. 225): As needed, use this property to change the default reference tem-
perature that is taken from the environment.

4. Cross Section: Select a cross section from the drop-down list of available Cross Section Objects (p. 2008).

5. Offset Mode: Set to Refresh on Update (default) to enable the values in the Details view to update
when the CAD system updates or to Manual, to enable the Details view values to override the CAD
system updates.

6. Offset Type: Set to Centroid, Shear Center, Origin, or User Defined, where Offset X and Offset Y
are available.

7. Model Type: Options include Beam (default), Pipe, Link/Truss, Cable, or Thermal Fluid (thermal
analysis only).

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Specifying Geometry

When you select the Link/Truss option, the Behavior property also displays. Options include
Tension and Compression (default), Tension Only, and Compression Only.

When you select the Thermal Fluid option, you need to evaluate the following additional
properties:

• Fluid Cross Area: Defines the fluid cross-section area of the Line Body. You can modify this value,
however; by default, the application uses the value provided by your geometry application. And,
updating your source Geometry resets this property to the default value.

• Discretization: Options include Upwind/Linear, Central/Linear, and Upwind/Exponential. Refer

to the Discretization scheme described in the Mechanical APDL Element Reference for FLUID116.

8. Cross Section (For Solver): This property displays when your Line Body includes a user-defined cross-
section. It enables you to send user-defined cross-sections to the MAPDL solver as either a Pre-Integ-
rated (default) cross-section or as a Mesh section. These options are specified in the Geometry (p. 145)
preference category of the Options dialog.

Selecting Pre-Integrated sends the integrated cross-section inertia properties, calculated in

DesignModeler or ANSYS SpaceClaim Direct Modeler, to the solver using the SEC-
TYPE,,BEAM,ASEC command. The Mesh option sends the mesh section data, generated in
DesignModeler or ANSYS SpaceClaim Direct Modeler, to the solver using the SEC-
TYPE,,BEAM,MESH command. The Mesh option enables you to post process results on the
entire mesh section.

Note:

You may see slight result differences between the Pre-integrated and Mesh
settings as a result of how the application performs the calculations. There are
certain limitations associated with the cross-section input data when using the
Pre-integrated setting.

The following read-only information is displayed for Beam and Pipe Model Types:

• Cross Section Area

• Cross Section IYY

• Cross Section IZZ

• Pipe Internal Diameter

• Pipe External Diameter

• Pipe Thickness

Line Body Thickness Display

As illustrated below, you can increase the thickness of a line body's graphical display in the Geometry
window by changing the default setting of the Line Body Thickness property in the Graphics (p. 146)
preference of the application Options.

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 Line Bodies

• Beams can also be used as connections within a model. See Beam Connections (p. 1045) for further information
on this application.

• Pipes are only realized in structural analyses. All line bodies defined in other analysis types are always realized
as beams. This extends to linked analyses as well. For example, in a thermal-structural linked analysis where
line bodies are defined as pipes, the thermal component of the analysis will only realize the line bodies as
beams.

Line Body Strain and Stress Results

When you set the Beam Section Results property of the Solution (p. 2211) object to Yes, you can eval-
uate for strain and stress results, in addition to deformation, when your line body model is specified as
a beam/pipe that includes cross sections (SECDATA).

Limitations

These result capabilities have certain limitations, including:

• Beam strains/stresses always use the solution coordinate system, even if you specify the global coordinate
system.

Because your model may contain solid/shell elements (which support the Global Coordinate
System) as well as beams, the stress display of the entire model can contain results in different
coordinate systems. Therefore, you will experience under-defined beam stress/strain results, that
is, results that will not solve or evaluate, if you perform the following:

1. Scope a component stress/strain to any line body and;

2. Choose any coordinate system other than the global coordinate system or the solution coordinate
system.

Note:

If you have shell or solid bodies in your model, you can choose a local coordinate
system as long as you do not scope it to any line body.

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Specifying Geometry

• Pipes idealized using elbow elements are not supported.

• User Defined and User Integrated cross-sections are not supported.

• Do not currently perform Path interpolation on expanded beams or pipes for element-node-based
data, like stress and strain.

• Linearized stress and stress error (SERR) and equivalent strain are not supported.

Viewing Line Body Cross Sections

By default, line bodies are displayed as lines in the Geometry window, with no graphical indication of
a cross section. If cross sections are defined in a line body, you can select the Cross Section option
from the Style (p. 35) group of the Display tab to display the line bodies as solids (3D), enabling you
to visually inspect the cross sections. This visualization can be useful in determining the correct orient-
ation of line bodies. For circular and circular tube cross sections, the number of divisions used for ren-
dering the line bodies as solids has an adjustable range from 6 to 360 with a default of 16. You can
adjust this using the Number of Circular Cross Section Divisions option in the Graphics (p. 146) category
of the Options dialog.

The Cross Section display option has the following characteristics:

• By default, the feature is not enabled. However, when activated, it will persist as a session preference.

• Only geometry displays are applicable. The feature is not available for mesh displays.

• When the feature is enabled, both normal lines and solid representations are drawn.

• The solid representation of the geometry cannot be selected nor meshed, and has no effect on quantitative
results.

• The feature supports section planes and works with all line body cross sections (primitive and user defined).

• User Integrated cross sections (direct entry of the properties) have no display.

• The feature is not available for use with viewports (p. 194).

• This feature is not supported on the Linux platform.

• When you import geometry from an External Model system, geometric edges may be collapsed and not
display the actual orientations that are specified in the external model file.

Tip:

Use the Show Mesh (p. 49) option to visualize the proper orientations as defined in the file.
These are the orientations that the application sends to the solver.

See the

Simulation without Geometry

The application does not require you to import a geometry for your analysis. You can open an analysis
system without importing a geometry and then specify all of your desired environmental conditions.

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 2D Analyses

Once complete, you save your project for use with any desired model. See the Create a Simulation
Template (p. 227) section for additional information.

2D Analyses
Mechanical enables you to run two-dimensional (2D) simulations for structural and thermal analyses .
Two-dimensional simulations can save processing time and conserve machine resources for models and
environments that involve negligible effects from a third dimension. You specify your analysis as two-
dimensional on the Workbench project page (Analysis Type property for the Geometry cell set to 2D).
However, as desired, you can change the setting of the Analysis Type property to switch your analysis
to 3D at any time.

Important:

• Switching your analysis from 2D to 3D (or vise versa) could invalidate certain specifications you’ve
defined in your analysis. Specifically, if you have defined parameters, they may become invalid
and although it would display in the Parameter Manager, it would not be available in Mechanical.

• When you are performing a 3D simulation on shell bodies (only), you can specify a shell body as
2D using the Dimension property of the Body (p. 1960) object.

Application
For a 2D analysis, Mechanical supports surface (p. 639) and line (p. 650) bodies that are planar bodies on
the X-Y plane. To create a 2D analysis:

1. Open your model in SpaceClaim, DesignModeler, or other supported CAD system and specify that the
orientation is in the x-y plane.

2. On the Workbench Project page, select the Geometry cell and set the Analysis Type property to 2D
(Advanced Geometry Options).

3. Open the model in Mechanical.

Note:

For a line body in a thermal 2D analysis, you can set the Model Type property to Thermal
Fluid.

Property Definition
Specify the properties of your 2D analysis as required:

• For Geometry object (p. 2040) in the tree, the 2D Behavior property has the following options:

– Plane Stress (default): Assumes zero stress and non-zero strain in the z direction. Use this option for
structures where the z dimension is smaller than the x and y dimensions. Example uses are flat plates
subjected to in-plane loading, or thin disks under pressure or centrifugal loading. A Thickness field is
also available if you want to enter the thickness of the model.

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Specifying Geometry

– Axisymmetric: Assumes that a 3D model and its loading can be generated by revolving a 2D section 360o
about the y-axis. The axis of symmetry must coincide with the global y-axis. The geometry must lie on
the positive x-axis of the x-y plane. The y direction is axial, the x direction is radial, and the z direction is
in the circumferential (hoop) direction. The hoop displacement is zero. Hoop strains and stresses are
usually very significant. Example uses are pressure vessels, straight pipes, and shafts. You may wish to
review the Axisymmetric Loads and Reactions section, of the Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide, for a
description about how to apply constraints in order to prevent unwanted rigid-body motions.

– Plane Strain: Assumes zero strain in the z direction. Use this option for structures where the z dimension
is much larger than the x and y dimensions. The stress in the z direction is non-zero. Example uses are
long, constant, cross-sectional structures such as structural line bodies. Plane Strain behavior cannot be
used in a thermal analysis (steady-state (p. 439) or a transient (p. 521)).

Note:

Since thickness is infinite in plane strain calculations, different results (displace-

ments/stresses) will be calculated for extensive loads (that is, forces/heats) if the solution
is performed in different unit systems (MKS vs. NMM). Intensive loads (pressure, heat
flux) will not give different results. In either case, equilibrium is maintained and thus
reactions will not change. This is an expected consequence of applying extensive loads
in a plane strain analysis. In such a condition, if you change the Mechanical application
unit system after a solve, you should clear the result (p. 1488) and solve again.

– Generalized Plane Strain: Assumes a finite deformation domain length in the z direction, as opposed to
the infinite value assumed for the standard Plane Strain option. Generalized Plane Strain provides more
practical results for deformation problems where a z direction dimension exists, but is not considerable.
See Using Generalized Plane Strain (p. 657) for more information.

Generalized Plane Strain needs the following three types of data:

→ Fiber Length: Sets the length of the extrusion.

→ End Plane Rotation About X: Sets the rotation of the extrusion end plane about the x-axis.

→ End Plane Rotation About Y: Sets the rotation of the extrusion end plane about the y-axis.

– By Body: Enables you to set the Plane Stress (with Thickness option), Plane Strain, or Axisymmetric
options for individual bodies that appear under Geometry in the tree. If you choose By Body, then click
an individual body, these 2D options are displayed for the individual body.

• For a 2D analysis, use the same procedure for applying loads and supports (p. 1171) as you would use in a 3D
analysis. The loads and results are in the x-y plane and there is no z component.

• You can apply all loads and supports in a 2D analysis except for the following: Line Pressure, Simply Supported,
and Fixed Rotation.

• A Pressure load can only be applied to an edge.

• A Bearing Load and a Cylindrical Support can only be applied to a circular edge.

• For analyses involving axisymmetric behavior, Rotational Velocity loads can only be applied about the y-
axis.

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 2D Analyses

• For loads applied to a circular edge, the direction flipping in the z axis will be ignored.

• Only Plain Strain and Axisymmetric are supported for Explicit Dynamics analyses.

• Mechanical does not support Cyclic results for a 2D Analysis.

Using Generalized Plane Strain

This feature assumes a finite deformation domain length in the z direction, as opposed to the infinite
value assumed for standard plane strain. It provides a more efficient way to simulate certain 3D de-
formations using 2D options.

The deformation domain or structure is formed by extruding a plane area along a curve with a constant
curvature, as shown below.
Y

Starting Plane

Starting Point

Ending Plane

Fiber Direction

Ending Point
Z

The extruding begins at the starting (or reference) plane and stops at the ending plane. The curve
direction along the extrusion path is called the fiber direction. The starting and ending planes must
be perpendicular to this fiber direction at the beginning and ending intersections. If the boundary
conditions and loads in the fiber direction do not change over the course of the curve, and if the
starting plane and ending plane remain perpendicular to the fiber direction during deformation, then
the amount of deformation of all cross sections will be identical throughout the curve, and will not
vary at any curve position in the fiber direction. Therefore, any deformation can be represented by
the deformation on the starting plane, and the 3D deformation can be simulated by solving the de-
formation problem on the starting plane. The Plane Strain and Axisymmetric options are particular
cases of the Generalized Plane Strain option.

All inputs and outputs are in the global Cartesian coordinate system. The starting plane must be the
x-y plane, and must be meshed. The applied nodal force on the starting plane is the total force along
the fiber length. The geometry in the fiber direction is specified by the rotation about the x-axis and
y-axis of the ending plane, and the fiber length passing through a user-specified point on the starting
plane called the starting or reference point. The starting point creates an ending point on the ending
plane through the extrusion process. The boundary conditions and loads in the fiber direction are
specified by applying displacements or forces at the ending point.

The fiber length change is positive when the fiber length increases. The sign of the rotation angle or
angle change is determined by how the fiber length changes when the coordinates of the ending
point change. If the fiber length decreases when the x coordinate of the ending point increases, the
rotation angle about y is positive. If the fiber length increases when the y coordinate of the ending
point increases, the rotation angle about x is positive.

For Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257) and Modal (p. 283) analyses, the Generalized Plane Strain option
usually reports fewer Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors than you would obtain in a 3D analysis. Because
it reports only homogeneous deformation in the fiber direction, generalized plane strain employs
only three DOFs to account for these deformations. The same 3D analysis would incorporate many
more DOFs in the fiber direction.

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Specifying Geometry

Because the mass matrix terms relating to DOFs in the fiber direction are approximated for Modal
and Transient analyses, you cannot use the lumped mass matrix for these types of simulations, and
the solution may be slightly different from regular 3D simulations when any of the three designated
DOFs is not restrained.

Overall steps to using Generalized Plane Strain

1. Attach a 2D model in the Mechanical application.

2. Click on Geometry in the tree.

3. In the Details view, set 2D Behavior to Generalized Plane Strain.

4. Define extrusion geometry by providing input values for Fiber Length, End Plane Rotation About X,
and End Plane Rotation About Y.

5. Add a Generalized Plane Strain load (p. 1237) under the analysis type object in the tree.

Note:

The Generalized Plane Strain load is applied to all bodies. There can be only one
Generalized Plane Strain load per analysis type so this load will not be available in
any of the load drop-down menu lists if it has already been applied.

6. In the Details view, input the x and y coordinates of the reference point, and set the boundary conditions
along the fiber direction and rotation about the x and y-axis.

7. Add any other loads or boundary conditions that are applicable to a 2D model.

8. Solve. Reactions (p. 1591) are reported in the Details view of the Generalized Plane Strain load.

9. Review results.

Point Mass
You can idealize the inertial effects from a body using a Point Mass. Applications include applying a
force with an acceleration or any other inertial load; or adding inertial mass to a structure, which affects
modal and harmonic solutions.

To define a Point Mass:

1. Select the Geometry object (p. 2040) (or a child object).

2. You can then add a Point Mass object by:

• Selecting the Point Mass option from the Mass group on the Geometry Context tab (p. 19).

or...

• Right-clicking the mouse button and selecting Insert > Point Mass.

or...

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 Point Mass

• Selecting the desired geometry in the graphics window, right-clicking the mouse, and then selecting
Insert > Point Mass from the context menu.

3. Specify the Scoping Method property as either Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote Point.
Based on the selection made in this step, select a:

• Geometry (faces, edges, or vertices) and click Apply in the Details view for the Geometry property.

or...

• Single node and click Apply in the Details view for the Geometry property. In order to select an individual
node, you need to first generate a mesh on the model, and then select the Node filter on the Graphics
Toolbar (p. 49).

or...

• User-defined node-based named selection from the drop-down list of the Named Selection property.

or...

• User-defined remote point from the drop-down list of the Remote Point property.

or...

4. Specify the Point Mass as a Remote Attachment (default) or a Direct Attachment using the Applied By
property. The Remote Attachment option uses either a user-defined or a system-generated Remote Point
as a scoping mechanism. Remote Attachment is the required Applied By property setting if the geometry
scoping is to a single face or multiple faces, a single edge or multiple edges, or multiple vertices. The Direct
Attachment option allows you to scope directly to a single vertex (Geometry) or a node (using an individually
selected node or a node-based Named Selection) of the model.

5. Enter a Mass value.

6. Modify Point Mass object (p. 2166) Details view properties as needed.

The location of the Point Mass can be anywhere in space and can also be defined in a local coordinate
system if one exists. The default location is at the centroid of the geometry. The Point Mass will auto-
matically be rotated into the selected coordinate system if that coordinate system differs from the
global coordinate system. You can also input moment of inertia values for each direction.

The Rigid Body Dynamics and Explicit Dynamics Solvers consider moments of inertia in the selected
coordinates system, rather than in the global coordinate system.

A Point Mass is considered a remote boundary condition if you specify it as a Remote Attachment.
Refer to the Remote Boundary Conditions (p. 1416) section for a listing of all remote boundary conditions
and their characteristics.

Support Limitations
A Point Mass cannot:

• span multiple bodies if the Stiffness Behavior of the bodies is declared as Rigid (see Rigid Bodies (p. 631)
section for additional information).

• be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

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Specifying Geometry

Explicit Dynamics solutions do not allow scoping via a Direct Attachment.

Distributed Mass
You can use this feature to distribute additional mass across the faces or edges of the flexible parts in
your model. Using this feature, you can idealize the inertial effects from the bodies/entities that are
evenly spread across the surfaces of your model, for example, mass contribution from paint, external
equipment, a large number of small objects spaced evenly across the surfaces, etc.

To define a Distributed Mass:

1. Select the Geometry object (p. 2040) (or a child object).

2. You can then add a Distributed Mass object by:

• Selecting the Distributed Mass option from the Mass group on the Geometry Context tab (p. 19).

or...

• Right-clicking the mouse button and selecting Insert>Distributed Mass.

or...

• Selecting the desired geometry in the Geometry window, right-clicking the mouse, and then selecting
Insert>Distributed Mass.

3. Specify the Scoping Method property as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection. Based on the
selection made in this step, select a:

• Geometry (faces and edges only) and click Apply in the Details view for the Geometry property.

or...

• Face-based or edge-based user-defined named selection from the drop-down list of the Named Selection
property.

4. Specify the Mass Type as either Total Mass or Mass per Unit Area. Based on this selection, enter a value
for Total Mass or Mass per Unit Area.

See the Distributed Mass object reference page (p. 2010) for additional information about the properties
of this feature.

Limitations
Note the following with regards to a Distributed Mass. A Distributed Mass can only be:

• Applied in 3D analyses.

• Scoped to faces or edges of bodies whose Stiffness Behavior is set as Flexible.

• Used in structural analyses (i.e., Static Structural Analysis (p. 434), Transient Structural Analysis (p. 507),
Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System (p. 517), and Linear Dynamic Analys-
is (p. 257) types).

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 Surface Coating

Surface Coating
This feature enables you to apply a surface coating (shell layer) of a specified material and thickness
over one or more faces of your model. This feature is beneficial when you want to include the ability
to accurately evaluate surface stresses or to overlay your structure with thin parts, such as modelling
Thermal Barrier Coatings or sheet metal over support structures. To accurately model this type of ap-
plication, Mechanical enables you to specify the thickness, stiffness behavior, coordinate system, and
material.

Note:

Surface Coating (p. 1513) is also a Scoping Method option for results.

Important:

During a Cyclic Symmetry analysis, the application does not expand Surface Coating results.

Requirements
Note the following requirements for the Surface Coating feature:

• It can only be applied to the surfaces (faces) of solid bodies (shells/sheets are not supported.).

• Supported by 3D analyses only.

• Is only supported for structural analysis types that are using the Mechanical APDL Solver. Analyses include
Static Structural Analysis (p. 434), Transient Structural Analysis (p. 507), Transient Structural Analysis Using
Linked Modal Analysis System (p. 517), and Linear Dynamic Analysis (p. 257) types.

• It uses SHELL181 and SHELL281.

• The mesh of the bodies onto which you apply a Surface Coating should contain same Element Order
(Linear or Quadratic).

Application
To create a Surface Coating:

1. You can either:

a. Select the Geometry object (p. 2040) and click Surface Coating option from the Modify group on the
Geometry Context tab (p. 19).

Or...

b. Right-click on the Geometry (p. 2040) object or in the Geometry window and select Insert > Surface
Coating.

Or...

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Specifying Geometry

c. Select the desired faces available in the Geometry window, right-click, and select Insert > Surface
Coating. This option automatically specifies the Geometry property in the Details view and therefore
negates the next step.

2. Specify the Scoping Method property as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection. Based on the
selection made in this step, select a:

• Geometry (faces only) and click Apply in the Details view for the Geometry property.

or...

• Face-based user-defined named selection from the drop-down list of the Named Selection property.

3. Specify the Stiffness Behavior as either Stress Evaluation Only (default), Membrane Only, or Membrane
and Bending. If you set this property to Stress Evaluation Only, no Thickness entry is necessary.

Note:

By default, Mechanical automatically sets the Shell Offset to Bottom for all Stiffness Be-
havior settings.

4. Select a material for the surface coating from the fly-out menu of the Material property.

5. Specify a Thickness for the surface body.

6. As needed, change the Coordinate System setting. The Default Coordinate System option is based on
the geometry scoping specified above.

See the Surface Coating object reference (p. 2229) page for additional information about the properties
of this feature.

Thermal Point Mass

For Transient Thermal analyses, you can idealize the thermal capacitance of a body using a thermal
point mass. Thermal Capacitance replaces the need to calculate the body's internal thermal gradient.
The Thermal Point Mass is commonly used as a medium to store or draw heat from surrounding objects.
Applications include the heat dissipation of refrigerators, cooling electronic devices, and heat sinks of
computer motherboards.

This section examines the following feature applications and requirements:

• Apply Thermal Point Mass Object (p. 662)

• Behavior Property Specifications (p. 664)

• Support Limitations (p. 664)

Apply Thermal Point Mass Object

To define a Thermal Point Mass in your Transient Thermal analysis:

1. Select the Geometry object (p. 2040) (or a child object).

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 Thermal Point Mass

2. You can then add a Thermal Point Mass object by:

• Select the Geometry object (p. 2040) and click Thermal Point option from the Mass group on the Geometry
Context tab (p. 19).

or...

• Right-clicking the mouse and selecting Insert > Thermal Point Mass.

or...

• Select the desired geometry in the graphics window, right-click the mouse, and then select Insert >
Thermal Point Mass.

3. Specify the Scoping Method property as either Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote Point.
Based on the selection made in this step, select a:

• face, edge, or vertex of a solid or surface model or on an edge or vertex of a surface model and click
Apply in the Details view for the Geometry property.

or...

• single node and click Apply in the Details view for the Geometry property. In order to select an individual
node, you need to first generate a mesh on the model, and then select the Node filter on the Graphics
Toolbar (p. 49).

or...

• user-defined node-based named selection from the drop-down list of the Named Selection property.

or...

• user-defined remote point from the drop-down list of the Remote Point property.

4. Specify the Thermal Point Mass as a Remote Attachment (default) or a Direct Attachment using the
Applied By property. The Remote Attachment option uses either a user-defined or a system-generated
Remote Point as a scoping mechanism. Remote Attachment is the required Applied By property setting
if the geometry scoping is to a single face or multiple faces, a single edge or multiple edges, or multiple
vertices. The Direct Attachment option allows you to scope directly to a single vertex (Geometry) or a
node (using an individually selected node or a node-based Named Selection) of the model.

5. Modify coordinate system properties as needed.

6. Enter a Thermal Capacitance value. Thermal Capacitance refers to ability of the material to store heat.
The higher the thermal capacitance, the more heat can be stored for each degree rise in temperature of
the Thermal Point Mass.

7. When the Thermal Point Mass is defined as a Remote Attachment, the Behavior property displays: define
as Isothermal, Coupled, or Heat-Flux Distributed. See the Behavior Property Specifications topic below
for additional information about how to make the appropriate selection.

8. Modify additional Thermal Point Mass object (p. 2234) Details view properties as needed.

The location of the Thermal Point Mass can be anywhere in space. The default location is at the centroid
of the geometry.

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Specifying Geometry

If you specify a Thermal Point Mass (which resembles a Point Mass) as a Remote Attachment, it will
act like a remote boundary condition because the Thermal Point Mass is not applied directly to a node
of the model. Refer to the Remote Boundary Conditions (p. 1416) section of the Help for a listing of all
remote boundary conditions and their characteristics.

Behavior Property Specifications

The Thermal Point Mass includes three Behavior options in the Details View that control its interaction
with the bodies in the geometry selection: Isothermal, Coupled, and Heat-Flux Distributed:

• For the Isothermal behavior, temperatures throughout the geometry selections and the Thermal Point
Mass are constrained to be the same. The following is an example of a Thermal Point Mass using Isothermal
behavior applied to the FACE while a temperature boundary condition is located at the EDGE. While there
is a temperature distribution from the boundary condition (EDGE) up to the surface (FACE), the temperature
on the FACE in the pinball region, itself takes a single value that matches that of the Thermal Point Mass.

• For Heat-Flux Distributed behavior, however, the temperature of the geometry selection and the point
mass are not constrained to be the same. The temperature of the Thermal Point Mass becomes a weighted
average of those on the geometry selection. For comparison, the previous example has been modified to
use the Heat-Flux Distributed behavior. The FACE, no longer constrained to be isothermal to the point
mass, displays a gradient.

• For Coupled behavior, the geometry has the same DOF solution on its underlying nodes as the remote
point location. This formulation is similar to the Mechanical APDL constraint defined by the CP command.

Support Limitations
A Thermal Point Mass cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

The following sections examine the features in ANSYS Workbench and ANSYS Mechanical that enable
you to generate and assemble geometries from external component systems:

• Importing Mesh-Based Geometry (p. 665)

• Assembling External Models and Mechanical Models (p. 721)

• AIM-based Physics Definition

Importing Mesh-Based Geometry

You can import the following finite element mesh files directly into Mechanical using the Workbench
External Model system:

• Mechanical APDL common database (.cdb)

• ABAQUS Input (.inp)

• NASTRAN Bulk Data (.bdf, .dat, .nas)

• Fluent Input (.msh, .cas)

• ICEM CFD Input (.uns)

• LS-DYNA Input (.k)

This feature enables you to either import your mesh or to synthesize a geometry from the mesh file.
When generating a geometry, supported geometric entities include solids, shells, as well as beam
element-based bodies (that have an assigned cross-sectional definition). The resulting geometry is
the culmination of the use of the implicit (angle-based tolerance) and explicit (based on node-based
components in the file) methods that work in combination to synthesize geometry and create surfaces
that enclose the mesh volume.

This feature supports all Mechanical analysis types. For the specific instructions to import a finite
element mesh file using this tool, see the Creating and Configuring an External Model System section
of the Workbench Help.

Important:

The Mechanical APDL application defines contact conditions as elements and writes this
data as such to the Mechanical APDL .cdb file. Conversely, the Mechanical application does
not consider contact conditions as a part of the geometry (defined through elements).
Mechanical defines its own entity. Therefore, when you import Mechanical common data
base (.cdb) files into Mechanical, the application:

• Translates MAPDL contact elements to the equivalent Mechanical Connections entry.

• Does not process components (as Named Selections) that include contact elements. Fur-
thermore, if you have a .cdb files that contains only contact element-based components,
the application does not transfer these components.

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Specifying Geometry

As a result, these process requirements can lead to differences in the number of elements
displayed by each application as well as the absence of Named Selections specified in one
application but not available in the other.

Important:

Note the following Workbench support limitations when importing ABAQUS Input files:

• Parts and Assemblies are not supported. That is:

– Only the data from the very first *Instance command is read by External Model. All other
data from any additional *Instance command is ignored.

– The element and node sets, as well as the materials, that are associated with the first
*Instance command are processed. Any data that follows the first *End Part or *End In-
stance commands is ignored.

• Workbench does not support keywords that generate additional items, such as keyword
*NGEN. The commands *NSET, *ELSET, and *NODAL THICKNESS are the only commands
that support the Generation parameter.

• Only the first load step of the ABAQUS file is read by External Model.

Important:

Note the following Workbench support limitations when importing LS-DYNA Input files:

• Workbench will generally only import mesh information. For a list of supported keywords,
go to the List of LS-DYNA supported keywords (p. 716)

• Workbench does not support the *INCLUDE feature of LS-DYNA, and will only read the
file you supply as an input.

External Model Properties in Workbench

The External Model tab is illustrated below. From this tab, you to modify various properties prior to
importing your finite element data into Mechanical. Refer to the Creating and Configuring an External
Model System topic in the External Model section for a description of the properties available on
the External Model tab.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Model Cell Properties in Workbench

The properties of the Model cell on the Workbench Project page are illustrated below. You use the
Mesh Conversion Options group of properties to specify import processes used on the finite element
data. Properly defining these properties is important for you to accurately generate the desired geo-
metries in Mechanical.

Mesh Conversion Options include:

• Analysis Type: Defines the mesh file as 3D (default) or 2D. When working with 2D analysis types, make
sure that all of your model’s surface normals point in the same direction using the Rigid Transformation
properties available through the External Model feature.

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Specifying Geometry

• Create Geometry: This option is active by default. When selected, the application automatically creates
your geometry in Mechanical based on solids, shells, and beam elements (that have an assigned cross-
sectional definition) present in the mesh. When imported, a Geometry object is placed in the Outline.
Deselecting this option instructs the application to import the mesh only (elements and nodes). When
imported, an Element Groups object is placed in the Outline. Element Groups object and its children
behave as a Geometry object and its children. That is, the Solid, Surface, and Line elements behave as
bodies (p. 1960).

Not creating a geometry dramatically decreases your import time as well as significantly reducing
the amount of memory used during the process.

• Tolerance Angle: This value determines if adjacent elements are of the same face during the geometry
creation process. The geometry creation process identifies groups of element facets on the exterior of the
mesh. These generated facets create geometric faces in Mechanical. Then skin detection algorithm scans
the exterior element facets and groups them based on a tolerance angle. For example, two adjacent element
facets are grouped into the same face if the angle between their normals is less than or equal to the given
tolerance angle. Therefore, an angle tolerance of 180o creates only a single face for the whole body while
a tolerance of 1o creates an amount of geometric faces which approaches the number of element faces
if any curvature is present.

Calculations to synthesize geometries using tolerance angles use the implicit method. Processing
nodal components on the same topology will override this method. See the illustrations below for
examples of this behavior.

The default Tolerance Angle is 45 degrees. This is the recommended setting.

• Vertex Insertion Angle: The Vertex Insertion Angle is the minimum angle to insert a vertex between two
free edges of mesh. The default value is 120 degrees. During the generation of the geometry, if two seg-
ments of an edge abruptly make an angle greater than the Vertex Insertion Angle, then the edge is split
and a vertex is inserted.

• Create Geometry Face/Edge/Vertex Components: These options become active when your mesh file
contains node-based named selections. When active, geometric named selections (face/edge/vertex) are
created if the node-based named selection covers all the nodes of a created face/edge/vertex. This option
will not affect the geometry creation algorithm itself, which is based purely on the mesh adjacency angles
as detailed above.

• Component Key: If you select one or more of the Create Geometry Face/Edge/Vertex Components
option, this property enables you to generate geometric components specific to the key name that you
enter. The application evaluates keys from the beginning of the string value. For example, a given mesh
file has the following components: Fixed_Support1, Fixed_Support2, and Force1. If you enter
"Fixed_Support", Mechanical automatically produces Named Selections for Fixed_Support1 and
Fixed_Support2, but not Force1.

• Process Line Bodies: This property enables you to import finite element line bodies (see Line Bodies (p. 650))
that have a properly defined cross-section. For these finite element line bodies, the following element
types are supported (p. 713).

– For CDB files: see the Beam Shape Category in the External Model Supported Element Types (p. 713)
section of the Help.

– For NASTRAN files: the CBAR and CBEAM element types are supported and require a cross-section
property defined via PBAR, PBARL, PBEAM, or PBEAML.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

– For ABAQUS files: multiple options are available. Primary properties include: *BEAM SECTION, *FRAME
SECTION, and *BEAM GENERAL SECTION.

• Body Grouping: The setting of this property tells Mechanical how to group the elements of the same
type from your data file. The options include:

– Material Number (default): This option enables you to group elements based on material number as-
signed to the elements.

– Material Number and Thickness: This option enables you to group elements that have same material
number and same thickness number to the same body.

Note:

Elements are always grouped by shape and elements of different shape are placed in
separate groups.

The body grouping option therefore controls the number of element groups / bodies created in Mechan-
ical. Using the Material Number option, the application creates a groups for each Material Number.

Important:

For ICEM CFD Files, the application uses data internal to ICEM CFD files to group elements
into bodies and to create geometric faces. Therefore, the Tolerance Angle is ignored.

Geometry Specifications
This feature supports data import of lines, shells, or solids or a mix of lines, shells, and solids. See the
External Model Supported Element Types (p. 713) section for a list of the available element types for
the Mechanical APDL common database (.cdb), NASTRAN, and ABAQUS file formats.

Behaviors and Characteristics

Note the following behaviors and characteristics for importing mesh-based geometries:

• Geometry construction is for 3D lines, solids, and shells and 2D planar bodies only. Mechanical ignores
any other element types contained in the mesh file.

• Mechanical only processes node-based components when attempting to create geometry-based Named
Selections for the faces. The application ignores element components.

• You cannot change the meshes. That is, you cannot change, clear, or re-mesh once the file has been im-
ported into Mechanical.

• Mesh controls (Refinement, etc.) are not supported.

• Adaptive Mesh Refinement is not supported.

• Geometry is not associative. As a result, if you update the environment, for example, by adding another
mesh file, any scoping that you have performed on an object will be lost. To avoid losses to your analysis

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Specifying Geometry

environment, make sure that you have properly defined the imported Named Selections or criterion-based
Named Selections.

• The Stiffness Behavior of bodies can be set to Flexible only.

• The Scale Factor Value property on the Geometry object is not supported.

Examples of a geometry that results from a synthesis for a given mesh with different Tolerance Angle
settings and Component Key specifications are illustrated below.

Meshed Model

This illustration is a graphical representation from Mechanical of the node data provided by a .cdb
file. Two nodal components have been processed: CylinderNodes and SideNodes.

45° Tolerance Angle

This illustration represents a synthesized geometry that includes faces created using a 45° Tolerance
Angle.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

25° Tolerance Angle

In this illustration, the Tolerance Angle was specified as 25°. This resulted in an accurate synthesis
of the geometry.

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Specifying Geometry

180° Tolerance Angle

This example illustrates how only one face is generated for the geometry when no tolerance angle
(180°) is specified and no node-based components are processed. This type of result can also occur
when a node-based component contains all of the nodes for a given body.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Importing Mesh-Based Databases

This section examines how to work with the finite element data that you import from an upstream
External Model system. It examines the following topics for importing mesh-based databases.

• User Interface Options (p. 673)

• Automatic Material Assignment (p. 677)

• Finite Element Data Types (p. 677)

• Reference Node Naming (p. 678)

• Accessing Imported Mesh-Based Databases through ACT (p. 678)

User Interface Options

When you import an External Model source file that includes any of the finite element data listed
below (p. 677), Mechanical inserts an “Imported” folder (excluding Named Selections) beneath the
corresponding Outline object. As illustrated in the example Outline below, this Imported folder
object is a simple group folder that contains child objects for the associated data type.

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Specifying Geometry

Selecting a child object of the Imported folder displays the mesh/geometry in the Geometry
window, with the imported data type highlighted on the mesh/geometry, as well as the Worksheet.
An example of a selected imported spring (p. 710) is illustrated below. The Worksheet displays a
summary of all imported data including column headings for the specific data associated with each
data entry (connection Type, node ID, etc.). Each row of the Worksheet represents a different set
of data. You can sort the table data by clicking on a column heading. The check-box for each
Worksheet row enables you to deactivate (suppress) the row. And, based on the number of data
items imported, the Worksheet displays 500 (default) data items per worksheet page. Use the display
and/or navigational options at the bottom of the window to display more data items per page as
well as to step through the available pages of data.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

A graphical representation of the data is also shown in the Geometry window. You can choose
which data is displayed in the Geometry window using the Show Rows property under Graphics
Properties category in the Details view. The Show Rows property includes the following options:

• From Current Page (default): Only display the data from the current page in the Worksheet.

• From All Pages: Display all of the data for the object independent of the rows visible in Worksheet.

• None: Do not display any data in the Geometry window.

In addition, for the following objects, you have the ability to select the color used for the displayed
data in the Geometry window through a color selection property in the Details view:

• Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 686)

• Imported Constraint Equations or Coupling (p. 693)

• Imported Flexible Remote Connectors (p. 702)

• Imported Point Masses (p. 705)

• Imported Rigid Remote Connectors (p. 707)

• Imported Spring Connectors (p. 710)

Furthermore, when you select a Worksheet row, the graphical representation of the data in the
Geometry window becomes highlighted, such as the green spring shown in the above image. You
can also select the graphical representation directly in the Geometry window by activating the
Label or Imported Objects option on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49). This selection option behaves
as it does when it is used in other selection scenarios for the application. Normal mouse and key
combinations for selecting, deselecting, modifying, or clearing selections act just as they do with
geometry selections, etc. This selection feature is available for the following types of imported data:

• Imported Constraint Equations or Coupling (p. 693)

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Specifying Geometry

• Imported Contacts (p. 695)

• Imported Flexible Remote Connectors (p. 702)

• Imported Point Masses (p. 705)

• Imported Rigid Remote Connectors (p. 707)

• Imported Spring Connectors (p. 710)

In addition, for the above data types, when you select the graphical representation (Point Mass,
Spring, etc.) in the Geometry window and right-click, the context menu provides the following
applicable options:

• Go To > Corresponding Bodies in Tree: This option navigates to attached bodies in the tree.

• Filter Worksheet Based on Selection: This option only displays the selected objects in the work-
sheet. You can revert to viewing a specified number of rows in the Worksheet by editing the column
headings via the right-click Show option in the Worksheet.

When the finite element data is displayed in the Worksheet, there are common options you can
employ when you right-click on a Worksheet row, including:

• Promote: When you promote a Worksheet entry, the data, in whichever form (Coordinate System,
Element Orientation, etc.), remains linked to the external system. You can modify the data within
Mechanical, however; your changes are not transfer to the external system. In addition, any changes
made in the external system will overwrite any modifications you make in Mechanical. Generally,
you promote a Worksheet as a scoping in the form of a Named Selection. However, for Imported
Bolt Pretensions, you can promote a Bolt Pretension, to a desired environment, in the form of a
load.

• Copy as new: When you copy a Worksheet entry, a new independent object, based on the type
of data, is inserted into the Tree outline. The application assigns a default name to the object based
on the data type (Coordinate System, Element Orientation, etc.).

• Show: This option enables you to select which columns you wish to display on the Worksheet.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

• Check/Uncheck: This option enables you to deactivate (suppress) a worksheet row.

• Go To Promoted: This option becomes available after you have promoted a Worksheet entry. This
option takes to you the corresponding Tree outline object. This is typically related to a scoping
that you have created through promotion. However, for Imported Bolt Pretensions, it can correspond
to a Bolt Pretension promoted in the form of a load.

• Edit Items: This option becomes available when your finite element data type has editable Work-
sheet content. It enables you to make changes to the associated data items, such as a node ID. You
can select individual or multiple rows as well as the data type tree object. When you select multiple
rows or the tree object, the application applies all changes to all of the selected rows or to all of
the Worksheet content, respectively.

Note:

Currently, Mechanical supports the Promote and Copy options for the following
imported data:

• Bolt Pretensions

• Contacts

• Coordinate Systems

• Element Orientations

• Flexible Remote Connectors

• Point Masses (when scoped to a node of the geometry only)

• Rigid Remote Connectors

Automatic Material Assignment

If more than one body in your upstream External Model system is assigned the same material,
Mechanical automatically creates a Material Assignment object (p. 2112) for the associated bodies.
This action makes sure that each body has the same unique material identifier.

Finite Element Data Types

Mechanical enables you to import the following finite element data types from External Model.
Select a link to jump to steps for working with that data type:
Accessing Imported Mesh-Based Databases through ACT
Imported Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions
Imported Boundary Conditions
Imported Composite Plies
Imported Constraint Equations or Coupling
Imported Contacts
Imported Coordinate Systems
Imported Element Orientations

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Specifying Geometry

Imported Flexible Remote Connectors

Imported Named Selections
Imported Nodal Orientations
Imported Point Mass
Imported Rigid Remote Connectors
Imported Shell Thicknesses
Imported Spring Connectors
Imported Initial Stresses

Reference Node Naming

For the imported FE data types listed below, Mechanical enables you to assign custom names to
reference nodes in the Worksheet. This enables you to access the nodes in the solver file (through
command snippets (p. 1823)). Your name can contain only standard English letters and numbers,
spaces, underscores, hyphens, and/or parenthesis characters.

• Imported Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions

• Imported Point Masses

• Imported Rigid Remote Connectors

• Imported Flexible Remote Connectors

• Imported Spring Connectors

Mechanical automatically makes the following changes to your custom name in order to prepare
the new reference name for the Mechanical APDL application:

• A name exceeding 32 characters is truncated.

• A name that begins with a number, space, hyphen, or parentheses character, is renamed to include
“C_” before the character.

• Spaces, hyphens, or parentheses between characters in a name are replaced with underscores.

For example, a Reference Node in the Mechanical application called "1 Edge" appears as component
"C_1_Edge" in the Mechanical APDL application input file.

Accessing Imported Mesh-Based Databases through ACT

The Mechanical application enables you to import supported finite element data types from Ex-
ternal Model and represents them natively through various imported objects in the tree. In addition,
imported databases almost always contain additional commands that are not natively supported
by the application. Mechanical exposes these commands (along with the commands natively
processed in Mechanical) through the ACT extensions and console window. The following APIs
enable you to access the underlying commands repository for a file specified in External Model.
commands = ExtAPI.DataModel.Project.Model.GetFECommandsRepository("Setup", "File1");

Users familiar with ACT APIs for ANSYS Mechanical will notice that the command GetFECommand-
sRepository on the Model object provides access to the commands repository. The two argu-

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

ments ("Setup" and "File1") specify the source External Model Component Id and "File Identifier"
in the External Model Component.

The return object commands is an instance of the interface ICommandRepository (p. 721).

Once user has access to the commands database, you can access:

• Processed Commands: Commands processed and natively represented in Mechanical.

• Unprocessed Commands: Everything other than Processed Commands.

User can access the unprocessed commands names using the combination of following commands:
unprocessedCmdNamesCount = commands.GetCommandNamesCount(Ansys.ACT.Automation.Mechanical.FE.CommandsType.UnP

And...
unprocessedCmdName = commands.GetCommandName(Ansys.ACT.Automation.Mechanical.FE.CommandsType.UnProcessed, in

As you might notice, the command GetCommandNamesCount on ICommandReposit-

ory (p. 721) provides the count of the command names of type specified as first argument:
Ansys.ACT.Automation.Mechanical.FE.CommandsType.UnProcessed

Or...
Ansys.ACT.Automation.Mechanical.FE.CommandsType.Processed

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Specifying Geometry

And the command GetCommandName provides the command name given the type and index
(index is 1 based, therefore, if the unprocessedCmdNamesCount = n, the valid index value
are (1,n)).

Given a command name, user can access all instances of a command with a given name as:
namedCommands = commands.GetCommandsByName(commandName);

The return value namedCommands is an instance of the interface ICommandColl. A command

can be accessed from the namedCommands as:
namedCommand = namedCommands.Item(index);

The index argument is 1 based, therefore valid index value are (1,namedCommands.Count()))

The return value namedCommand is a derived instance of the interface ICommand, i.e. the
namedCommand instance exposes the methods available on the ICommand interface:

Name(): Command name

Index(): 1 based global index of the command in command repository

And any additional methods exposed the specific instance of the command. For example, if the
namedCommand is an instance of ICECommand (a type of processed command from CDB file),
then the following additional methods are available:
Nce(): Constraint Equation ID

Constant(): Constant Term

TermCount(): Number of Terms

GetTerm(int index): Term at Index

Similarly, if the namedCommand is an instance of IGenericCommand (unprocessed command

from CDB file), then the following additional methods are available:
ArgumentCount(): Number of arguments

GetArgument(int index): Argument at index

Refer to the External Model CDB Commands (p. 717), External Model NASTRAN Commands (p. 720),
and the External Model ABAQUS Commands (p. 720) sections for all the available processed and
unprocessed commands from CDB, NASTRAN, and ABAQUS databases.

In addition, you can traverse the command repository by going to the next and previous com-
mands in the database using the following APIs:
prevCommand = commands.GetCommandByIndex(currentCommand.Index()-1);

nextCommand = commands.GetCommandByIndex(currentCommand.Index()+1);

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Given the information provided in the above section, let's take a look at some examples.

CBD File Examples

The following examples describe how to query the command repository.

commands = ExtAPI.DataModel.Project.Model.GetFECommandsRepository("Setup", "File1")

Example: List All Command Names

This example enables you to generate a listing all command names in the command repository.
commandType = Ansys.ACT.Automation.Mechanical.FE.CommandsType.All
commandCount = commands.GetCommandNamesCount(commandType)
commandsNames = []
for iCommand in range(0, commandCount):
commandsNames.append(commands.GetCommandName(commandType, iCommand+1))
commandsNames

Example: List All Nodes

This example enables you to generate a listing all nodes in the command repository.
NBLOCK,6,SOLID, 430, 10
(3i9,6e21.13e3)
421 0 0 6.3203350000000E+004-4.2985880000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
422 0 0 6.1696900000000E+004-4.5619000000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
423 0 0 5.9365700000000E+004-4.7562160000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
424 0 0 5.6517810000000E+004-4.8605830000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
425 0 0 5.3482670000000E+004-4.8603130000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
426 0 0 5.0634300000000E+004-4.7562160000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
427 0 0 4.8295410000000E+004-4.5625390000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
428 0 0 4.6795660000000E+004-4.2986070000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
429 0 0 4.6250000000000E+004-4.0000000000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
430 0 0 4.6795660000000E+004-3.7013930000000E+004 6.3500000000000E+004
N,R5.3,LOC, -1,

/*Commands*/
nodeIds = []
nblockCommands = commands.GetCommandsByName("NBLOCK")
nblockCount = nblockCommands.Count
for iNBlock in range(0, nblockCount):
nblock = nblockCommands[iNBlock+1]
nodeCount = nblock.NodeCount()
for iNode in range(0, nodeCount):
node = nblock.GetNode(iNode+1)
nodeIds.append(node.Id())
nodeIds

/*Output*/
[421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430]

Example: Extract Analysis Settings

This example enables you to extract all Analysis Setting in the command repository.
ANTYPE, 2
MODOPT,LANB, 6, 0.00000000 , 0.00000000 , 0, 0, 0.00000000 , 0

/*Commands*/
antypeCommands = commands.GetCommandsByName("ANTYPE")
if(antypeCommands.Count > 0):
antypeCommand = antypeCommands[1]
if(antypeCommand.ArgumentCount() > 0):
antype = antypeCommand.GetArgument(1)

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Specifying Geometry

print antype
if(antype == "2"):
modoptCommands = commands.GetCommandsByName("MODOPT")
if(modoptCommands.Count > 0):
modoptCommand = modoptCommands[1]
for iArg in range(0, modoptCommand.ArgumentCount()):
print modoptCommand.GetArgument(iArg+1)

/*Output*/
2
LANB
6
0.00000000
0.00000000
0
0
0.00000000
0

ABAQUS File Example

This example enables you to generate a listing all nodes in the command repository.
/*Input*/
*NODE, NSET=nset_csys2
421, 6.320335E+01,-4.298588E+01, 6.350000E+01
422, 6.169690E+01,-4.561900E+01, 6.350000E+01
423, 5.936570E+01,-4.756216E+01, 6.350000E+01
424, 5.651781E+01,-4.860583E+01, 6.350000E+01
425, 5.348267E+01,-4.860313E+01, 6.350000E+01
426, 5.063430E+01,-4.756216E+01, 6.350000E+01
427, 4.829541E+01,-4.562539E+01, 6.350000E+01
428, 4.679566E+01,-4.298607E+01, 6.350000E+01
429, 4.625000E+01,-4.000000E+01, 6.350000E+01
430, 4.679566E+01,-3.701393E+01, 6.350000E+01

/*Commands*/
nodeIds = []
nodeKeywords = commands.GetCommandsByName("NODE")
nodeKeywordCount = nodeKeywords.Count
for iNodeKeyword in range(0, nodeKeywordCount):
nodeKeyword = nodeKeywords[iNodeKeyword+1]
arguments = nodeKeyword.Arguments()
for iArg in range(0, arguments.Count()):
arg = arguments.Item(iArg+1)
print arg.Key()+"="+arg.Value()
datalines = nodeKeyword.DataLines()
for iLine in range(0, datalines.Count()):
dataline = datalines.Item(iLine+1)
nodeIds.append(dataline.Item(1))
nodeIds

/*Output*/
NSET=nset_csys2
[421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430]

NASTRAN File Examples

Example: Print Case Control Section

This example enables you to print the case control section in the command repository.
/*Input*/
CEND
TITLE = MSC.Nastran job created on 01-May-09 at 15:46:33
ECHO = NONE
MPC = 101107

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

SUBCASE 1
TITLE=REDESIGNED EAI PAN WITH PRODUCTION LOADS
SUBTITLE=VIBE_FX
SPC = 2
LOAD = 101108
DISPLACEMENT(PLOT,SORT1,REAL)=ALL
SPCFORCES(SORT1,REAL)=ALL
MPCFORCES(SORT1,REAL)=ALL
STRESS(PLOT,SORT1,REAL,VONMISES,BILIN)=ALL
FORCE(PLOT,SORT1,REAL,BILIN)=ALL
SUBCOM 2
TITLE=REDESIGNED EAI PAN WITH PRODUCTION LOADS
SUBTITLE=COMBINED VIBE LOADS (PRODUCTION)
LABEL=COMBINE VIBE PRODUCTION WITH AXIAL LINK
SUBSEQ = 1.,
1.,
1.,
1.,
1.,
1.
DISPLACEMENT(PLOT,SORT1,REAL)=ALL
SPCFORCES(SORT1,REAL)=ALL
MPCFORCES(SORT1,REAL)=ALL
STRESS(PLOT,SORT1,REAL,VONMISES,BILIN)=ALL
FORCE(PLOT,SORT1,REAL,BILIN)=ALL
BEGIN BULK

/*Commands*/
commands = ExtAPI.DataModel.Project.Model.GetFECommandsRepository("Setup", "File1")
caseControlCommands = commands.GetCommandsByName("CASE")
caseCount = caseControlCommands.Count
offset = ""
for iCaseCmd in range(0, caseCount):
caseCmd = caseControlCommands[iCaseCmd+1]
text = caseCmd.Text()
if (text.startswith("SUBCASE") or text.startswith("SUBCOM")):
print text
offset = "\t"
else:
print offset + text

/*Output*/
TITLE = MSC.Nastran job created on 01-May-09 at 15:46:33
ECHO = NONE
MPC = 101107
SUBCASE 1
TITLE = REDESIGNED EAI PAN WITH PRODUCTION LOADS
SUBTITLE = VIBE_FX
SPC = 2
LOAD = 101108
DISPLACEMENT(PLOT ,SORT1,REAL)=ALL
SPCFORCES(SORT1 ,REAL)=ALL
MPCFORCES(SORT1 ,REAL)=ALL
STRESS(PLOT ,SORT1,REAL,VONMISES,BILIN)=ALL
FORCE(PLOT ,SORT1,REAL,BILIN)=ALL
SUBCOM 2
TITLE = REDESIGNED EAI PAN WITH PRODUCTION LOADS
SUBTITLE = COMBINED VIBE LOADS (PRODUCTION)
LABEL = COMBINE VIBE PRODUCTION WITH AXIAL LINK
SUBSEQ = 1.,1.,1.,1.,1.,1.
DISPLACEMENT(PLOT ,SORT1,REAL)=ALL
SPCFORCES(SORT1 ,REAL)=ALL
MPCFORCES(SORT1 ,REAL)=ALL
STRESS(PLOT ,SORT1,REAL,VONMISES,BILIN)=ALL
FORCE(PLOT ,SORT1,REAL,BILIN)=ALL

Example: List All Bushings

This example enables you to generate a listing all CBUSH elements in the command repository.

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Specifying Geometry

/*Input*/
BEGIN BULK
CBUSH 5344 1 15301 15307 3
.5
CBUSH 5345 1 15302 15312 3
.5
CBUSH 5346 1 15303 15311 3
.5
CBUSH 5347 1 15304 15310 3
.5
CBUSH 5348 1 15305 15309 3
.5
CBUSH 5349 1 15306 15308 3
.5

/*Commands*/
commands = ExtAPI.DataModel.Project.Model.GetFECommandsRepository("Setup", "File1")
cbushCommands = commands.GetCommandsByName("CBUSH")
cbushCount = cbushCommands.Count
for iCBushCmd in range(0, cbushCount):
cbushCmd = cbushCommands[iCBushCmd+1]
args = []
args.append(cbushCmd.Name())
argCount = cbushCmd.ArgumentCount()
for iArg in range(0, argCount):
args.append(cbushCmd.GetArgument(iArg+1))
print args

/*Output*/
['CBUSH', 5344, 1, 15301, 15307, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 3, 0.5, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
['CBUSH', 5345, 1, 15302, 15312, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 3, 0.5, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
['CBUSH', 5346, 1, 15303, 15311, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 3, 0.5, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
['CBUSH', 5347, 1, 15304, 15310, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 3, 0.5, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
['CBUSH', 5348, 1, 15305, 15309, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 3, 0.5, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]
['CBUSH', 5349, 1, 15306, 15308, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 3, 0.5, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0]

Imported Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions

When your upstream External Model source file includes bolt pretension loads, an Imported
folder appears beneath the Connections parent folder when you open the file in Mechanical.
This object is a simple group folder. It contains the child object: Bolt Pretensions (or Premeshed
Bolt Pretensions). The data associated with the imported bolt pretension is provided through
the Worksheet.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Note:

For Premeshed Bolt Pretensions, the nodes at the pretension section interface are
coupled using CP commands to provide continuity for all other analyses types where
Bolt Pretension is not applicable.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions is supported by the following analysis
types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data as contact:

• CDB: PRETS179 elements are processed as Pre-meshed Bolt Pretensions.

• NASTRAN: Not supported.

• ABAQUS: The PRE-TENSION and PRE-TENSION SECTION commands are processed as Bolt
Pretensions. NODE and SURFACE are the only supported parameters.

See the Imported: Bolt Pretensions (p. 2047) object reference section for additional information.

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Specifying Geometry

Imported Boundary Conditions

When your upstream External Model source file includes constraint and/or loading conditions, a
Boundary Conditions folder appears beneath the Model parent folder when you open the file
in Mechanical. It can contain the child objects: Constraints, Nodal Loads, Surface Loads, Body
Loads, and Acceleration. When required, the data associated with the imported boundary con-
ditions is provided through the Worksheet. Worksheet content, including all default settings,
is based on the data in the external file.

Constraints Example

Nodal Loads Example

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Surface Loads Example

Body Load Example

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Specifying Geometry

In addition to the degrees of freedom (DOFs) imported from the source file, you have the ability
to expand the applicable DOFs for an imported Constraints/Nodal Loads/Surface Loads object.
For example, an imported file used to define a thermal analysis that you also wish to use for a
structural analysis. The group options illustrated below display when you select the Constraints,
Nodal Loads, or the Surface Loads objects. These options enable you to add (or remove) addi-
tional DOFs to the existing Constraints/Nodal Loads/Surface Loads. Once added, the DOFs show
up in the worksheet, where you can then specify desired values. No ribbon options are available
for Body Loads as there is only one DOF.

Constraints Options Nodal Loads Options

Surface Loads Options

Graphics Options for Constraints, Nodal, Surface, and Body Loads

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

When you have one of the objects selected, a corresponding Graphics group, as illustrated above,
is also displayed. These tab groups enable you to turn the display of any of the options, Displace-
ment, Rotation, etc., on or off. In addition, the graphics options for Nodal Loads and Surface Loads
provides two buttons that change the display of vectors from a Proportional display to a Uniform
display.

Load Step Support

The imported Constraint/Nodal Load/Surface Load objects support step dependent loading. Se-
lecting a row in the worksheet activates the Tabular Data window that displays the constraint/load
values for each step present in the analysis. You can edit the data in tabular view to apply values
varying across steps. In addition, user has the ability to activate/deactivate the constraint/load
components for each step through the context (right-click) menu on the Tabular Data window.
See the Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) topic for additional information.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Boundary Conditions (Constraints, Nodal Loads, Surface Loads, and Body Loads)
support the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural (except when linked to Modal Solution with Mode-Superposition Solution
Method.)

• Eigenvalue Buckling

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Steady-State Thermal

• Transient Thermal

• Electric

• Thermal-Electric

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as loading conditions:

• CDB: The supported Mechanical APDL commands include:

– BF commands, with the degree of freedom TEMP, imported as body loads.

– D commands, imported as constraints.

– F commands, imported as loads.

– SFE command, imported as surface loads, applied using the elements SURF154, SOLID185,
SOLID186, SOLID187, SHELL181, SOLID285, and SHELL281. Only normal pressures are supported.
Tractions pressures are not supported. Thermal convection and heat flux loads, for solids and

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Specifying Geometry

surfaces, are applied using the elements SURF152, SHELL131, SHELL132, SOLID70, SOLID87,
SOLID90, SOLID278, and SOLID279.

– ACEL command to simulate gravity.

Note:

Mechanical does not import D, F, or SFE commands specified using tables.

• NASTRAN: The supported NASTRAN commands include:

– SPC command is imported as a constraint for a NASTRAN structural analysis and a thermal
constrain for a NASTRAN thermal analysis.

– SPC1, SPCD, and SPCADD commands that are imported as constraints.

– LOAD and SUBCASE commands imported as load cases.

– FORCE, FORCE1, FORCE2, MOMENT, MOMENT1, and MOMENT2 commands that are imported
as loads.

– TEMP command, is imported as either a temperature Load (Body) for NASTRAN structural
analyses or as temperature Constraint for NASTRAN thermal analyses.

– TEMPD command, is imported as a temperature Load (Body) for NASTRAN structural analyses.

– PLOAD, PLOAD2, and PLOAD4 commands are imported as Surface Loads. Only normal pres-
sures are supported. Tractions pressures are not supported.

– GRAV command defines gravity vectors to determine gravity loading on the model.
In the absence of SPC or LOAD and SUBCASE, all of the above commands are imported. If the
input file includes the LOAD, SPC, or SUBCASE commands, then load steps are determined and
only those commands which are selected in the Case Control Section are imported.

• ABAQUS: The supported ABAQUS commands include:

– *BOUNDARY command. The supported include TYPE with value as DISPLACEMENT, FIXED, or
OP. The data lines using both Direct format and Type format are supported. For the type format,
all are supported except NOWARP, NOOVAL, and NODEFORM.

– *CLOAD command imported as loads. The OP parameter is supported. And, all of the data
lines are supported in this command category.

– *STEP and *END STEP commands are processed as load steps in the analysis. The parameters
for both the commands are ignored.

– *DSLOAD and *DLOAD commands are supported for surface and gravity loads. For surface
loads, the OP parameter is the only optional parameter supported. And, all of the data lines
whose distributed load type label is P are supported in this command category. For gravity
loads, use the GRAV option.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

– DSFLUX and *DFLUX commands are supported for Heat Flux. The OP parameter is the only
optional parameter supported. And, all of the data lines whose distributed load type label is
S are supported in this command category.

– *SFILM and *FILM commands are supported for Convection. The OP parameter is the only
optional parameter supported. And, all of the data lines whose distributed load type label is
F are supported in this command category.

• LS-DYNA: The supported LS-DYNA commands are *BOUNDARY_SPC_NODE and *BOUND-

ARY_SPC_SET.

Also see the Imported: Boundary Conditions (p. 2049) object reference section for additional in-
formation.

Imported Composite Plies

When your upstream External Model source file includes composite data, an Imported Plies
folder appears beneath the Model parent folder when you open the file in Mechanical. This object
is just the Imported Plies (p. 2078) object created when you import ply/layer data from an external
upstream system. It contains a grouping of child objects as illustrated below.

As illustrated, selecting the analysis ply object of the ply group, you see the data that has been
made available from an external system. You can modify the Material for the ply as needed and
you can use the ply-based display options of the Ply group (p. 15) on the Model tab to display
ply and element directions for imported ply structures.

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Specifying Geometry

Supported Analysis Types

The composite plies import type supports the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

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Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands for composites:

• CDB: SECTYPE, SECDATA, SECBLOCK, and SECOFFSET.

• NASTRAN: PCOMP, PCOMPS, PCOMPG.

• ABAQUS: *SHELL SECTION. Note the following processing requirements:

– The *SHELL SECTION command uses the ORIENTATION parameter to define ply directions.
External Model only supports the use of ORIENTATION parameter on the command line. That
is, the application does not support the use of the ORIENTATION parameter on data lines (for
each layer). Here is an example of a supported *SHELL SECTION composite definition:

– If an ORIENTATION parameter is specified, the SYSTEM parameter must be set to RECTANGULAR

for the associated ORIENTATION (SYSTEM= RECTANGULAR).

– External Model only supports the STACK DIRECTION parameter value equal to 3 for the *SHELL
SECTION commands. If this parameter has any other value specified in the input file, the asso-
ciated *SHELL SECTION command is not imported/processed.

For additional information, see the Imported: Composite Plies (p. 2054) object reference section
as well as the SECBLOCK for Shells topic in the SECBLOCK Command section of the Mechanical
APDL Programmer's Reference

Imported Constraint Equations or Coupling

When your upstream External Model source file includes constraint equations or coupling, an
Imported folder appears beneath the Connections parent folder when you open the file in
Mechanical. This object is a simple group folder. It contains the child object: Constraint Equations.
The data associated with the imported equations is provided through the Worksheet. You can
Check/Uncheck (p. 676) Worksheet entries using the selection box in the table or through the
right-click context menu.

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Specifying Geometry

Supported Analysis Types

Constraint Equations and Coupling import types are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Steady-State Thermal (Coupling only)

• Transient Thermal (Coupling only)

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as constraint equations or
coupling:

• CDB: The CE commands are processed as constraint equations and the CP commands are pro-
cessed as couplings.

• NASTRAN: MPC commands are processed as constraint equations.

• ABAQUS: *EQUATION commands are processed as constraint equations and *MPC TIE commands
as couplings.

See the Imported: Constraint Equation (p. 2057) object reference section for additional information.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Imported Contacts
When your upstream External Model source file includes surface to surface contact, from either
solid or shell bodies, an Imported folder appears beneath the Connections parent folder when
you open the file in Mechanical. This object is a simple group folder. It contains the child object:
Contacts. The data associated with the imported contact is provided through the Worksheet.
You can Check/Uncheck (p. 676) Worksheet entries using the selection box in the table or through
the right-click context menu.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported contact is supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Steady State Thermal

• Transient Thermal

Note:

The application imports thermal conductivity data for thermal analyses.

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data as contact:

• CDB: surface contacts in the form of CONTA173 and CONTA174, (source) CONTA175 (source),
and TARGE170 (target) elements.

• NASTRAN: Not supported.

• ABAQUS:

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Specifying Geometry

*CONTACT PAIR (TYPE = NODE TO SURFACE & SURFACE TO SURFACE). All other optional
parameters are not supported.

*CONTACT INTERFERENCE (TYPE = CONTACT PAIR). SHRINK is the only option supported.

*CLEARANCE. Parameters MASTER, SLAVE, and VALUE are supported.

For *SURFACE BEHAVIOR: The application supports all required parameters plus
one optional parameter, *NO SEPARATION.
For *SURFACE INTERACTION: The application supports the required parameters
only.
For *FRICTION: The application supports required parameters only.
For *GAP CONDUCTANCE: The application supports gap conductance as a table
of gap pressure or gap clearance. All the tabular values are averaged and used
as a single thermal conductance value in the contact pair.
*TIE command: The application supports the required parameters only.

See the Imported: Contact (p. 2059) object reference section for additional information.

Imported Coordinate Systems

When your upstream External Model source file includes coordinate systems, an Imported folder
appears beneath the Coordinate System parent folder when you open the file in Mechanical. This
object is a simple group folder (p. 133). It contains the child object: Imported Coordinate Systems
(External Model).

Selecting this singular object displays the Worksheet. The Worksheet displays all imported co-
ordinate systems. Each coordinate system includes an ID from the source file, the Type of coordin-
ate system (Cartesian or Cylindrical), and the location and orientation of the coordinate system.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

As shown in the following illustrations, on the individual coordinate systems, you can Promote
or Copy as New (p. 676).

As illustrated below, the application creates new coordinate objects through promotion or copy.
It renames promoted coordinates using the ID and the source file name and maintains a link
(Transfer Properties) to the source system. Any source system updates or changes affect the
promoted coordinate. You can make changes to promoted coordinates by setting the Read Only
property of the Transfer Properties to No (default = Yes).

Copied coordinates are simply a new independent coordinate and named as such. These promote
and copy features support multiple Worksheet selections.

Promoted Coordinate System Copied Coordinate System

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Specifying Geometry

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Coordinate Systems are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as coordinate systems:

• CDB: LOCAL command.

• NASTRAN: Coordinate systems are defined by the following commands:

– cord1c

– cord1r

– cord2c

– cord2r

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

• ABAQUS: *ORIENTATION command.

This command must be defined by coordinates or nodes. Any other definition is not sup-
ported. The types of coordinate system supported are Cartesian and cylindrical.

See the Imported: Coordinate System (p. 2062) object reference section for additional information.

Imported Element Orientations

When your upstream External Model source file includes element orientation data, an Imported
folder appears beneath the Geometry folder when you open the file in Mechanical. As with the
imported coordinate systems, this object is a simple group folder (p. 133). It contains the child
object: Element Orientations (p. 739). Selecting this singular object displays the Worksheet. The
Worksheet displays all of the imported element orientations, including a source-system ID, the
Element Set, and the coordinate system of the element orientation.

Promoting Element Orientations

As illustrated below, the application gives you the option on the Worksheet to promote or copy
your Element Orientations. In addition, you can promote or copy (p. 676) the scoped Element
Orientation set as a Named Selection and the coordinate system as a native coordinate system.
Promoted objects maintain a link to the source file. Any source system updates or changes affect
the promoted object.

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Specifying Geometry

As illustrated here, the promoted Worksheet entry becomes read-only and no operations are
supported for the row. The newly promoted object is highlighted below.

The Details view of the promoted object is illustrated below. You can make changes to promoted
objects by setting the Read Only property of the Transfer Properties category to No (default
= Yes).

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Copying Element Orientations

Copied Worksheet entries become a new independent object and are named based on your se-
lection: Element Orientation, Coordinate System, or Named Selection.

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Specifying Geometry

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Element Orientations are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as element orientations:

• CDB: All the elements defined by the ESYS command are processed.

• NASTRAN: For the Material Coordinate System field of the supported NASTRAN elements,
Mechanical uses the default coordinate system if the field is blank or the imported coordinate
system if the field contains an integer value. If the field contains a real value (angle), the application
generates a coordinate system for each element based on the centroid of the elements and rotated
by the given angle.

• ABAQUS: It is processed via the *ORIENTATION command.

See the Imported: Element Orientation (p. 2063) object reference page as well as the associated
object reference pages for additional details about the properties and use of Element Orienta-
tion (p. 2014), Coordinate System (p. 2002), or Named Selections (p. 2141) objects.

Imported Flexible Remote Connectors

When your upstream External Model source file includes flexible remote connections, an Imported
folder appears beneath the Connections parent folder when you open the file in Mechanical.
This object is a simple group folder (p. 133). It contains the child objects: Flexible Connectors.
The data associated with the imported connections is provided through the Worksheet. Worksheet

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

content, including default settings, is based on the data in the external file. If a connector is
scoped to a node that is not attached to the geometry, you can promote and/or copy (p. 676)
the connector, otherwise, no promote and/or copy options are available.

Worksheet content is generally read-only, however, you can Check/Uncheck (p. 676) Worksheet
entries using the selection box in the table, through the right-click context menu, or you can
select the cell at the top of the column to check/uncheck all table rows.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Flexible Remote Connectors are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Steady-State Thermal

• Transient Thermal

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as flexible remote connections:

• CDB: Contact/Target pairs with TARGE169/TARGE170 elements with pilot node (TSHAP, PILO)
and Contact elements with the following KEYOPT settings:

KEYOPT (2) = MPC-based approach.

2

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Specifying Geometry

KEYOPT (12) = Bonded (always).

5
KEYOPT (4) = Force-distributed constraint for CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173,
1 CONTA174, CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177.

• NASTRAN: RBE3.

For this command, Mechanical considers the reference node, the reference node's degrees
of freedom (DOFs), and the dependent nodes and their weights only, and ignores any re-
maining data.

• ABAQUS: *DISTRIBUTING COUPLING and *COUPLING, *DISTRIBUTING.

Processing is limited to required parameters only, not the optional parameters, such as
orientation or mass.

See the Imported: Flexible Remote Connectors (p. 2065) object reference section for additional in-
formation.

Imported Named Selections

When your upstream External Model source file includes Named Selections, they are inserted
under the Named Selections folder. These imported Named Selections act as any other user-
defined Named Selection.

Review the Named Selections object reference (p. 2141) page as needed for additional details
about the properties and use of Named Selection objects.

Imported Nodal Orientations

When your upstream External Model source file includes Nodal Orientations. An Imported folder
appears beneath the Geometry folder when you open the file in Mechanical. This object is a
simple group folder. It contains the child object: Nodal Orientations.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Nodal Orientations are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as nodal orientations:

• CDB: All orientations from the .cdb file that are included in NBLOCK are processed.

• NASTRAN: Orientations are processed via the commands of the Imported Coordinate Sys-
tems (p. 696).

• ABAQUS: Orientations are processed via the *TRANSFORM command.

Also see the Imported: Nodal Orientation (p. 2068) object reference section for additional information.

Imported Point Mass

When your upstream External Model source file includes Point Masses, an Imported folder appears
beneath the Geometry folder when you open the file in Mechanical. This object is a simple group
folder. It contains the child object: Point Masses. If the Point Masses are scoped to a node attached
to the geometry, you can promote and/or copy (p. 676) them, otherwise, no promote and/or copy
options are available.

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Specifying Geometry

Important:

If your Imported Point Mass is connected to a body through an imported connection,

i.e. Remote Connection, Constraint Equation, or Spring, Mechanical does not include
the Imported Point Mass in any Rotational Velocity or Rotational Acceleration scoping.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Point Masses are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as point masses:

• CDB: Element MASS21.

• NASTRAN: The CONM2 command is processed. We process the complete command comprising
of Node IDs, Coordinate System IDs, Mass Value, offset distances, and mass moments of inertia.
Any defined orientation is processed via the nodes (p. 704).

Note:

If there are any non-zero offsets, you must set them to zero in order to proceed
with the solution.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

• ABAQUS: Only the *ELEMENT, TYPE=MASS and *ELEMENT, TYPE=ROTARYI Point Mass elements
are supported. The Mass Value is the only value obtained from the MASS command. All other
*MASS command values are ignored. Any defined orientation is processed via the nodes (p. 704).

Rotary Inertial and Orientation from *Rotary Inertia command are processed and all other
data from *Rotary Inertia command are ignored.

Review the Point Mass (p. 2069) object reference page as needed for additional details about the
properties and use of Point Mass objects.

Imported Rigid Remote Connectors

When your upstream External Model source file includes rigid remote connections, an Imported
folder appears beneath the Connections parent folder when you open the file in Mechanical.
This object is a simple group folder (p. 133). It contains the child objects: Rigid Connectors. The
data associated with the imported connections is provided through the Worksheet. Worksheet
content, including default settings, is based on the data in the external file. If a connector is
scoped to a node that is not attached to the geometry, you can promote and/or copy (p. 676)
the connector, otherwise, no promote and/or copy options are available.

Worksheet content is generally read-only, however, you can Check/Uncheck (p. 676) Worksheet
entries using the selection box in the table, through the right-click context menu, or you can
select the cell at the top of the column to check/uncheck all table rows.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Rigid Remote Connectors are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

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Specifying Geometry

• Transient Structural

• Steady-State Thermal

• Transient Thermal

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as rigid remote connections:

• CDB: Contact/Target pairs with:

– TARGE169/TARGE170 elements with pilot node (TSHAP, PILO) and Contact elements with the
following KEYOPT settings:

KEYOPT (2) = MPC-based approach.

2
KEYOPT (12) = Bonded (always).
5
KEYOPT(4) = 2 Rigid surface constraint for CONTA171, CONTA172, CONTA173, and
CONTA174.
KEYOPT(4) = 0 Rigid surface constraint for CONTA175, CONTA176, and CONTA177

– TARGE170 line segment (TSHAP, LINE) and no Contact elements.

• NASTRAN: RBE2. For this command, Mechanical processes the master node and the dependent
nodes and their degrees of freedom (DOFs). All other data is ignored.

• ABAQUS:

– *COUPLING and *KINEMATIC commands are processed but the orientation field is ignored.

– *KINEMATIC COUPLING command is processed but the orientation field is ignored.

– *COUPLING, *KINEMATIC commands are processed but the orientation field is ignored.

– *MPC, TYPE = BEAM.

• LS-DYNA: *CONSTRAINED_NODAL_RIGID_BODY is processed, but the INERTIA option of this

keyword is not supported.

See the Imported: Rigid Remote Connectors (p. 2072) object reference section for additional inform-
ation.

Imported Shell Thicknesses

When your downstream External Model source file includes shell thicknesses, an Imported folder
appears beneath the Geometry parent folder when you open the file in Mechanical. This object
is a simple group folder (p. 133). It contains the child objects: Shell Thickness.

For Shell Thicknesses, you can modify the following Worksheet table options:

• Sheet Thickness: This field enables you to change the value of the Shell Thickness.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

• Offset Type: This field provides a drop-down list of options, that include Top, Middle, Bottom,
and User Defined.

• Sheet Offset: You use this property when the Offset Type is User Defined.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Shell Thicknesses are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Steady-State Thermal (Coupling only)

• Transient Thermal (Coupling only)

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as shell thicknesses:

• CDB: The SECTION/REAL attribute defined with the element in the EBLOCK section.

• NASTRAN: Property ID designated with the PSHELL bulk data entry.

• ABAQUS: On the each "*MEMBRANE SECTION", "*SHELL GENERAL THICKNESS" or "*SHELL SECTION"
keyword.

• LSDYNA: *SECTION_SHELL keyword

See the Imported: Shell Thicknesses (p. 2073) object reference section for additional information.

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Specifying Geometry

Imported Spring Connectors

When your upstream External Model source file includes spring connections and bushings, an
Imported folder appears beneath the Connections parent folder when you open the file in
Mechanical. This object is a simple group folder (p. 133). It contains the child objects: Spring
Connectors. The data associated with the imported springs and bushing is provided through the
Worksheet. Worksheet content, including default settings, is based on the data in the external
file.

Spring Example

Bushing Example

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Spring Connectors are supported by the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses

• Harmonic Response

• Modal

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following source file data/commands as springs:

CDB
For the CDB file type imported into Mechanical through External Model, the application only
processes COMBIN14 linear spring elements. Also note that for imported Spring data:

• For the supported constants of this element type, Mechanical only processes KEYOPT com-
mands Stiffness (K) and structural Damping Coefficient (CV1). If your input data includes any
KEYOPT commands in addition to K or CV1 (such as CV2), these additional commands are
not processed.

• Mechanical does not process material commands.

• Supported KEYOPT numbers include structural degrees of freedom only.

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Specifying Geometry

NASTRAN
Mechanical supports the processing the CELAS1, CELAS2, CBUSH, and PBUSH commands only
from a NASTRAN file with the following requirements:

• Mechanical only processes stiffness(K) and structural damping (GE). The stress coefficient is
not processed.

• If GB (grid point B) is blank, the application assumes that the next node is grounded and
creates a new node with the same location as the previous node.

• For CELAS1 and CELAS2 commands the first DOF will be taken as the operating DOF for the
spring.

• For the PBUSH command, Mechanical supports the stiffness coefficients K1, K2, K3, K4, K5,
K6 and structural damping coefficients (GE1, GE2, ... GE6).

ABAQUS
For spring data imported from ABAQUS, Mechanical processes the element types:

• SPRING1 (spring element between a node and ground, acting in a fixed direction).

• SPRING2 (spring element between two nodes acting in a fixed direction).

• SPRINGA (spring element between two nodes with its line of action being the line joining
the two nodes).
In addition, the application supports the following *SPRING options and all other fields are ig-
nored:

• Orientation via Imported Nodal Orientation (p. 704).

• Degree of freedom, stiffness and structural damping coefficients.

• Linear and nonlinear behavior.

Important:

For SPRING1 elements, an additional node is created in the same spot as the
given node and that node is grounded when sent to the solver.

Also see the Imported: Spring Connectors (p. 2075) object reference section.

Imported Initial Stresses

When your downstream External Model source file includes initial stresses and initial equivalent
plastic strains, an Imported folder appears beneath the Geometry parent folder when you open
the file in Mechanical. This object is a simple group folder (p. 133). It contains the child objects:
Initial Stresses. The External Model can only reference LS-DYNA (.k) files.

For Initial Stresses, none of the fields can be modified.

Supported Analysis Types

Imported Initial Stresses are supported by the following analysis types:

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• Coupled Field Analyses

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Workbench LS-DYNA

Supported Source File Commands

The application imports the following LSDYNA source file data/commands as initial stresses:

*INITIAL_STRESS_SOLID

*INITIAL_STRESS_SHELL

See Explicit-to-Implicit Sequential Solutions for additional information.

External Model Supported Element Types

Mechanical APDL Elements
The following element types are supported when .cdb files are processed via the External Model
system.

Shape
Supported Mechanical APDL Element Type
Category
2-D Linear PLANE13 1, PLANE251, FLUID291, PLANE551, PLANE751, PLANE1821, INTER192, INTER202,
Quadrilateral CPT2121
3-D Linear
FLUID136, SHELL281, SHELL1311, SHELL1571, SHELL1811
Quadrilateral
2-D
Quadratic PLANE35
Triangle
2-D
PLANE77 1, PLANE781, PLANE831, PLANE1211, PLANE1831, INTER193, INTER203,
Quadratic
CPT2131, PLANE2231, PLANE2301, PLANE2331
Quadrilateral
3-D
Quadratic FLUID139, FLUID136, SHELL1321, SHELL281
Quadrilateral
Beam BEAM4, BEAM1882, BEAM1892, and PIPE288/PIPE289.
Linear SOLID5 1, FLUID301, PLANE223, SOLID651, SOLID701, SOLID961, SOLID1851, SOLSH1901,
Hexahedral INTER195, CPT2151
Link LINK33, LINK34, LINK180, FLUID1163
Meshing MESH200
Facet
Quadratic SOLID87, SOLID98, SOLID123, SOLID187, CPT217, SOLID227, SOLID232, SOLID237,
Tetrahedral SOLID285, FLUID221
Quadratic SOLID90 1, SOLID1221, SOLID1861, INTER194, INTER204, CPT2161, SOLID2261,
Hexahedral SOLID2311, SOLID2361, FLUID220

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[1] This element supports multiple shapes. This list displays the elements in their most basic and
fundamental form.

[2] Pre-integrated composite beam sections are not supported by these elements types.

[3] The application does not use KEYOPTs for FLUID116. Therefore, you should verify the Fluid
Descretization setting. In addition, this element uses the Flow cross-sectional area only.

NASTRAN Elements
The following element types are supported when NASTRAN Bulk Data (.bdf, .dat, .nas) files are
processed via the External Model system.

Shape Supported NASTRAN Element Type

Category
2-D Linear CQUAD
Quadrilateral
3-D Linear CQUAD4, CQUADR
Quadrilateral
3-D Linear CTRIAR , CTRIA3
Triangle
2-D Quadratic CTRIAX, CTRIAX6
Triangle
3-D Quadratic CTRIA6
Triangle
2-D Quadratic CQUADX
Quadrilateral
3-D Quadratic CQUAD8
Quadrilateral
Beam CBAR, CBEAM
Link CROD3, CONROD3
Quadratic CTETRA4
Tetrahedral
Quadratic CHEXA4
Hexahedral
Quadratic CPENTA4
Prism

[3] The torsional constant specified with rod element types is not used if you change the Model
Type property is changed from Link to Beam. Instead, a circular cross section is assumed and the
calculated torsional constant of the cross section is used.

[4] These elements have the option of being linear.

ABAQUS Elements
The following element types are supported when ABAQUS Input (.inp) files are processed via the
External Model system.

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Shape Supported ABAQUS Element Type

Category
2-D Linear CPE4, CPE4H, CPE4I, CPE4IH, CPE4R, CPE4RH, CPS6, CPS6M, CPS6MH, CPS6MT,
Quadrilateral CPS6E, CPEG4, CPEG4H, CPEG4I, CPEG4IH, CPEG4R, CPEG4RH, CPEG4HT, CPEG4RT,
CPEG4RHT, DC2D4, DCC2D4, DCC2D4D, DC2D4E, AC2D4, AC2D4R, CAX4, CAX4H,
CAX4I, CAXEIH, CAX4R, CAX4RH, DCAX4, DCCAX4, DCCAX4D, DCAX4E, CAXET,
CAX4HT, CAX4RT, CAX4P, CAX4PH, CAX4RP, CAX4RPH, ACAX4, ACAX4R, CAX4E,
CGAX4, CGAX4H, CGAX4R, CGAX4RH, CGAXET, CGAX4HT, CGAX4RT, CGAXERHT,
CAXA4N, CAXA4HN, CAXA4RN, CAXA4RHN
2-D Linear CPE3, CPE3H, CPE3S, CPE3T, CPE3E, CPS3, CPS3T, CPS3E, CPEG3, CPEG3H, CPEG3HT,
Triangle CPEG3T, C2D3, DC2D3, DC2D3E, AC2D3, WARP2D3, CAX3, CAX3H, CGAX3, CGAX3H,
DCAX3, DCAX3E, CAX3T, CGAX3T, CGA3HT, ACAX3, CAX3E
3-D Linear ASI4, S4, S4R, S4RS, S4RSW, S4R5, M3D4, MSD4R, MCL6, R3D4, F3D4
Quadrilateral
3-D Linear S3, S3R, S3RS, DS3, STRI3, F3D3, M3D3, SFM3D3
Triangle
2-D CPE6, CPE6H, CPE6M, CPE6MH, CPE6MT, CPE6MHT, CPE6MHT, CPE6MP, CPE6MPG,
Quadratic CPE6E, CPS6, CPS6M, CPS6MT, CPS6E, CPEG6, CPEG6H, CPEG6M, CPEG6MH,
Triangle CPEG6MT, CPEG6MHT, DC2D6, DC2D6E, AC2D6, CAX6, CAX6H, CAX6M, CAX6MH,
DCAX6, DCAX6E, CAX6MT, CAX6MHT, CAX6MP, CAX6MPH, ACAX6, CAX63, CGAX8,
CGAX8H, CGAX8M, CGAX8MH, CGAX8MT, CGAX8MHT
3-D STRI65, DS6, M3D6
Quadratic
Triangle
2-D CPE8, CPE8H, CPE8R, CPE8RH, CPE8T, CPE8HT, CPE8RT, CPE8RHT, CPE8P, CPE8PH,
Quadratic CPE8RP. CPE8RPH, CPE8E, CPE8RE, CPS8, CPS8R, CPS8T, CPS8HT, CPE8RT, CPE8RHTM
Quadrilateral CPE8P. CPE8PH, CPE8RP, CPE8RPH, CPE8E, CPE8RE, DC2D8, DC2D8E, AC2D8, CAX8,
CAX8H, CAX8R, CAX8RH, CGAX8, CGAX8H, CGAX8R CGAX8RH, DCAX8, CAX8T,
CAX8HT, CAX8RT, CAX8RHT, CGAX8T, CGAX8HT, CGAX8RT, CGAX8RHT, CAX8P,
CAX8PH, CAX8RP, CAX8PH, ACAX8, CAX8E, CAX8RE, CAXA8N, CAXA8HN, CAXA8RN,
CAXA8RHN, CAXA8PN, CAXA8RPN
3-D S8R, S8R5, S8RT, S9R5, ASI8, M3D8, M3D8R, M3D9, M3D9R, MCL9
Quadratic
Quadrilateral
Beam/Pipe B21, B21H, PIPE21, PIPE21H, BEAM23, BEAM23H, FRAME2, B31, PIPE31, FRAME3,
B31, B22, PIPE22, B32, PIPE32
Linear C3D4, C3D4H, C3D4T, C3D4E, DC3D4, DC3D4E, AC3D4
Tetrahedral
Link T3D2, T3D3 (midside nodes are ignored)
Quadratic C3D10, C3D10H, C3D10M, C3D10MH, C3D10HT, C3D10MHT, C3D10MP, C3D10MPH,
Tetrahedral C3D10E, DC3D10, DC3D10E, AC3D10
Linear C3D8, C3D8H, C3D8I, C3D8IH, C3D8R, C3D8RH, C3D8T, C3D8HT, C3D8RT, C3D8RHT,
Hexahedral C3D8RPH, C3D8E, DC3D8, DC3D8E, DCC3D8, DCC3D8D, AC3D8, AC3D8R, SC8R
Quadratic C3D20, C3D20H, C3D20R, C3D20RH, C3D20T, C3D20HT, C3D20RT, C3D20RHT,
Hexahedral C3D20P, C3D20PH, C3D20RP, C3D20RPH, C3D20E, C3D20RE, DC3D20, DC3D20E,
AC3D20, C3D27, C3D27R, C3D27RH

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Specifying Geometry

Shape Supported ABAQUS Element Type

Category
Linear C3D6, C3D6H, C3D6T, C3D6E, DC3D6, DC3D6E, AC3D6, SC6R
Prism
Quadratic C3D15, C3D15H, C3D15V, C3D15VH, C3D15E, DC3D15, DC3D15, DC3D15E
Prism

LS-DYNA Elements
The following element types are supported when LS-DYNA Input (.k) files are processed via the
External Model system.

Shape Category Supported LS-DYNA Element Type

2-D Linear *ELEMENT_SHELL
Quadrilateral
2-D Linear Triangle *ELEMENT_SHELL
3-D Linear *ELEMENT_SHELL , *ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS ,
Quadrilateral *ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS_OFFSET
3-D Linear Triangle *ELEMENT_SHELL , *ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS ,
*ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS_OFFSET
Linear Tetrahedral *ELEMENT_SOLID
Quadratic Tetrahedral *ELEMENT_SOLID
Linear Hexahedral *ELEMENT_SOLID
Linear Prism *ELEMENT_SOLID

List of LS-DYNA Supported Keywords

*NODE

*ELEMENT_SOLID

*ELEMENT_SHELL

*ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS

*ELEMENT_SHELL_THICKNESS_OFFSET

*PART

*SECTION_SOLID

*SECTION_SHELL

*SECTION_SOLID

*SET_NODE

*SET_NODE_LIST

*CONSTRAINED_NODAL_RIGID_BODY

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

*BOUNDARY_SPC_NODE

*BOUNDARY_SPC_SET

*INITIAL_STRESS_SOLID

*INITIAL_STRESS_SHELL

External Model CDB Commands

This is the list of Interfaces provided by CDB Commands Repository. All the processed commands
are represented by their specialized types, like ICECommand, ICPCommand etc. The unprocessed
commands are represented by the IGenericCommand.
IGenericCommand : public ICommand
{
int ArgumentCount();
string GetArgument(int index);
};

ICETerm
{
uint Node();
string Dof();
double Coefficient();
};

ICECommand : public ICommand

{
uint Nce();
double Constant();
int TermCount();
ICETerm GetTerm(int index);
};

ICECMODCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Nce();
double Constant();
};

ICPCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Ncp();
string Dof();
int NodeCount();
int GetNode(int index);
};

INCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Node();
string Type();
int ValCount();
int GetVal(int index);
};

INode
{
uint Id();
double GetLocation(int index);
double GetRotation(int index);
};

INBlockCommand : public ICommand

{
int NodeCount();
INode GetNode();

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Specifying Geometry

};

IKeyopt
{
uint Knum();
int Value();
};

IETCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Id();
uint Ename();
int KeyoptCount();
IKeyopt GetKeyopt(int index);
};

IENCommand : public ICommand

{
string Type();
int ValueCount();
int GetValue(int index);
};

IElement
{
uintId();
uint Mat();
uint Type();
uint Real();
uint Section();
uint Csys();
int NodeCount();
int GetNode(int index);
};

IEBlockCommand : public ICommand

{
int ElementCount();
IElement GetElement(int index);
};

ICMBlockCommand : public ICommand

{
string Cmname();
string Type();
int IdCount();
uint GetId(int index);
};

ICMGRPCommand : public ICommand

{
string Aname();
int CnameCount();
string GetCname(int index);
};

ICMEDITCommand : public ICommand

{
string Aname();
string Oper();
int CnameCount();
string GetCname(int index);
};

ILocalCommand : public ICommand

{
string Type();
uint Ncsy();
uint Cstyp();
int ValueCount();
double GetValue(int index);
};

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

IPreadCommand : public ICommand

{
string Id();
int ValueCount();
double GetValue(int index);
};

IRCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Nset();
uint Stloc();
int ValueCount();
double GetValue();
};

IReal
{
uint Id();
int ValueCount();
double GetValue(int index);
};

IRLBlockCommand : public ICommand

{
int RealCount();
IReal GetReal(int index);
};

ISecdataCommand : public ICommand

{
int ValueCount();
double GetValue(int index);
};

ISectypeCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Secid();
string Type();
string Subtype();
string Secname();
int Refinekey();
};

ISecoffsetCommand : public ICommand

{
string Location();
int ValueCount();
int GetValue(int index);
};

ILayer
{
double Thick();
uint Mat();
double Theta();
uint Numpt();
};

IShellSecBlockCommand : public ICommand

{
string Type();
int LayerCount();
ILayer GetLayer(int index);
};

ICell
{
int NodeCount();
uint GetNode(int index);
uint MatId();
};

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Specifying Geometry

IBeamSecBlockCommand : public ICommand

{
string Type();
int CellCount();
ICell GetCell(int index);
int NodeCount();
INode GetNode(int index);
};

IMPDataCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Mat();
string Lab();
int TempCount();
double GetTemp(int index);
int ValueCount();
double GetValue(int index);
};

IMPCommand : public ICommand

{
uint Mat();
string Lab();
double C0();
double C1();
double C2();
double C3();
double C4();
};

External Model NASTRAN Commands

This is the list of Interfaces provided by NASTRAN Commands Repository .All Bulk Data entries are
represented by IGenericCommand. The case control section commands are represented by ICase-
ControlCommand.
IGenericCommand : public ICommand
{
int ArgumentCount();
string GetArgument(int index);
};

ICaseControlCommand : public ICommand

{
string Text();
};

External Model ABAQUS Commands

This is the list of Interfaces provided by ABAQUS Commands Repository.
IAbaqusKeywordArgument
{
string Key();
string Value();
};

IAbaqusKeywordArgumentColl
{
int Count();
IAbaqusKeywordArgument Item(uint index);
};

IAbaqusKeywordDataLine
{
int Count();

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

string Item(uint index);

};

IAbaqusKeywordDataLineColl
{
int Count();
IAbaqusKeywordDataLine Item(uint index);
};

IAbaqusKeyword : public ICommand

{
IAbaqusKeywordArgumentColl Arguments();
IAbaqusKeywordDataLineColl DataLines();
};

External Model FE Commands Repository

enum Ansys.ACT.Automation.Mechanical.FECommandsType
{
Processed,
UnProcessed,
All = Processed | UnProcessed
};

ICommand
{
string Name ();
uint Index ();
};

ICommandColl
{
uint Count ();
ICommand Item (uint lNum);
};

ICommandRepository
{
ICommandColl GetCommandsByName (string name);
ICommand GetCommandByIndex (int index);
int GetCommandNamesCount (FECommandsType eCommandsType);
string GetCommandName (FECommandsType eCommandsType, int index);
};

Assembling External Models and Mechanical Models

You can import multiple meshed-based geometries into the Model cell of a Mechanical analysis system.
The sources of these geometries can be:

• External Model component systems

• Mechanical Model component systems

• Mechanical analysis systems

The source systems define the geometry and meshes for the downstream Mechanical system. In ad-
dition, upstream Mechanical Models, Mechanical analysis systems, and External Model systems support
the capability to transfer the following data/objects:

Mechanical Model/Mechanical Analysis System External Model

• Beam Connections (p. 1045) • Constraint Equation (p. 1683)

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Specifying Geometry

• Contacts (p. 898) and Spot Welds (p. 1047) • Coordinate Systems (p. 2062)

• Commands Object (p. 1823) (that are • Element Orientation (p. 2063)
children of objects that are transferred)
• Flexible Remote Connectors (p. 2065)
• Coordinate Systems (p. 877)
• Named Selections (p. 761)
• Element Orientation (p. 739) (supported
only when defined using a Coordinate • Nodal Orientation (p. 2068)
System)
• Point Mass (p. 2069)
• Engineering Data
• Rigid Remote Connectors (p. 2072)
• Grouping (p. 133) Objects
• Shell Thicknesses (p. 2073)
• Joints (p. 958)
• Spring Connectors (p. 2075)
• Named Selections (p. 761)

• Point Mass (p. 658)

• Remote Points (p. 789)

• Springs (p. 1037)

Refer to the sections below for additional information about the requirements, capabilities, and
treatment of assembled models.
Assembly Examples
Model Assembly Specification
Model Alignment
Object Renaming
Associativity of Properties
Contact Detection
Mesh Modification
Using Legacy Databases
Limitations and Restrictions for Model Assembly

Assembly Examples
Examples of the Model Assembly feature are illustrated below. Model cells are linked (Model-to-
Model linking). You must first mesh all of the upstream systems in order to open the models in
Mechanical.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Assembling Mechanical Model Assembling Mechanical Model Systems and

Systems Analysis Systems

This example incorporates the External Model feature.

Assembling Mechanical Model Systems and External Model

Systems

Model Assembly Specification

Similar to defining Mesh-to-Mesh Connections, Model-to-Model linking provides certain Project
Schematic properties on the downstream Model cell prior to import. These properties can be
grouped into two categories as described below.

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Specifying Geometry

General Model Assembly Properties

The following properties are applicable to all the objects imported into the downstream system.

Property Description
Length Unit Units in which the geometry is assembled in Mechanical.
Object Renaming Downstream system allows you to rename imported objects to
easily identify the source of the object and also to differentiate
objects from different sources with same name. The drop-down
list of automatic naming options includes:

• Off: no automatic naming of imported objects occurs.

• Based on Cell ID: automatic naming uses the upstream system's

cell ID.

• Based on System Name (default): automatic naming uses the

upstream system's system name.

• User Specified Tag: when selected, a User Specified Tag entry

field displays in the Transfer Settings property category (describe
below). The default value in this field is the System Name of the
upstream model. You can change this name.

Note:

– This option is only applicable for connections

from Mechanical Model systems. For
connections from an External Model or ACP
Component Systems, this option behaves as
the Off setting and no automatic naming

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Property Description

occurs for objects from the External Model

or ACP systems.

– Changing the Object Renaming option

immediately renames the corresponding
imported objects in the assembled system.
This behavior is different from Group Ob-
jects By Source option which
groups/ungroups the objects based on
source on the next refresh operation.

Group Objects By Source Select the checkbox to automatically group the various source
objects created/imported during the assembly process. The
assembly process can generate a large number of objects.
Grouping them enables you to more easily manipulate the objects
in the tree structure. This feature works independently or it can
group existing groups of objects that you have defined in an
upstream system(s). See the Grouping Tree Objects (p. 133) section
of the Help for additional information.

Note:

• This option is only available when you have more

than one connection to the model or when you have
multiple copies specified for the source Mechanical
Model.

• Changing this option groups/ungroups the imported

objects on the next refresh operation. This behavior
is different from Object Renaming option that
immediately renames the corresponding imported
objects in the assembled system.

Transfer Settings for "System Name"

Similar to importing mesh-based files using the External Model component system, these properties
are applicable to each source (upstream) model imported into the downstream system.

Property Description
Transformation Type You use this property to apply a transformation to your upstream
model. The transformation options for this property include
Rotation and Translation (default) and Mirroring.

The Rotation and Translation option enables you to translate

the origin of the upstream model along the X, Y, or Z axis or
to rotate the model about its origin in the XY, YZ, or ZX plane.

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Specifying Geometry

Property Description
Using the Mirroring option enables you to import your
upstream model as well as a mirror copy of the model about
a specified plane. When you create a mirrored copy of your
model, the corresponding coordinate system is mirrored by
first mirroring the X and Y axes and then the Z axis is
computed to make sure the coordinate system adheres to
the right hand rule.

Note:

For the Rotation and Translation option,

transformations are applied in the following order:

1. Rotation about the Y Axis

2. Rotation about the X Axis

3. Rotation about the Z Axis

4. Translations

User Specified Tag This property allows you to append a label on to the name of
the imported objects. The default value is the System Name from
the upstream model. This property is only visible when the Object
Renaming property is set to User Specified Tag.
Number of Copies Specifying a number of copies greater than zero creates copies
of the source mesh. For example, if you import a Mechanical
Model with a single part and set Number Of Copies to 2, you
will get three parts in the downstream Mechanical system.
Renumber Mesh This property is active by default and automatically renumbers
Nodes and Elements the nodes and elements of your assembly. Deselecting this option
Automatically maintains the existing node and element numbering. Any
numbering duplication and the application will display an error
condition. You can modify node and element numbers with the
Mesh Numbering (p. 853) feature once you import your assembly
into Mechanical.
Rigid Transform Transform the Original: This property is only available when
(Transformation Type Number Of Copies is set to 1 or greater. Select the checkbox if
= Rotation and you want to apply the specified transformation to the source
Translation) mesh.

Origin X, Y, and Z: Translate the origin of the model along the

X, Y, or Z axis. If you specify any copies, the translation will be
applied relative to the previous copy (or source mesh in the case
of the first copy).

Theta XY, Theta YZ, and Theta ZX: Rotate the model about its
origin in the XY, YZ, or ZX plane. If you specify any copies, the

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

Property Description
rotation will be applied relative to the previous copy (or source
mesh in the case of the first copy).
Mirror Transform Plane Point X/Y/Z These properties enable you to define the
(Transformation Type coordinates of a point on the mirroring plane.
= Mirroring)
Plane Normal X/Y/Z: These properties enable you to define a
vector that is normal (orthogonal) to the mirroring plane.

Model Alignment
Introduction
Source models may need to be transformed (translated and rotated in space) to position and align
them. The transformations can be pre-calculated or you may need to calculate the transformations
based on the fit of your different sub-models. For example, you may need to align the hole from
one model to the bolt from another model.

There are two methods available to specify the rigid transformations for a source model:

1. Specifying Rigid Transform properties in Transfer Settings (p. 723) for each Source Model. These
settings are useful if the required translation and rotation values are already available, or can
easily be calculated for a source.

2. Using the Worksheet on the Model node in the assembled system that enables you to properly
position and align your source models using coordinate systems that you import from sources
systems or that you create in Mechanical for the assembled system. The details of alignment using
Worksheet are discussed below.

Specifying Rigid Transforms Using the Worksheet

You access the Model Assembly Worksheet by selecting the Model object in Mechanical and the
selecting the fly-out menu of the Alignment property, as shown below, or by selecting the Worksheet
button on the Home Tab (p. 9).

The Transfer Settings (p. 723) selections you make on the Workbench Project page determine
what is displayed in the Mechanical Worksheet. In the example below, Rotation and Translation
and Mirror Transform have both been specified. The Worksheet sections populate based on the
your Transformation Type entries.

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Specifying Geometry

The Worksheet contains a row for every Mechanical source model. For Rotation And Translation,
you need to specify a source and a target coordinate system, for each source model. For alignment,
the transforms are calculated such that the source coordinate system after transformation is aligned
with the target coordinate system. For Mirror Transform, you need to specify a Coordinate System
and an Axis to define the mirroring plane.

Example
The following example demonstrates the assembly of three components (a bolt, plate, and nut)
using the Rotation and Translation transformation. The unassembled geometry is shown below.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

In this example, the plate needs to be aligned between the bolt head and the nut. To specify
alignment, the following coordinate systems are created:

• Coordinate System (Bolt): Centered at intersection of bolt axis and base of the bolt head.

• Coordinate System (Nut): Centered at intersection of nut axis and top face of the nut.

• Coordinate System (Plate - Bolt) and Coordinate System (Plate - Nut): Centered at intersection of
hole axis and top and bottom faces of the plate, respectively.

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Specifying Geometry

You use the features of the Worksheet to specify alignment. In the following example, the:

• bolt is in its desired location so no transforms are specified for the bolt.

• plate needs to be aligned with the bolt head. The Coordinate System (Plate - Bolt) is specified as
source coordinate system and Coordinate System (Bolt) is specified as target coordinate system.

• top face of the nut needs to be aligned with bottom face of the plate so Coordinate System (Nut) is
specified as source coordinate system and Coordinate System (Plate-Nut) is specified as target co-
ordinate system.

Once the transforms are specified using coordinate systems, you have three options to update the
rigid transform values in workbench, which include:

• Set Rigid Transforms: Calculates rigid transform value and sets them in Transfer Settings in Workbench

• Set Rigid Transforms and Preview: Calculates rigid transform value, set them in Transfer Settings in
Workbench and Preview Geometry.

• Set Rigid Transforms and Refresh: Calculates rigid transform value, set them in Transfer Settings in
Workbench and Refresh Model.

The assembled system is shown below.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

The worksheet contains the following additional columns:

• Copy: Enables you to specify a copy of the model that needs to be aligned. Calculates the transforms
such that the specified copy is aligned with the target coordinate system.

• Transform Original: Enables you to control Transform Original property when the number of copies
is greater than zero. If the Copy specified is 1, then the field is read-only and set to Yes.

• Status: Enables you to control how the transformations specified (using Coordinate System and Target
Coordinate System) in a particular row are applied during Rigid Transform calculation. Options include:

– Active: The application performs a complete calculation to align Coordinate System with Target
Coordinate System.

– Inactive: The transformations for the Source are not calculated. The model does not move as a result
of calculating Rigid Transforms.

– Locked: The application locks the source relative to the target, i.e. the source moves by the same
amount the target does. This option is useful when, for example, you need to move a complete (and
aligned) subassembly due to some additional requirement. In this case, for all sources of the sub-
assembly, set the Status to Locked and then specify the transformation (using Coordinate System
and Target Coordinate System) only for the root node (first source in the chain).

• Message: Displays any validation messages if any of the entry is invalid.

Note:

For legacy databases (created in Mechanical version 15.1 or before), the Worksheet for
alignment is only available once you have reassembled your model in the current version.

Object Renaming
Once imported into Mechanical, automatic renaming occurs for the following objects imported
from upstream systems.

• Beams (p. 1045)

• Command objects (p. 1823)

• Contacts (p. 898)

• Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

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Specifying Geometry

• Geometry (p. 627) Bodies (Solid, Shell, and Line)

• Grouped tree objects (p. 133)

• Joints (p. 958)

• Named Selections (p. 761)

• Point Mass (p. 658)

• Remote Points (p. 789)

• Springs (p. 1037)

Based on the Object Renaming property specified in the General Model Assembly properties
group, the application appends the System Name, Cell Id, or the User Specified Tag to the object
name (in parenthesis). The example shown below is using the system name. In addition, if you
create copies of a mesh, the application incrementally appends the name (-2, -3, etc.).

Note that there may be limitations on the naming conventions used on for Named Selections objects.
See the Limitations and Restrictions for Model Assembly (p. 737) topic in the Mechanical Model Systems
and Analysis Systems section for additional information.

Associativity of Properties
During model assembly, the application maintains the properties and scoping of the objects imported
from upstream systems (geometry bodies, coordinate systems, contact conditions, Joints, Named
Selections, and Command objects). These specifications are, by default, read-only in the downstream
analysis system. A Details view category, Transfer Properties, as illustrated below for examples of
a Named Selection and a Coordinate System, provides the Source name of the upstream system
and provides an option to change the object's properties from Read Only. Refreshing your system
returns these properties to a read-only state.

The properties of imported objects in a downstream system are by default, Read-Only, and inherit
their values from the upstream system, except for the Suppressed property. The Suppressed

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

property inherits its value from the upstream-system during the initial import only. The application
maintains this setting as long as you do not change the property in the downstream system. Unlike
all of the other properties that update when you modify the upstream system and refresh or reimport,
if you change the setting of the Suppressed property, the application preserves your change and
any subsequent upstream system updates and/or refresh or reimport does not affect this setting
update. Based on this unique characteristic of the Suppressed property, the application does not
treat the property as Read-Only.

Contact Detection
During the import process when creating an assembly, the application not only imports and auto-
matically renames contact conditions, it automatically identifies and creates any new contact con-
ditions created as a result of the assembly process. During the import process, two types of contact
conditions are detected:

1. Contacts between sub-assemblies imported from different sources. This type of contact detection
happens for all sources, either imported from Mechanical Model or mesh-based geometry systems
like External Model or ACP.

2. Contacts within an imported sub-assembly. This type of contact detection happens only for mesh-
based geometry systems like ACP or Deformed Mesh (except External Model).

The example below illustrates the generation and renaming of contact conditions for two copies
of a Mechanical Model. In addition, the highlighted contact condition is for the new contact con-
ditions between the assembled geometries.

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Specifying Geometry

In addition to contact detection during the import process, the Mechanical application allows you
to detect contact between sub-assemblies or within a sub-assembly after importing (assembling)
the models.

To automatically generate connections between sub-assemblies:

1. Insert a Connection Group (p. 1990) object under the Connections (p. 1988) object using the Connec-
tions (p. 16) Context tab or by right-clicking on the Connections object and selecting Insert>Con-
nection Group.

2. In the Details view for the new Connection Group, select the Assemblies option for the Search
Across property.

3. As needed, specify any other Auto Detection properties.

4. Right-click the Connection Group object and select Create Automatic Connections.

To automatically generate connections within a sub-assembly:

1. Specify Source Assembly for the Scoping Method property

2. Select the desired assembly from the Source Assembly property's drop-down list.

3. As needed, specify any other Auto Detection properties.

Note:

The application only applies updates to the Source Assembly for this Connection
Group.

4. Right-click the Connection Group object and select Create Automatic Connections.

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

To automatically generate connections between the files of an External Model source:

1. Set the Scoping Method property to Source Assembly.

2. Select the desired source file from the Source Assembly property's drop-down list.

3. As needed, specify any other Auto Detection properties.

Note:

The application only applies updates to the Source Assembly for this Connection
Group.

4. Set the Search Across property to Files.

5. Right-click the Connection Group object and select Create Automatic Connections.

Mesh Modification
When you assemble files from upstream sources (Mechanical Model, External Data, and/or analysis
systems), The Mesh object presents an additional category called Model Assembly that includes
a property called Read Only. The options for this property are Yes (default) and No. It should be
a rare requirement, but you can change the setting of this property (to No) if all of the upstream
systems are either Mechanical Model sources or analysis system sources. When set to No, all of the
Mesh object's default properties display and although they are not in sync with the upstream systems,
you can edit the assembly's mesh and regenerate the mesh.

Setting the Read Only property to Yes following changes to the model that cause the mesh to
become out-of-date, you can clear and resume your original mesh using the Generate Mesh option.

An associated process for the resume operation on Generate Mesh is that during the attachment
process the application verifies that the mesh is available on all unsuppressed bodies and that the
Stiffness Behavior settings for all of the assembled bodies match the stiffness behavior from the
source file. If this verification is unsuccessful, then the attachment process will not complete and
the application generates error messages that list the bodies in error.

In addition, when the Read Only property is set to Yes, the use of the following features is not
supported:

• Cyclic Symmetry (p. 808)

• Mesh Controls (Sizing, etc.)

• Mesh Connections: when at least one upstream system is ACP or External Model.

• Node Merge: when at least one upstream ACP system has an Interface Layer defined.

• Mesh Numbering (p. 853): when at least one upstream system is ACP.

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Specifying Geometry

• Fracture Meshing (p. 1075): when at least one upstream system is ACP or External Model.

Note:

It is recommended that you define all mesh controls and settings in your upstream sys-
tems.

Mesh settings on upstream systems take priority over any downstream mesh settings.
That is, any changes to an upstream system will overwrite your mesh setting changes
on your downstream system once updated. As a result, you could see differences between
the assembled mesh and the settings of the downstream meshed model. Therefore, to
have your downstream mesh to be updated per the mesh setting changes, you need to
re-mesh your downstream model once it has been refreshed.

The application suppresses Mesh controls if they are present in the assembled system
during the Mesh transfer process. You may unsuppress the mesh controls and remesh
if the assembled system allows for it (assembled system does not have a connection
from External Model or ACP).

Using Legacy Databases

Note the following when you resume a legacy database file (files prior to 16.0):

• The Object Renaming property is turned Off by default. You can edit this property, but changes
do not take effect until the model is refreshed (reassembled).

• The Group Objects By Source property is unchecked by default. You can activate this property,
but changes do not take effect until the model is refreshed (reassembled).

• When you refresh (reassemble) a previously assembled model, the application:

– May duplicate contact conditions if Contact Group scoped to All Bodies is present in the
downstream system. User is notified through a warning message if such a scenario is detected.
You need to remove previously generated contact conditions and use the newly created condi-
tions.

– Splits assembled Named Selections with same name. If multiple Named Selections with same
name were assembled previously, scoping is reassigned on reassembly. You should verify the
accuracy of this scoping.

– The application also splits Named Selections for geometry copies (even if previously merged)
based on the specified number of copies. You should verify the accuracy of this scoping.

• When using legacy databases, to import the following objects, you need to first clean and update
the upstream system.

– Beam Connections

– Command Objects

– Joints

– Point Mass

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 Models from External Meshes and Model Assemblies

– Remote Points

– Springs

Limitations and Restrictions for Model Assembly

Note the following requirements for Model Assembly:

• Parts are made up of one or more bodies. As a result, when working with model systems, the application
treats meshed parts and meshed bodies differently with regards to whether the mesh is transferred to
the downstream system. Bodies meshed in an upstream system always transfer the mesh to the
downstream system. However, parts (single-body or multi-body) meshed and suppressed later in an
upstream system; do not have their mesh transferred to the downstream system during assembly.
Consequently, when the downstream system supports unsuppression (Mesh object Read Only property
set to No), any unsuppressed parts require you to generate a new mesh (unlike an unsuppressed body).
This is a different behavior compared to transferring a single model. The application transfers the mesh
of a suppressed part for a single model and enables you to unsuppress parts without generating a new
mesh.

• The application does not support Mesh Edit features, such as Mesh Connections, Node Merge, etc. in
the assembled system if the Read-Only property on the Mesh object in the assembled system is set to
Yes and if at least one of the upstream systems includes mesh edits.

• You cannot utilize assembly meshing in your upstream system.

• Don't lose scoping: Geometry from External Model (.cdb) files is partially associative. When you have
geometry from multiple External Model system assembled, and you refresh upstream model data into
the downstream system, any geometry scoping that you have performed on an object in the downstream
analysis will be lost for the modified External Model system only. That is, only External Model systems
that you change lose scoping. For example, if you have two External Model systems assembled, System
1 and System 2, and you have objects scoped to geometry in the assembled system. If you modify System
1 and then refresh the upstream system, geometry scoping on objects is lost only for System 1. System
2 experiences no scoping losses. A more robust way to maintain scoping is to properly define imported
Named Selections or criterion-based Named Selections.

In addition, if you are using the Inventor application, Autodesk Inventor, any changes you make
in the application will cause the loss of scoping in the downstream Mechanical system following
an update.

• The Geometry (p. 2040) object property Scale Factor Value, allows you to modify the size of imported
geometries in the upstream systems. The scale factor value of newly imported geometries is 1.0. You
can modify the value and that modified value is expected to be preserved on updated models.

Be aware that when you assemble models and change the associated unit of measure, you are
limited by a scale factor limit of 1e-3 to 1e3. This scale factor limit is the limit for any combin-
ation of models. Factor values are totaled and anything outside of this range is ignored. As a
result, due to these tolerances, scaled models, especially larger and/or combined models, some-
times have problems importing geometry/mesh.

• You need to perform material assignment in the upstream systems. The Material category property,
Assignment, in the downstream system is read-only.

• For Named Selections, Mechanical sends only 32 characters to the Mechanical APDL application input
file (p. 786).

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Specifying Geometry

The use of Based on System Name or User Specified Tag options for the Object Renaming
property can easily generate names which are same for the first 32 characters and therefore
cause Named Selections created later in the process to overwrite earlier ones. The application
issues a warning if this scenario is detected during the solution process.

Note that this limitation only affects the use of Named Selections in a Commands (p. 1823) object.

For all other objects scoped to named selections, the length of named selection has no bearing
on the scoping.

• When you assemble rigid body systems or systems that include rigid bodies, Mechanical may require
you to remesh the rigid bodies if the application detects new contact conditions on the rigid bodies. If
this is the case, the application sets the Read Only property on the Mesh object to No and also cleans
any imported mesh-based Named Selections. These objects need to be re-scoped. The Mesh object
property, Read Only is set to No when importing rigid bodies or rigid body systems from Mechanical
Model and/or analysis systems. Note that it is not possible to remesh (Read Only cannot be set to No)
when assembling upstream sources from External Model or ACP, so contact conditions with rigid
bodies are not allowed in such cases if remeshing is required.

• You cannot create or define virtual topology in the assembled system. Define required virtual topology
features in the upstream systems.

• Model systems do not support the following features. If present, updates to the project fail for the system
transferring data to a downstream system. You need to suppress or delete these features before trans-
ferring data.

– Crack Objects

– Interface layers Imported from ACP

– Substructuring

– Cyclic Symmetry

You may wish to refer to the Mechanical Model section of the Workbench Help for additional in-
formation about this Workbench component system.

Additional Limitations and Restrictions for External Model Component System

When an External Model component system is incorporated into model-to-model assembly, certain
additional limitations and restrictions arise:

• Any suppressed bodies from other upstream systems can be unsuppressed in the downstream
environment provided they were meshed prior to being suppressed in the upstream system.
However, suppressed parts from other upstream systems can never be unsuppressed in the
downstream environment when using the External Model component system. These restrictions
also apply when using the options Unsuppress All Bodies and/or Invert Suppressed Body Set.

• Geometry from External Model is partially associative. When you have geometry from multiple
External Model system assembled, and you refresh upstream model data into the downstream
system, any geometry scoping that you have performed on an object in the downstream analysis
will be lost for the modified External Model system only. That is, only External Model systems that
you change lose scoping. For example, if you have two External Model systems assembled, System
1 and System 2, and you have objects scoped to geometry in the assembled system. If you modify
System 1 and then refresh the upstream system, geometry scoping on objects is lost only for System

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 Element Orientation

1. System 2 experiences no scoping losses. A more robust way to maintain scoping is to properly
define imported Named Selections or criterion-based Named Selections.

• Limitations similar to geometry associativity also apply to properties on bodies imported from
External Model systems. Any changes made to properties on bodies imported from an External
Model system in the assembled system are lost if the source External Model system is modified.
Properties on bodies from other (unmodified) External Model(s) are maintained.

• Cylindrical supports (p. 1368) cannot be applied to mesh-based files imported using the External
Model Component. You can instead apply equivalent loading using a Displacement (p. 1348) load
applied in appropriate cylindrical coordinate system.

• During the assembly process, if named selections from different files (sources) have the same name,
the application merges these named selections.

Element Orientation
The Element Orientation feature is used define the orientations and alignments of elements/bodies for
a given model. It enables you to define the coordinate system of one or more manually selected elements
or each element of a specified body. As described below, there are two application methods for the
Element Orientation feature: either the Surface and Edge Guide (p. 740) option that is the default, or
the Coordinate System (p. 742) option. An example of each option accompanies the application steps.
In addition, review the procedure used to generate orientations (p. 743) when using the Surface and
Edge Guide option as well as the display options (p. 744) that enable you to change the how you wish
to view the orientation vectors in the graphics window.

Also see the Element Orientation object reference page (p. 2014) for additional information about this
feature.

Requirements
Note the following requirements for this feature:

• It is supported for 3D solids and shells.

• If multiple edges are selected in the Edge Guide category, the edges must be connected.

• The feature is not supported by Rigid Body or Explicit Dynamics analysis systems.

Caution:

When solving your analysis, you may receive the following message if you are using the
Element Orientation feature and your Ply/Layer data has overlapping elements.

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Specifying Geometry

"Some Element Orientations will be ignored in the solution process due to overlapping
elements from Imported Plies."

Note:

• For shell elements, this feature uses the projection of the local system on the shell surface. As a
result, the element orientations displayed in the graphics window will be the same as those used
by the solver.

• If you want to import Element Orientations from an upstream Mechanical system to a downstream
Mechanical system, the application only supports Element Orientations defined by a coordinate
system.

For specific technical information about this feature, refer to the ESYS command in the Mechanical
APDL Command Reference as well as the Understanding the Element Coordinate System in the Mechan-
ical APDL Element Reference.

Application
Surface and Edge Guide Option (default option)
To define your element orientation using the Surface and Edge Guide option:

1. Select the Geometry object in the tree.

2. Select the Element Orientation option on the Geometry Context tab (p. 19) or right-click and select
Insert>Element Orientation or right-click in the Geometry window and select Insert>Element Ori-
entation. The new object becomes the active object.

Note:

You can insert multiple Element Orientation objects into the tree. The last object
inserted supersedes previous objects that have the same body scoping.

3. In the Scope category of the Details view:

a. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

b. Select the body you wish to apply orientations to and, click in the Geometry property's field, and
then click the Apply button. You can also specify an element or elements (p. 186) as well as a desired
geometry- or element-based (p. 186)Named Selection.

Note:

The body you select may have an existing coordinate system scoping; however,
once defined by an Element Orientation system, the feature overwrites any ex-
isting coordinate systems.

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 Element Orientation

4. In the Definition category of the Details view specify the Defined By property as Surface and Edge
Guide.

5. In the Surface Guide category of the Details view:

a. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

b. Select the face or faces that you wish to define to be the Surface Guide, click in the Geometry
property's field, and then click the Apply button. Or, specify a desired Named Selection. You can
select multiple faces to define this surface geometry.

c. Specify the axis for the perpendicular direction from the Axis property drop-down list, either +/-
X Axis, +/- Y Axis, or +/- Z Axis.

6. In the Edge Guide category of the Details view:

a. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

b. Select the edge or edges that you wish to define as tangent to the target body, click in the Geometry
property's field, and then click the Apply button. Or, specify a desired Named Selection.

c. Specify the axis for the tangent direction from the Axis property drop-down list, either +/- X Axis,
+/- Y Axis, or +/- Z Axis.

7. Right-click the Element Orientation object and select Generate Orientations.

Note:

This feature requires an X, Y, and Z coordinate. You define two of the coordinates,
surface and edge, and the application calculates the third required coordinate.

8. Select the Wireframe view option to view the new orientations.

Surface and Edge Guide Orientation Example

The following images illustrate the use of the Surface and Edge Guide option. The first image shows
the defined body (in purple) and the Surface Guide (red face) and Edge Guide (yellow edge) selections.
The second image illustrates the internal element orientations that were generated with all bodies dis-
played and the third image is an enlargement of the target body only.

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Specifying Geometry

Coordinate System Option

To define your element orientation using the Coordinate System option:

1. Select the Geometry object in the tree.

2. Select the Element Orientation option on the Geometry Context tab (p. 19) or right-click and select
Insert>Element Orientation or right-click in the graphics window and select Insert>Element Orient-
ation. The new object becomes the active object.

Note:

You can insert multiple Element Orientation objects into the tree. The last object
inserted supersedes previous objects that have the same body scoping.

3. In the Scope category of the Details view:

a. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

b. Select the body you wish to apply orientations to and, click in the Geometry property's field, and
then click the Apply button. You can also specify an element or elements (p. 186) as well as a desired
geometry- or element-based (p. 186)Named Selection.

Note:

The body you select may have an existing coordinate system scoping; however,
once defined by an Element Orientation system, the feature overwrites any ex-
isting coordinate systems.

Note:

The body you select may have an existing coordinate system scoping; however,
once defined by an Element Orientation system, the feature overwrites any ex-
isting coordinate systems.

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 Element Orientation

4. In the Definition category of the Details view specify the Defined By property as Coordinate System.

5. Set the Coordinate System property to the desired coordinate system that you have created. One
single triad automatically displays on the applicable region. No other triads are shown, unlike the
Surface and Edge Guide option.

6. Select the Wireframe view option to view the new orientations.

Coordinate System Orientation Example

The following images illustrate the use of the Coordinate System option. The first image shows the
defined body and the second image illustrates the coordinate-based element orientation.

Generation Procedures for Surface and Edge Guide Option

The Surface Guides and Edge Guides use the following procedure to generate orientations:

1. Identify one or more surfaces to be the surface guide and one or more edges to be the edge guide.

2. Identify the 1st axis (e.g., z-axis) that will align normal to the surface guide.

3. Identify the 2nd axis (e.g., x-axis) that will align itself tangential to the edge guide.

For each element in the selected body:

• The application obtains the surface normal direction (N-vector) at a location on the Surface Guide closest
to the element's centroid and aligns the specified axis (z-axis) with it.

• The application obtains the tangential direction (T-vector) to the edge at a location on the Edge Guide that
is closest to the element's centroid.

• The cross-product of the N-vector and T-vector calculate the 3rd axis (y-axis).

• The tangential, 2nd axis (x-axis), is obtained by taking the cross-product of the N-vector and the 3rd axis.

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Specifying Geometry

Display Options
Once orientations are generated, the Display group appears in the Geometry Context tab.

The Display options provide the following features.

Option Illustration Description

Scaling Controls the relative length of the vectors in incremental steps from
Slider 1 to 10 (default = 5), as displayed in the tool tip when you drag the
mouse cursor on the slider handle.
Element Displays all vectors, aligned with each element.
Aligned
Grid Displays vectors, aligned on a uniform grid.
Aligned
Density Controls the relative size of the grid, which determines the quantity
Slider (density) of the vectors. Increases are made in uniform steps from 0
[coarse] to 100 [fine] (default = 20), as displayed in the tool tip when
you drag the mouse cursor on the slider handle.

This control is only available when the Grid Aligned option is selected.
Line Displays element vectors as line arrows.
Form
Solid Displays element vectors as solid arrows.
Form
X Turns the display of the X Axis of an element on and off.
Axis
Y Turns the display of the Y Axis of an element on and off.
Axis
Z Turns the display of the Z Axis of an element on and off.
Axis

These options are similar to the options of the Vector Display (p. 31) for results.

Geometry from Deformation Results

From the Project Schematic, Workbench and Mechanical enable you to link and transfer the deformed
geometry and mesh that are based on a Deformation (p. 1516) result, from a Static Structural, Transient
Structural, Modal, Eigenvalue Buckling, Explicit Dynamics, or Workbench LS-DYNA system to a Mechan-
ical Model system or to (any (p. 243)) Mechanical analysis system.

Important:

Your analysis must use the Mechanical APDL solver or the AUTODYN solver.

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 Geometry from Deformation Results

This approach is ideal for using a displaced structure as the initial geometry of a subsequent analysis.
For example, you might wish to introduce imperfections to an otherwise perfect geometry to overcome
convergence issues when running a nonlinear simulation.

Specifications and Limitations

Note the following:

• Named Selections (face-, node-, and elemental-based) transfer from the upstream system.

• The application creates the deformed geometry using the unit system of the result file, i.e., the unit
system that was used during the solution of the upstream system.

• Property specifications made to the bodies of the geometry in the upstream systems transfer to the
downstream system. These specifications are, by default, read-only in the downstream analysis system.
A Details view category, Transfer Properties, provides the Source name of the upstream system and
provides an option to change the object's properties from Read Only. If the Read Only property for a
body is changed to No, the property specifications made in the upstream system will not transfer when
data is refreshed.

• Property specifications made on the Geometry object of the upstream system do not transfer to the
downstream system.

• Rigid and Gasket bodies do not transfer.

• Materials transfer only when the upstream and downstream systems share the Engineering Data cell.

• This option does not support a Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383).

Important:

For line bodies, the nodal coordinates of the orientation nodes are not updated and remain
the same as the initial geometry/mesh. Therefore, carefully validate the results of any analysis
that uses the deformed geometry if the initial geometry has line bodies.

Application
1. Identify the deformation result within the solved analysis that you wish to use. An example Eigenvalue
Buckling analysis is illustrated below. The result to be specified is the first result (Mode = 1).

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Specifying Geometry

2. Return to the Project Schematic and link the Mechanical Solution cell to the Model cell of the downstream
Mechanical system. You can create links from the Solution cell to multiple downstream Model cells.

In the continued example shown here, the Solution cell is selected. Note the properties under the
heading "Update Settings for Static Structural 2", the new downstream system. If multiple links are
present, there is an instance of the "Update Settings for Analysis Type" in the properties for each
linked analysis. If you change a setting in properties for a linked system, this causes the data for all
of the other downstream systems to become obsolete and you need to refresh the data on each
system.

The properties include:

• Process Nodal Components: Enables the upstream system to import node-based components
defined in the mesh files. The application transfers the data to downstream Mechanical systems
as node-based Named Selections. The application renames (p. 731) the node-based Named Selection
objects in Mechanical based on the selection made in the Object Renaming property.

• Nodal Component Key: This entry field enables you to filter and import only those node-based
components that start with a specified name/string value in the mesh files. For example, you want
to import only node-based components that start with the prefix string "nodal_*." Enter that
string into this field and the application filters through all component names and returns only
the components that begin with this key string value.

• Process Element Components: Enables the upstream system to import any element-based
components defined in the mesh files. The application transfers data to downstream Mechanical
systems as elemental-based Named Selections. The application renames (p. 731) the element-based
Named Selection objects in Mechanical based on the selection made in the Object Renaming
property.

• Element Component Key: This entry field enables you to filter and import only those element-
based components that start with a specified name/string value in the mesh files. For example,
you want to import only element-based components that start with the prefix string "element-
al_*." Enter that string into this field and the application filters through all component names
and returns only the components that begin with this string value.

• Scale Factor: this property scales the displacements of the initial configuration. If Scale Factor
is 1.0, the full displacement value will be added to each node, 0.5, half the displacement value
will be added, and so on. Negative Scale Factor values subtract the displacements and reverse
the direction of deformation.

• Time/Mode: this property is based on the analysis system.

For a Static Structural, Transient Structural, or Explicit Dynamics system, you specify a Time
setting for the upstream system's results for each downstream Model cell. The Time property
options include End Time (default) and User Defined.

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 Geometry from Deformation Results

For Eigenvalue Buckling or Modal systems, you specify the desired Mode, for each connection
to a downstream Model cell. In this bucking example, it is Mode, and displays the result that
you selected in the buckling analysis (Mode = 1) to use as your geometry and mesh in this
subsequent analysis. You can change the desired/target result at this time (to Mode = 2, 3,
etc.).

Important:

– If you enter a Time value that is greater than the end time of the upstream analysis,
the result generated for the deformed geometry assumes the final time. If specified
by Mode, and you enter a Mode value greater than the maximum number reported
by the solution, geometry generation fails.

– If you enter a User Defined time of 0, the application generates the geometry at
the End Time.

3. The Model cell is selected in the example shown below for the new system. Specify any Model Assembly
or Mesh Conversion Options on the Model cell of the downstream system to modify or assemble the new
geometry.

Note:

If you are incorporating a deformed geometry into Model Assembly systems, you need
to share the Engineering Data cell of the deformed geometry system with one or more
of the Model Assembly systems in order to have the materials automatically transferred
and set for the deformed geometry in the downstream system.

4. Open the new system in Mechanical. The new geometry and the mesh are transferred.

Note:

When you are using a deformation result as a geometry, the same behavioral character-
istics as well as limitations apply as those associated with importing mesh-based geomet-
ries. Refer to the Behaviors and Characteristics topic of in the Mesh-Based Geo-
metry (p. 665) section of the Help for specific information.

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Specifying Geometry

Geometry From Rigid Body Dynamics Results

From the Project Schematic, Workbench and Mechanical enable you to link and transfer updated
geometry and connections that are based on a simulation result from a Rigid Body Dynamics system
to a Mechanical Model system or to any (p. 243) Mechanical analysis system.

This approach is ideal for using a displaced model as the initial geometry of a subsequent analysis. For
example, you may wish to convert one body from rigid to flexible and perform a static analysis at a
given configuration using the corresponding motion loads. It is also useful when the analysis of one
single component is not accurate enough. This can be the case if contact exists on the parts of interest
for the stress analysis.

Specification and Limitations

Note the following:

• The application creates the updated geometry using the unit system of the result file (the unit system that
was used during the solution of the upstream system).

• Property specifications made to the bodies of the geometry in the upstream system transfers to the down-
stream system. These specifications are, by default, read-only in the downstream system. A Details view
category, Transfer Properties, provides the Source name of the upstream system and provides an option
to change the object's properties from Read Only. If the Read Only property for a body is changed to No,
the property specifications made in the upstream system will not transfer when the data is refreshed.

• Property specifications made on the Geometry object of the upstream system do not transfer to the
downstream system.

• Joints Initial Position property in the downstream system will be set to Override.

• Flexible, Line, and Gasket Bodies are not supported.

• Nonlinear spring and bushing properties are identical to those in the upstream properties, and are not re-
evaluated around the new operating point.

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 Geometry From Rigid Body Dynamics Results

Application
1. Identify the configuration results within the solved analysis that you wish to use. An example is shown
below. The configuration to be specified is the result at time = 1.5.

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Specifying Geometry

2. Return to the Project Schematic and link the Mechanical Solution cell to the Model cell of the downstream
Mechanical system.

3. If you change a setting in certain properties for the linked system, the data of the downstream system be-
comes obsolete and you should refresh the data on the system.

Properties which cause the downstream system to become obsolete include:

• Time: For a Rigid Body Dynamics system, specify a Time setting for the upstream system's results for
the downstream Model cell. The Time property can be set to End Time or User Defined.

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 Geometry From Rigid Body Dynamics Results

Important:

If you enter a Time value that is greater than the end time of the upstream analysis,
the result generated for the updated geometry uses the end time. If you enter a User
Defined time of 0, the application also uses the geometry from the end time of the
analysis. This differs from the imported geometry in that the model is assembled at
time = 0 to satisfy all kinematic constraints (joints, joint conditions, and user-defined
constraint equations).

4. Open the new system in Mechanical. The new geometry and the updated connections are transferred.

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Specifying Materials
The following topics explain the use of material features:

• Materials (Group) (p. 2117)

• Material (p. 2110)

• Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Material Plot (p. 754)

• Material Combination (p. 755)

• Imported Material Fields (p. 758)

Material Assignment
The Material Assignment feature provides a convenient way to assign a material to multiple bodies
and control its behavior, like nonlinear effects, thermal strain calculation, reference temperature etc. It
also allows for a convenient way for users to edit material properties through a Commands (APDL) (p. 1972)
object.

Important:

The Material Assignment feature is not supported by Workbench LS-DYNA.

To insert and apply a Material Assignment object:

1. Select either the Materials (p. 2117) object or one of its material child objects.

2. Select the Material Assignment option from the Materials Context tab or, right-click the Materials
object and select Insert > Material Assignment. A Material Assignment object is placed in the
Outline.

3. Select your Scoping Method: either Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

4. Select the desired Bodies choose an appropriate user-defined Named Selection.

5. Specify the desired material using the Material Name property. This property behaves just like the
Material Assignment (p. 226) property of a body or part.

6. Specify the following as needed:

• Nonlinear Effects (p. 227)

• Thermal Strain Effects (p. 227)

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Specifying Materials

• Reference Temperature (p. 225)

7. As needed, modify the Field Coordinate System setting. Using the Default Coordinate System
setting, all of the specified bodies will have the same coordinate system.

The use of material assignment also affects how materials are sent to the solver. By default, when
Mechanical creates an input file, the application assigns a unique material identifier (matid, #) to
each body of the model regardless of the material assigned to the body/part. Here is an example input
file. Each part is assigned the material Structural Steel and has its own material identifier.
!*********** Model Summary ********************
!Part 12, Structural Steel, matid, 1
!Part 13, Structural Steel, matid, 2
!Part 14, Structural Steel, matid, 3
!Part 133, Structural Steel, matid, 4
!Part 134, Structural Steel, matid, 5
!Part 135, Structural Steel, matid, 6
!*********************** End Model Summary *****************

When material assignment object is used, all the scoped bodies are assigned the same material identi-
fier, as illustrated below (mat id, 43). For this example, you can see the default behavior of material
assignment as well as the Material Assignment feature.
!*********** Model Summary ********************
!Part 12, Structural Steel, matid, 1
!Part 13, Structural Steel, matid, 2
!Part 14, Structural Steel, matid, 3
!Part 133, Titanium Alloy, matid, 43
!Part 134, Titanium Alloy, matid, 43
!Part 135, Structural Steel, matid, 6
!*********************** End Model Summary *****************

Note:

• When specifying the same material to multiple bodies using Material Assignment object (p. 2112),
the application can no longer identify the bodies using the material identifier (matid) in the
solver input file. In this case, you can use the typeids list to identify a body. The identifier
typeids is a one-dimension array parameter that you can use to access the type numbers for
a body. You can access type numbers using a subscript (enclosed in parentheses) to identify the
required item of the array. For example, to access the first type number for the body use
typeids(1).

• The Material Assignment feature cannot be used with either Layered Section (p. 2105) or Imported
Trace (p. 2095).

Material Plot
The Material Plot feature enables you to plot the materials of your model as contours using geometry
or Named Selection scoping. The supported geometric entities include Body, Face, Edge, and Element.
Once you specify your geometry selections, right-click the object and select Generate Material Plot.
The Geometry window displays contours on your model that correspond to the material (properties)
of the specified geometry/geometries/named selections. An example is illustrated below that includes
Isotropic Elasticity, Young's Modulus, and the unit of measure.

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 Material Combination

You insert this object from either the Materials Context tab, or by right-clicking the Materials object
and selecting Insert > Material Plot.

See the Material Plot object reference page (p. 2116) for a description of the object's properties.

Temperature Dependent Properties

If a material property depends on temperature, then the values are calculated at the reference temper-
ature of the body. If the reference temperature of the body is set per environment, then a default value
of 22 °C is chosen.

Properties Dependent on Field Variables

Material properties can be dependent on user-defined field variables. User-defined Field Variables are
either imported through Imported Material Field objects or a single default value is defined in the
Engineering Data Workspace. As such, your material property values are calculated based on the
definition of one of these user-defined field variables. Field Variable interpolation algorithms (Algorithm
Type) can be modified in the Engineering Data Workspace and the change is reflected in your contour
plot.

Material Combination
Using the materials available in the Engineering Data workspace, the Material Combination feature
enables you to assign a combination of different materials, specifically their material properties, to a
body or part.

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Specifying Materials

Guidelines
The material properties of combined materials are used to determine effective material properties. The
effective material properties are calculated as weighted averages based on the specified percentage of
the combined Materials. Additionally:

• For a material property to be used in combination, it must be defined for each Material specified in the
Material category and the combined materials must share at least one such material property. Currently,
the following material properties are available for combination:

– Thermal – Poisson's Ratio

Conductivity
– Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
– Density
– Orthotropic Elasticity
– Specific Heat
– Orthotropic Conductivity
– Young's Modulus

• Only linear materials are supported.

• Temperature-dependent material properties are supported.

Application
To add a Material Combination object (p. 2114):

1. Right-click the Materials folder and select Insert > Material Combination. Or, use the option available
on the Materials Context tab (p. 20).

2. Open the flyout menu of the Add Material property to display the Engineering Data Materials
pane (p. 92). Using this pane, you can select from existing materials and/or search for additional materials,
that you wish to combine.

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 Material Combination

Note:

You can select multiple materials from the group folder and then either right-click and
select Create Material Combination or select the Material Combination option on
Materials Context tab to scope the Materials Combination object.

3. Once added, the material displays in the Details view and is assigned a percentage. As you add materials
you can modify the percentages as desired. The total percentage cannot exceed 100%. However, you can
have a total percentage of less than 100%. In this instance, any percentage unaccounted for is considered
to be empty space with no material properties.

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Specifying Materials

4. Once your Material Combination object is complete, you can use it to scope the Material Assign-
ment (p. 226) of parts and bodies.

Note:

• You can create multiple Material Combination objects.

• You can delete an added material by selecting its row in the Details view and selecting the delete
key or you can use the Delete option available on the Materials Context tab.

Imported Material Fields

The Imported Material Field object enables you to import user-defined Field Variable values, created
in the Engineering Data workspace, from External Data.

Preparing Required Data

1. On the Workbench Project page select the desired analysis type, select your model using the Geometry
cell, and then open the Engineering Data Workspace.

2. Using the Field Variables feature in the Engineering Data Workspace, create a user-defined variable that
contains your desired material properties.

3. Create a comma-separated values (CSV) file that defines the mapping coordinates based upon the user-
defined variable specified in Engineering Data. This file type enables the transfer of data between External
Data and Mechanical. Save the file to a known location.

4. Insert an External Data system.

5. Open your CSV file in the External Data system and check (make active) the Material Data Field property
in the Properties of File pane.

6. In the Table for File and Preview of File panes, specify and verify your mapping.

7. Return to the Workbench Project page and link your External Data system with the desired analysis type
that includes the corresponding model in the Project Schematic.

8. Launch Mechanical.

Mapping Material Values in Mechanical

1. In Mechanical, open the Materials folder as well as the Imported Material Fields object (p. 2083).

2. Select the Imported Material Field child object (p. 2085).

3. Using the Apply To property, specify whether to map values to the Elements (default) or Corner Nodes
of your model.

4. As necessary, review and modify the remaining default settings of the properties in the Details view.

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 Imported Material Fields

5. Right-click on the Imported Material Field object and select the Import Material Field option from the
context menu. This action maps the values of your CSV file to the nodes or elements of your model.

See Data Transfer Mapping and Validation (p. 2283) section for additional information about node and
element mapping from external data sources.

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Specifying Named Selections
The Named Selection object is a Model-level object in the tree hierarchy. The Named Selection feature
allows you to create groupings of similar geometry or meshing entities.

The following sections describe the steps to create Named Selections objects and prepare them for
data definition. Subsequent sections further define and build upon these techniques.
Create a Named Selection Object
Defining Named Selections
Specifying Criteria for Geometry-Based Named Selections
Understanding the Named Selections Worksheet
Promoting Scoped Objects to a Named Selection
Displaying Named Selections
Displaying Interior Mesh Faces
Applying Named Selections
Merging Named Selections
Converting Named Selection Groups to Mechanical APDL Application Components

Create a Named Selection Object

Creating Named Selections objects is easy and can be accomplished using different methods, including:

• Select desired geometry or mesh entities in the Geometry window (bodies, faces, nodes, etc.), right-click
the mouse, and then select Create Named Selection. Or you can the select the Create option in the Named
Selections group (p. 42) of the Selection tab.

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Specifying Named Selections

A Selection Name dialog appears so that you can enter a specific name for the Named Selection as
well as specify criteria based on the selected geometry (p. 773).

• Select desired parts/bodies from the Geometry object, right-click the mouse, and then select Create Named
Selection. A Selection Name window appears so that you can enter a specific name for the Named Selection.

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 Defining Named Selections

Once you have created a Named Selection, a Named Selections folder object is placed into the tree
and includes your new child object titled Selection or titled with the name you have given it. This new
object, and any subsequent Named Selection objects that are inserted into the parent folder, require
geometry or mesh entity scoping. If a direct selection method (via Geometry object or graphical selection)
was used, the Geometry entities may already be defined.

The Selection objects are the operable “Named Selections” of your analysis. You may find it beneficial
to rename these objects based on the entities to which they are scoped or the purpose that they will
serve in the analysis. For example, you may wish to rename a Named Selection containing edges to
"Edges for Contact Region".

Adding Named Selection Objects

If a Named Selections folder exists in the tree, insert additional Named Selection objects using the
same general methods as above: (1) select the Create option in the Named Selections group (p. 42)
of the Selection tab (available once the Named Selection folder is generated) or (2) when either the
Named Selections parent folder object or another Selection object is highlighted, right-click the mouse
and select Insert>Named Selection.

Defining Named Selections

Once you create Named Selections/Selection objects, you need to define the geometry or node-based
meshing entities that you would like to scope to the object. Scoping method options include:

• Geometry (p. 764): geometry-based entries/selections.

• Worksheet (p. 764): criteria-based entries/selections.

For the steps to scope your Named Selection to nodes or elements, see one of the following sections:

• Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185)

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Specifying Named Selections

• Specifying Element and Element Face-Based Named Selections (p. 186)

Specifying Named Selections by Geometry Type

Use the steps shown below to define the Details of your Named Selections based on geometry types
(body, face, edge, or vertex).

To define geometry-based named selections:

1. Highlight the Selection object in the tree. In the Details view, set Scoping Method to Geometry Selection.

2. Select the geometry entities in the graphics window to become members of the Named Selection.

3. Click in the Geometry field in the details view, then click the Apply button. The named selection is in-
dicated in the graphics window. You can rename the object by right-clicking on it and choosing Rename
from the context menu.

Tip:

To allow the Named Selection criteria to be automatically generated after a geometry up-
date, highlight the Named Selections folder object and set Generate on Refresh to Yes
(default). This setting is located under the Worksheet Based Named Selections category
in the Details view.

Note:

• If you change the Scoping Method from Geometry Selection to Worksheet, the original
geometry scoping remains until you select the Generate button.

• For geometric entity Named Selections, the status of a Named Selection object can be fully
defined (check mark) only when a valid geometry is applied, or suppressed (“x”) if either no
geometry is applied or if all geometry applied to the Named Selection is suppressed.

• For a Named Selection created using the Graphics Viewer, the selections must be manually
updated after you change the geometry.

Specifying Named Selections using Worksheet Criteria

You can specify Worksheet as your Scoping Method for a Named Selection.

Doing so displays the Worksheet window. By default, this window displays below the Geometry
pane in Mechanical. Worksheet data entries define the criteria for Named Selections based on geo-
metric or meshing entities. Each row of the worksheet performs a calculation for the specified criteria.
If multiple rows are defined, the calculations are evaluated and completed in descending order.

Named Selections Defined by Worksheet Criteria

1. Highlight the Selection object. In the Details view, set Scoping Method to Worksheet.

2. As needed, right-click the mouse and select Add Row.

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 Defining Named Selections

3. Enter data in the worksheet for specifying the criteria that will define a Named Selection. See the
Worksheet Entries and Operation section below for specific entry information.

4. Click the Generate button located on the Worksheet to create the Named Selection based on the specified
criteria. Alternatively, you can right-click the Named Selection object and choose Generate Named Se-
lection from the context menu.

Note:

• If you change the Scoping Method from Geometry Selection to Worksheet, the original
geometry scoping will remain until you select Generate.

• When you select Generate and the generation fails to produce a valid selection, any prior
scoping is removed from the Named Selection.

• If there is no indication that the worksheet has been changed and the Named Selection should
be regenerated, you still may want to select Generate to ensure that the item is valid.

• If a row inside the worksheet has no effect on the selection, there are no indications related to
this.

• Named Selections require valid scoping. If the application detects a criterion that is not properly
scoped, it becomes highlighted in yellow to alert users of a possible problem. A highlighted
criterion does not effect on the overall state of the object.

• Named Selections created using the Worksheet may not support virtual entities.

Worksheet Entries and Operation

A sample worksheet is illustrated below. Criteria of the Worksheet is defined by making selections
in the drop-down menus of the columns for each row. Certain values are read-only or they are only
available as the result of other criterion being specified.

As illustrated here, when you add a row into the Worksheet, right-click context menu options become
available. When using these options, you need to also click the Generate button to have these changes
applied to the Named Selection.

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Specifying Named Selections

The content of each Worksheet column is described below.

Action column:

• Add: Adds the information defined in the current row to information in the previous row, provided the
item defined in the Entity Type column is the same for both rows.

• Remove: Removes the information defined in the current row from information in the previous row,
provided the geometry defined in the Entity Type column is the same for both rows.

• Filter: Establishes a subset of the information defined in the previous row.

• Invert: Selects all items of the same Entity Type that are not currently in the named selection.

• Convert To: Changes the geometric Entity Type selected in the previous row. The change is in either
direction with respect to the topology (for example, vertices can be converted "up" to edges, or bodies
can be converted “down” to faces). When going up in dimensionality, the higher level topology is selected
if you select any of the lower level topology (for example, a face will be selected if any of its edges are
selected).

Mesh Nodes: You can convert a geometry selection (bodies, edges, faces, vertices) to mesh
nodes. The nodes that exist on the geometry (that is, the nodes on a face/edge/vertex or nodes
on and within a body) will be selected. In addition, node-based Named Selections can be con-
verted to elements and element-based Named Selections can be converted to nodes using this
action.
Element Faces: You can convert a face-based Named Selection, a node-based Named Selection,
or a body-based Named Selection to an Element Face Named Selection. Face- and node-based
conversion does not support element faces that share two (or more) bodies. However, for body-
based conversion, you can specify the Criterion options Exclude Shared Faces or Include
Shared Faces to specify whether to include shared element faces.

Note:

The conversion from geometry selection to mesh nodes is analogous to using Mechan-
ical APDL commands NSLK, NSLL, NSLA, and NSLV. The conversion from elements to
mesh nodes uses NSLE and conversion from mesh nodes to elements uses ESLN.

The Entity Type column:

• Body

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 Defining Named Selections

• Face

• Edge

• Vertex

• Mesh Node

• Mesh Element

• Element Face: This option does not support element faces defined on shell bodies.

Criterion column:

• Size - available when Entity Type = Body, Face, or Edge.

• Type - available when Entity Type = Body, Face, Edge, or Mesh Node, or Mesh Element.

• Location X/Y/Z

Important:

For Location X/Y/Z criterion, the calculation of the centroid is not supported for Line
Bodies.

• Face Connections - available when Entity Type = Edge.

• Radius - available when Entity Type = Face or Edge. Applies to faces that are cylindrical and edges that
are circular.

• Distance

Important:

For the Distance Criterion, the calculation of the centroid is not supported for Line
Bodies.

• Named Selection

• Normal - available when Entity Type = Element Face. The Normal option requires you to specify an axis
entry, either positive or negative X, Y, or Z in the Value column. Based on that selection, the application
creates a Named Selection that includes all element faces whose normal direction is same as the selected
axis (for the selected Coordinate System, global or user-defined).

When using the Normal selection for the Criterion and you have defined a cylindrical coordinate
system:

– The (positive) X Axis option selects element faces that have their normal pointing radially outward
in the specified cylindrical coordinate system.

– The (negative) -X Axis option selects element faces that have their normal pointing radially inward
in the selected cylindrical coordinate system.

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Specifying Named Selections

– The application does not support the Y Axis/-Y Axis options for cylindrical coordinate systems.

• Shared Across Bodies - available when Entity Type = Face, Edge, Vertex. This option is useful when
you want to create a Named Selection of faces, edges, or vertices shared across bodies.

• Shared Across Parts - available when Entity Type = Mesh Node. This option is useful for examining and
working with shared nodes that were generated by Node Merge or Mesh Connection operations.

• Element Connections - available when Action = Add and Entity Type = Mesh Node. This option requires
a Value entry. The Value entry defines the number of elements to which a node is connected. For example,
if you enter a Value of 4, the application selects every node in the model that is connected to four elements.

This option supports 2D and 3D analyses for all element types.

• Material - available when Entity Type = Body.

• Name - available when Entity Type = Body.

• Thickness - available when Entity Type = Body. This option is supported for surface/shell bodies only.

• Cross Section - available when Entity Type = Body.

• Node ID - available when Entity Type is Mesh Node.

• Any Node - available when:

– Action = Convert To

– Entity Type = Mesh Element or Element Face (node-based conversion only)

• All Nodes - available when:

– Action = Convert To

– Entity Type = Mesh Element or Element Face (node-based conversion only)

• For Entity Type = Mesh Element.

– Element ID

– Volume

– Area

– Element Quality

– Aspect Ratio

– Jacobian Ratio

– Warping Factor

– Parallel Deviation

– Skewness

– Orthogonal Quality

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 Defining Named Selections

– Ply

You may wish to refer to the Mesh Metric section of the Meshing User's Guide for more information
about these Criterion options.

Operator column:

• Equal

• Not Equal

• Contains - available when Criterion = Name.

• Less Than

• Less Than or Equal

• Greater Than

• Greater Than or Equal

• Range includes Lower Bound and Upper Bound numerical values that you enter.

• Smallest - only available when Action column = Add

• Largest - only available when Action column = Add

• Yes

• No

Note:

The Smallest and Largest options apply to the entire model. They do not function with
any other worksheet criteria entry. Therefore, they are only available when the Action
column is set to Add.

Units column: read-only display of the current units for Criterion = Size or Location X, Y, or Z.

Value column:

• For Criterion = Size, enter positive numerical value.

• For Criterion = Location X, Y, or Z, enter numerical value.

Note:

Selection location is at the centroids of edges, faces, bodies, and elements.

• For Entity Type = Body and Criterion = Type:

– Solid

– Surface

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Specifying Named Selections

– Line

• For Entity Type = Body and Criterion = Cross Section: select the desired cross section name from the
drop-down list.

• For Entity Type = Face and Criterion = Type:

– Plane

– Cylinder

– Cone

– Torus

– Sphere

– Spline

– Faceted

• For Entity Type = EdgeCriterion = Type:

– Line

– Circle

– Spline

– Faceted

• For Entity Type = Mesh Node and Criterion = Type:

– Corner

– Midside

• For Entity Type = Body and Criterion = Name, enter a valid body name. When:

– Operator = Contains, you can enter a partial body name. The application matches name characters at
the beginning, middle, or at the end of the name.

– Operator = Equal, you must enter the body name exactly as it appears in the Geometry folder.

– Operator = Not Equal, you enter the body name that you do not wish to include in your named selection.
The application will select all other bodies from the Geometry folder.

• For Entity Type = Mesh Element and Criterion = Type:

– Tet10

– Tet4

– Hex20

– Hex8

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 Defining Named Selections

– Wed15

– Wed6

– Pyr13

– Pyr5

– Tri6

– Tri3

– Quad8

– Quad4

– High Order Beam

– Low Order Beam

• For Entity Type = Element Face and Criterion = Normal: the Value field options include X Axis/Y Axis/Z
Axis and -X Axis/-Y Axis/-Z Axis. This axis selection is based on the coordinate system defined in the
Coordinate System column.

• For Entity Type = Edge and Criterion = Face Connections, enter the number of shared edge connections.
For example, enter Value = 0 for edges not shared by any faces, enter Value = 1 for edges shared by one
face, and so on.

• For Criterion = Named Selection, you can include a previously defined named selection from the Value
field. Whenever you create a Named Selection that references an existing Named Selection using the
Criterion option, it is recommended that you use the Generate Named Selections context (right-click)
menu option from the Named Selections folder to generate your Named Selections. This action calculates
the relationship between all the Named Selections contained in the folder to determine the correct order
for generation. Using the Worksheet Generate option updates only the selected/active Named Selection.
Therefore, if that Named Selection has a reference to another Named Selection, the associated Named
Selection is not regenerated.

The Generate Named Selections feature better ensures that all child objects of the Named Selection
folder are updated in the correct order. In addition, this generation option makes sure that you do
not create a circular reference between your Named Selections. That is, the last Named Selection
references the first Named Selection in a closed loop.

• For Criterion = Ply, you can include a previously-defined named selection in the Value field. You can
select from the named selections provided in the list only.

• For Criterion = Material, select the desired material from the drop-down list. See the Material Assign-
ment (p. 226) topic for more information.

• For Criterion = Distance, enter a positive numerical value from the origin of the selected coordinate
system.

• For Criterion = Thickness, enter a positive numerical value or values based on the selection made in the
Operator column.

Lower Bound column: enter numerical value.

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Specifying Named Selections

Upper Bound column: enter numerical value.

Coordinate System column:

• Global Coordinate System

• Any defined local coordinate systems

Adjusting Tolerance Settings for Named Selections by Worksheet Criteria

Tolerance settings are used when the Operator criterion is defined as an "equal" comparison. Tolerances
are not used when doing greater than or less than operations. Tolerance values apply to the entire
worksheet. If you wish to adjust the tolerance settings for worksheet criteria, use the Tolerance settings
in the chosen Named Selection’s Details view.

By default, the Zero Tolerance property is set to 1.e-008, the Relative Tolerance value is set to 1.e-
003, and the Angular Tolerance is set to 1°. As a result of the significant digit display, the value used
for calculations and the display value may appear to be different. The Zero Tolerance property’s
value is past the number of significant digits that Mechanical shows by default. The application’s
default setting for significant digits is 5 (the range is 3 to 10). This setting affects only the numbers
that are displayed, any calculation or comparison uses the actual values when processing. In addition,
it is important to note that most values (including selection values seen in the status bar and the
Selection Information window) in Mechanical display in a significant digit format. See the Appearance
option in the Setting ANSYS Workbench section of the Help for information about changing default
display settings.

Setting the tolerance values manually can also be useful in meshing, when small variances are present
in node locations and the default relative tolerance of .001 (.1%) can be either too small (not enough
nodes selected) or too big (too many nodes selected).

1. In the Details view, set Tolerance Type to Manual.

2. Specify the properties as desired: Zero Tolerance, Relative Tolerance, and Angular Tolerance. The
Zero Tolerance and Relative Tolerance values are dimensionless. Relative Tolerance is a multiplying
factor applied to the specified worksheet value. For example, if you want a tolerance of 1%, enter .01
in the Relative Tolerance field. Angular Tolerance is specified in degrees or radians. The Angular Tol-
erance setting determines when the normal direction of an element face is equal to the direction of
your specified coordinate system.

Note:

Angular tolerance is available for Worksheet-based Named Selections only. It is ap-

plicable once you set the Criterion to Normal and the Entity Type to Element Face.

All comparisons are done in the CAD unit system. If your current unit system is not the same as the
CAD unit system, the values entered will first be converted to the CAD unit system before searching
for criteria.

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 Specifying Criteria for Geometry-Based Named Selections

Specifying Criteria for Geometry-Based Named Selections

Mechanical enables you to specify certain criteria using the context menu (right-click) option when you
make geometry selections in the Geometry window. When you select a geometric entity (face, edge,
etc.) in the Geometry window, right-click, and then select the option Create Named Selection (N), the
following dialog box displays.

The two control options on the dialog include:

• Apply selected geometry: this option simply creates a Named Selection based on the geometry you
select.

• Apply geometry items of same: this option enables you to make certain criteria-based specifications
(Size, Type, Location X, Y, Z) for geometry selections. If you select only one geometric entity (one face,
edge, etc.) you can choose multiple criteria options. However, when you select more than one geometric
entity (multiple faces, edges), you are limited to choosing only one criteria option.

In addition, there is the Apply To Corresponding Mesh Nodes option. You can also select this
option when using the available criteria in order to include the nodes that correspond to the
geometry. This option requires that you generate the mesh.

Let’s look at an example. A singular edge is selected on the following model.

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Specifying Named Selections

Here we display the Selection Name dialog (via right-click), select the option Location X, and then
click OK.

As illustrated, you need to select the new named Selection object in the tree. The application specified
the Named Selection as a Worksheet entry and now includes eight (8) edges (all of which share the X
coordinate).

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 Understanding the Named Selections Worksheet

Note that the supported selections may differ based on the type of geometry that you select. For example,
the options Size or Type are not supported for a vertex selection.

Understanding the Named Selections Worksheet

When you select the Named Selections parent folder object and then select the Worksheet button
on the Home tab (p. 9), the Worksheet displays as shown here and lists all existing Named Selections.
This view provides a summary of all the defined Named Selections. Table headings correspond to the
Details view properties of the user-defined Named Selections. See the Named Selections object refer-
ence (p. 2141) page for a description of the properties.

Worksheet Tools
You can single-click a table heading to sort the table content according to that heading type. You can
also automatically select a Named Selection object by selecting the appropriate row in the table, right-
clicking, and selecting the Go To Selected Items in Tree option.

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Specifying Named Selections

Promoting Scoped Objects to a Named Selection

In addition to creating Named Selections, you can also use the promotion feature to create a named
selection from an existing object that is scoped to geometry or mesh. Objects that support the promotion
feature include:

• Remote Points

• Contact Regions

• Springs

• Joints

• Boundary Conditions

• Results and Custom Results

All of these objects have one thing in common when using the promotion feature, they are first scoped
to geometry or mesh. This is the specification basis for the promoted Named Selections. Each promoted
Named Selection inherits the geometry or mesh scoping of the object used. In addition, the Scoping
Method property automatically updates to Named Selection and specifies the corresponding scoping.

Note:

• This action changes the scoping of the corresponding object and may, as a result, cause up-to-
date states to become obsolete. For example, promoting a Fixed Support from a completed
solution would cause the solution to become obsolete and require it to be re-solved.

• In order to promote objects scoped to the mesh, you need to make sure that the Show Mesh
option (p. 35) is selected.

By highlighting one of the above objects and right-clicking, such as the Contact Region example illus-
trated below, the context menu provides the option Promote to Named Selection. Once selected, the
feature automatically adds a Named Selections folder to the tree that includes two new Named Selec-
tions based on the existing name of the contact object as well as its geometry scoping, Contact and
Target. You can promote an object to a Named Selection only once. Deleting the corresponding Named
Selection makes the option available again. However, deleting the Named Selection also invalidates the
corresponding source object, such as the Contact Region shown in the example below. As a result, you
must re-scope the source object to geometry or mesh for the feature to be available. A Contact Region
example is slightly different in that it has Contact and Target scoping and that this feature creates two
Named Selections. Springs and Joints also create two Named Selections if they are defined as Body-
Body. The other object types create one Named Selection. Also note that result objects can be promoted
before or after the solution process.

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 Displaying Named Selections

Displaying Named Selections

You can use geometry-based Named Selections to inspect only a portion of your model's total mesh.
Although this feature is available regardless of mesh size, it is most beneficial when working with a
large mesh (greater than 5 - 10 million nodes).

After you have designated a Named Selection group, you can use any of the following features to assist
you:

• Showing the Mesh (p. 777)

• Showing Annotations (p. 778)

• Displaying Individual Named Selections in Different Colors (p. 779)

• Setting Visibility (p. 779)

• Displaying an Enhanced View of Meshed Items (p. 780)

• Important Characteristics and Notes (p. 780)

Showing the Mesh

By setting the Plot Elements Attached to Named Selections option in the Annotation Prefer-
ences (p. 208), you can view the elements for all items in the Named Selection group. For node-based

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Specifying Named Selections

Named Selections, this option shows the full elements, while for face or body Named Selections, this
option shows just the element faces.

Note:

This option does not affect Line Bodies, and you must have the Show Mesh button
toggled off to view the elements in the Named Selection.

An example is shown below of a node-based Named Selection.

Showing Annotations
As illustrated below, selecting the Named Selection folder displays all of the user-defined Named Selection
annotations in the Geometry window. This display characteristic can be turned On or Off using the
Show Annotations category in the Named Selections Details view.

Selecting an individual Named Selection displays the annotation specific to that Named Selection in
the Graphics pane.

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 Displaying Named Selections

You can also toggle the visibility of mesh node annotations and numbers in the annotation preferences.
For more information, see Specifying Annotation Preferences (p. 208).

Displaying Individual Named Selections in Different Colors

By default, Named Selections are shown in red. You can use the Random Colors button in the Graphics
Options toolbar to display each named selection with a random color at each redraw.

Setting Visibility
By setting the Visible object property in the Details view of an individual Named Selection object to
No, the Named Selection can be made invisible, meaning it will not be drawn and, more importantly,
not taken into consideration for picking or selection. This should allow easier inspection inside complic-
ated models having many layers of faces where the inside faces are hardly accessible from the outside.
You can define Named Selections and make them invisible as you progress from outside to inside,
similar to removing multiple shells around a core. The example shown below displays the Named Selec-
tion 3 Faces with the Visible property set to No.

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Specifying Named Selections

Displaying an Enhanced View of Meshed Items

Display your model in Wireframe mode by selecting the Wireframe option in the Display (p. 35) drop-
down menu on the Display tab or by selecting the Wireframe option on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).
Then, open the Annotation Preferences (p. 208) dialog box by selecting the Preferences option in the
Annotations group (p. 35). Check the Plot Elements Attached to Named Selections option. This
feature displays the meshed entities of your Named Selection only, as illustrated below.

Characteristics and Notes

• The Visible object property is the same as the Hide Face(s) option in the right mouse button context menu.
These options will hide only the specified Named Selection. This behavior differs from that of the Hide
Bodies in Group and Suppress Bodies in Group options, which hide or suppress the full body containing
a given Named Selection.

• When a Named Selection's Visible setting is set to No:

– Only the faces from that Named Selection are not drawn; the edges are always drawn.

– The Named Selection will not appear in any drawing of the geometry (regardless of which object is selected
in the tree).

Unless...

– The Named Selection is displayed as meshed, it displays the mesh, but only if you have the Named Selec-
tion object or the Named Selectionsfolder object is selected in the tree. This behavior is the same as the
behavior of the red annotation in the Geometry window for Named Selections (that is, the annotation
appears only when the current selected object is the specific Named Selection object or the Named Se-
lectionsfolder object).

• After at least one Named Selection is hidden, normally you can see the inside of a body, so displaying both
sides of each face is enabled (otherwise displaying just the exterior side of each face is enough). But if a se-
lection is made, the selected face is always displayed according to the option in Tools> Options> Mechan-
ical> Graphics> Single Side (can be one side or both sides).

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 Applying Named Selections

• If the Wireframe display option is used and Show Mesh is Yes, any face selected is displayed according to
the option in Tools> Options> Mechanical> Graphics> Single Side (can be one side or both sides).

Displaying Interior Mesh Faces

There are special instances when a Named Selection is an interior “back-facing face”. This is a unique
case that occurs when the external faces of the geometry are hidden allowing interior faces to become
visible.

To display the faces of the mesh, the Named Selections object must be highlighted in the tree and
the Plot Elements Attached to Named Selections option in the Annotation Preferences (p. 208) must
be selected.

Then, to correct the display, use the Draw Face Mode options available under View>Graphics Options,
which include:

• Auto Face Draw (default) - turning back-face culling on or off is program controlled. Using Section
Planes is an example of when the application would turn this feature off.

• Draw Front Faces - face culling is forced to stay on. Back-facing faces will not be drawn in any case,
even if using Section Planes.

• Draw Both Faces - back-face culling is turned off. Both front-facing and back-facing faces are drawn.

Incorrect Display Correct Display using Draw Face Mode

Applying Named Selections

This section describes the features for managing and employing Named Selections, and includes:
Applying Named Selections via the Ribbon
Scoping Analysis Objects to Named Selections
Sending Named Selections to the Solver

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Specifying Named Selections

Protecting Named Selections

Including Named Selections in Program Controlled Inflation
Importing Named Selections
Exporting Named Selections

Applying Named Selections via the Ribbon

The Named Selections group of the Selection tab enables you to select and modify user-defined
named selections.

To use a Named Selection options:

1. Select a Named Selection from the drop-down list. This list matches the Named Selections contained
in the Named Selections folder object.

2. Choose from the following options provided by toolbar:

Option Description
Selection Controls selection options on items that are part of the group whose
drop-down name appears in the Named Selection display. Available options are:
menu
• Select Items in Group: selects only those items in the named group.
(or in
context • Add to Current Selection: Picks the scoped items defined by the
menu from Named Selection that you have highlighted and adds those items
right-clicking to the item or items that you have selected in the geometry window.
the mouse This option is grayed out if the selections do not correspond, such
button on as selecting trying to add a faces to vertices.
individual
Named • Remove from Current Selection: Removes the selection of items
Selection in the named group from other items that are already selected.
object) Selected items that are not part of the group remain selected. This
option is grayed out if the entity in the Named Selection does not
match the entity of the other selected items.

• Create Nodal Named Selection: Automatically converts the

geometry specified by the Named Selection to mesh nodes. A
corresponding Convert To row is added to the Worksheet

Note:

Choosing any of these options affects only the current

selections in the Geometry view. These options have
no effect on what is included in the Named Selection
itself.

Visibility Controls display options on bodies that are part of the group
drop-down menu whose name appears in the Named Selection display. Available
options are:

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 Applying Named Selections

Option Description
• Hide Bodies in Group: Turns off display of bodies in the named
group (toggles with next item). Other bodies that are not part of
the group are unaffected.

• Show Bodies in Group: Turns on display of bodies in the named

group (toggles with previous item). Other bodies that are not part
of the group are unaffected.

• Show Only Bodies in Group: Displays only items in the named

group. Other items that are not part of the group are not displayed.

You can also hide or show bodies associated with a Named

Selection by right-clicking the Named Selections object and
choosing Hide Bodies in Group or Show Bodies in Group from
the context menu. You can hide only the Named Selection by
right-clicking on the Named Selections object and choosing Hide
Face(s).
Suppression Controls options on items that affect if bodies of the group whose
drop-down menu name appears in the Named Selection display are to be
suppressed, meaning that, not only are they not displayed, but
they are also removed from any treatment such as loading or
solution. Available options are:

• Suppress Bodies in Group: Suppresses bodies in the named group

(toggles with next item). Other bodies that are not part of the group
are unaffected.

• Unsuppress Bodies in Group: Unsuppresses bodies in the named

group (toggles with previous item). Other bodies that are not part
of the group are unaffected.

• Unsuppress Only Bodies in Group: Unsuppresses only bodies in

the named group. Other bodies that are not part of the group are
suppressed.

You can also suppress or unsuppress bodies associated with a

Named Selection by right-clicking the particular Named Selections
object and choosing Suppress Bodies In Group or Unsuppress
Bodies In Group from the context menu. The Suppress Bodies
In Group and Unsuppress Bodies In Group options are also
available if you select multiple Named Selection items under a
Named Selections object. The options will not be available if
your multiple selection involves invalid conditions (for example,
if you want to suppress multiple items you have selected and one
is already suppressed, the Suppress Bodies In Group option will
not be available from the context menu.

The status bar shows the selected group area only when the areas are selected. The group listed in
the toolbar and in the Details View (p. 67) provides statistics that can be altered.

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Specifying Named Selections

Scoping Analysis Objects to Named Selections

Many objects can be scoped to Named Selections. Some examples are contact regions, mesh controls,
loads, supports, and results.

To scope an object to a Named Selection:

1. Insert or select the object in the tree.

2. Under the Details view, in the Scoping Method drop-down menu, select Named Selections.

3. In the Named Selection drop-down menu, choose the particular name.

Notes on scoping items to a Named Selection:

• Only Named Selections valid for the given analysis object are displayed in the Named Selection drop-
down menu. If there are no valid Named Selections, the drop-down menu is empty.

• No two Named Selections branches can have the same name. It is recommended that you use unique
and intuitive names for the Named Selections.

• Named Selection modifications update scoped objects accordingly.

• Deleting a Named Selection causes the scoped object to become underdefined.

• If all the components in a Named Selection cannot be applied to the item, the Named Selection is not
valid for that object. This includes components in the Named Selection that may be suppressed. For ex-
ample, in the case of a bolt pretension load scoped to cylindrical faces, only 1 cylinder can be selected
for its geometry. If you have a Named Selection with two cylinders, one of which is suppressed, that par-
ticular Named Selection is still not valid for the bolt pretension load.

Sending Named Selections to the Solver

Named Selections objects (p. 2141) provide the property Send to Solver. This property enables you to
choose (Yes by default or No) whether a Named Selection is sent to the solver. Named Selections
scoped to edges/vertices/faces are sent to the solver as nodes and Named Selections scoped to
bodies are sent to the solver as elements. If your Named Selection is scoped to an element face, an
additional property becomes available: the Send As property. Using this property, you can send the
element face-based Named Selection to the solver as nodes (default) or you can specify that it is sent
as Mesh200 elements that converts the scoped element faces to Mesh200 elements and sends those
elements as a component to the solver.

Protecting Named Selections

Named Selections objects (p. 2141) provide the property Protected. Setting this property instructs the
mesher to respect the geometry features (bodies, faces, edges, or vertices) that the Named Selection
object is scoped to.

You can choose Program Controlled (default), Yes, or No to determine whether a Named Selection
is to be protected. When Program Controlled is selected, the scoped object(s) will be protected if
the Named Selection is used for boundary conditions, symmetry, other types of loads for the solver,
as well as match controls and hard sizing controls for meshing. The scoped objects will not receive
additional protection by the mesher if the Named Selection is not used for one of these controls.

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 Applying Named Selections

Including Named Selections in Program Controlled Inflation

By default, faces in Named Selections are not selected to be inflation boundaries when the Use
Automatic Inflation control is set to Program Controlled. However, you can select specific Named
Selections to be included in Program Controlled inflation. To do so:

1. Create a Named Selection. (p. 761)

2. Click the desired Named Selection in the tree and then in the Details view, set the Program Con-
trolled Inflation option to Include.

3. In the mesh controls, set the Use Automatic Inflation control to Program Controlled. As a result,
the Named Selection you chose in step 2 is selected to be an inflation boundary, along with any
other faces that would have been selected by default.

Importing Named Selections

You can import geometric entity Named Selections that you defined in a CAD system or in Design-
Modeler. A practical use in this case is if you want the entities of the Named Selection group to be
selected for the application of loads or boundary conditions.

To import a Named Selection from a CAD system or from DesignModeler:

1. In the Geometry preferences, located in the Workbench Properties of the Geometry cell in the
Project Schematic, check Named Selections and complete the Named Selection Key; or, in the
Geometry Details view under Preferences, set Named Selection Processing to Yes and complete
the Named Selection Prefixes field (refer to these entries under Geometry Preferences for more
details).

2. A Named Selections branch object is added to the Mechanical tree Outline. In the Named Selec-
tion (p. 42) group, the name of the selection appears as a selectable item in the Named Selection
display (located to the right of the Create option), and as an annotation (p. 204) on the graphic items
that make up the group.

Exporting Named Selections

You can export the Named Selection that you create and save the contents to a text or Microsoft
Excel file.

To export the Named Selection object:

1. Right-click the desired Named Selection object and select Export.

2. Name and save the file.

The text or Microsoft Excel file you export includes a list of generated node ids, by default. You can
also include the location information of the generated node ids in the exported file. To include node
id location information in the exported file:

1. Open the Options dialog.

2. Select the Export option.

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Specifying Named Selections

3. Under Export, click the Include Node Location drop-down list, and then select Yes.

Note:

• The Named Selection Export feature is available only for node-based and element-based
Named Selection objects.

• Node Numbers are always shown in the exported text or Microsoft Excel file irrespective of
setting for Include Node Numbers in Options > Export.

Merging Named Selections

Selecting more than one Named Selection in the tree and then right-clicking makes the Merge Selected
Named Selections option available. This option creates a new Worksheet-based Named Selection (p. 764)
for the chosen Named Selection objects. The Worksheet displays automatically below the Geometry
window when you use this option or when the merged Named Selection is picked in the tree.

A completed merge is illustrated below.

Converting Named Selection Groups to Mechanical APDL Application

Components
When you write a Mechanical APDL application input file (p. 1809) that includes a Named Selection group,
the group is transferred to the Mechanical APDL application as a component provided the name contains
only standard English letters and numbers, spaces, underscore, hyphen, and/or parenthesis characters.
The Named Selection will be available in the input file as a Mechanical APDL component for use in a
Commands (p. 1823) object. Geometry scoping to bodies will result in an element-based component. All
other scoping types will result in a nodal component. The following actions occur automatically to the

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 Converting Named Selection Groups to Mechanical APDL Application Components

group name in the Mechanical application to form the resulting component name in the Mechanical
APDL application:

• A name exceeding 32 characters is truncated.

• A name that begins with a number, space, hyphen, or parenthesis character, is renamed to include “C_”
before the character.

• Spaces, hyphens, or parentheses between characters in a name are replaced with underscores.

Example: The Named Selection group in the Mechanical application called 1 Edge appears as com-
ponent C_1_Edge in the Mechanical APDL application input file.

Note:

Named selections starting with ALL, STAT, or DEFA will not be sent to the Mechanical APDL
application.

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Specifying Remote Points
You use a Remote Point as a scoping (p. 1171) mechanism for remote boundary conditions (p. 1416). Remote
points are a way of abstracting a connection to a solid model, be it a vertex, edge, face, body, or node,
to a point in space (specified by the Location property). The solver uses multipoint constraint (MPC)
equations to make these connections.

Remote Points are akin to the various remote loads available in the Mechanical application. Remote
boundary conditions create remote points in space behind the scenes, or, internally, whereas the Remote
Point objects define a specific point in space only. As a result, the external Remote Point can be associated
to a portion of geometry that can have multiple boundary conditions scoped to it. This single remote
association avoids overconstraint conditions that can occur when multiple remote loads are scoped to
the same geometry. The overconstraint occurs because multiple underlying contact elements are used
for the individual remote loads when applied as usual to the geometry. When the multiple remote loads
are applied to a single remote point, scoped to the geometry, the possibility of overconstraint is greatly
reduced.

Remote Points are a powerful tool for working with and controlling the Degrees of Freedom (DOF) of
a body. Remote Points provide a property, DOF Selection, which gives you a finer control over the
active DOFs used to connect the Remote Point location to the body.

Furthermore, Remote Points can be can be used independently, without being scoped to a boundary
condition. Remote Point create MPC equations and therefore can be used to model phenomena, such
as coupling a set of nodes so that they have the same DOF solution.

Another capability of Remote Points is that they are also a scoping mechanism for the Constraint
Equation (p. 1378) object. The equation relates the degrees of freedom (DOF) of one or more remote
points

A Remote Point or multiple remote points work in tandem with the boundary conditions listed below.

• Point Mass (p. 658)

• Thermal Point Mass (p. 662)

• Joints (p. 958)

• Spring (p. 1037)

• Bearing (p. 1051)

• Beam Connection (p. 1045)

• Remote Displacement (p. 1356)

• Remote Force (p. 1215)

• Moment (p. 1232)

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Remote Points

These objects acquire data from remote points and eliminate the need to define the objects individually.
You can scope one or more of the above objects to a defined Remote Point. This provides a central
object to which you can make updates that will affect the scoping of multiple objects.

Note:

Following are important points to keep in mind when using Remote Points:

• A Remote Point can reference only one Remote Force and one Moment. If you scope a
Remote Point to multiple remote forces or moments, duplicate specifications are ignored
and a warning message is generated.

• A Remote Point with Deformable behavior should not be used on surfaces that are modeled
with symmetry boundary conditions. The internally generated weight factors only account
for the modeled geometry. Therefore, remote points with deformable behavior should only
be used on the “full” geometry.

For additional Mechanical APDL specific information, see the Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies
section as well as KEYOPT(2) in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide.

The following sections describe how to create and define a Remote Point as well as the characteristics
and limitations associated with this scoping tool.
Remote Point Application
Geometry Behaviors
Support Specifications
Remote Point Features

Remote Point Application

To insert a Remote Point, select the Model object in the tree and then either select the Remote Point
option from the Model Context Tab (p. 14) or right-click the mouse and select Insert > Remote Point.
You then scope the Remote Point to one or more face, edge, vertex, or node.

Note:

To select nodes, you first need to generate the mesh.

Mechanical APDL Reference

When you scope your Remote Point to a single node or multiple nodes, a point-to-surface contact al-
gorithm is used (using contact element CONTA175). This process can produce slightly different result
at the area of application compared to face scoping of the same topology. Geometry scoping to 3D

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 Remote Point Application

faces and 2D edges uses a constant traction contact application (contact elements CONTA171 through
CONTA174).

Note:

Be very careful when you scope remote points to nodes if the nodes are collinear. A rigid
Formulation avoids issues when you scope to Surface or Line bodies. However for solids, you
should not scope collinear nodes for any Formulation.

Details View Properties

Remote Point definable properties are illustrated and described below:

• Scoping Method: Geometry (default), Named Selection, Remote Point, or Free Standing.

When you specify Free Standing, the Geometry, Pinball Region, Behavior, and DOF Selection
properties do not appear in the Details view. Free Standing Remote Points can be used to model
structures such as Tuned Mass Dampers by directly connecting pieces of your model together.

• Geometry or Named Selection (geometry or node-based) selection.

• Outline Selection: When you specify Remote Point or Remote Points and Nodes as the Scoping Method,
this property displays. Select the entry field of this property, select the desired Remote Point objects from
the Outline, and then select the Apply button that displays automatically. Once specified, this field displays
the number of Remote Point objects you have selected (e.g., 1 Object, 2 Objects, etc.).

Note:

During Transient Thermal analyses, an error condition could arise for a Remote Point
scoped to multiple Remote Point objects.

• Nodes: When you specify Remote Points and Nodes as the Scoping Method, this property displays. This
option enables you perform direct node scoping for the Remote Point in addition to the scoping of one or
more Remote Point objects.

• Coordinate System: the Coordinate System based on the original location of the remote point. This property
does not change if you modify the remote point's position with the Location property.

• X Coordinate: the distance from the coordinate system origin on the x axis.

• Y Coordinate: the distance from the coordinate system origin on the y axis.

• Z Coordinate: the distance from the coordinate system origin on the z axis.

• Location: the location in space of the remote point. This property enables you to manually modify the remote
point’s original position. Changing the Location property re-plots the x, y, and z coordinate locations, but
does not establish a new coordinate system, reflected by the Coordinate System property.

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Remote Points

For a Free Standing remote point, use this property to define the remote point's position in space.

Important:

When you first scope a Remote Point and you do not also define the Location property,
the application sets the position of the remote point to the centroid of the scoped geometry
selection(s) or if scoped to multiple Remote Points, the centroid of those Remote Points.
Any subsequent scoping changes will not change this position. You must update the Re-
mote Point's location as needed.

• Behavior (p. 795). Specify the behavior of the connection of the Remote Point to the model. Options include
Deformable, Rigid, Coupled, or Beam.

• Pinball Region: the Pinball Region for a Remote Point is a radius value (length unit) that defines a region
for selecting elements to be used by the solver for the Remote Point's scoping.

• DOF Selection: Program Controlled (default) or set as Manual. This offers an opportunity for better control
of which DOF's will activate for corresponding constraint equations. If you specify Manual for DOF Selection
in an Explicit Dynamics system, the active/inactive settings of the X, Y, and Z Components and the X, Y, and
Z Rotations are ignored, because these settings do not play a role in the constraint equations for an Explicit
Dynamics system.

• Pilot Node APDL Name: This optional property enables you to create an APDL parameter (in the input file)
and assign its value to the pilot node number of the Remote Point. This facilitates easy programmatic
identification of the Remote Point’s pilot node for later use/reference in a Command object (p. 1823).

• Material: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam. Select a material to define
material properties for the beam connection of the Remote Point. Density is excluded from the material
definition.

• Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam. Specify a radius to define the
cross section dimension of the circular beam used for the beam connection of the Remote Point.

Common Properties Behavior Options

Deformable Behavior Beam Behavior

and Manual DOF Specified - Advanced
Selection Specified Category Displays

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 Remote Point Application

Scoping Method
For the supported boundary conditions, as listed in the previous section, the Scoping Method property
includes the option Remote Point, as illustrated below for a Remote Force. Once specified as the
Scoping Method, the Remote Points property displays and provides a drop-down list of remote points
available for selection (Remote Point Front Edge or Remote Point Rear Face as shown in the example
below). Once selected, the Scope inputs for the boundary condition become read-only and use the
remote point's data.

Scope to Remote Point

Choose Appropriate Remote Point

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Remote Points

Example Data for Selected Remote Point

As illustrated in the above example, after you have scoped the Remote Force to a Remote Point, addi-
tional data may be required, such as Magnitude.

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 Geometry Behaviors

Geometry Behaviors
The Behavior option dictates the behavior of the attached geometry. You can specify the Behavior of
the scoped geometry for a remote boundary condition in the Details view as either Rigid, Deformable,
Coupled, or Beam.

Note:

The ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver only supports Rigid Behavior.

• Deformable: The geometry is free to deform. This is a general purpose option used when applying
boundary conditions such as a force or mass through ”abstract” entities not explicitly represented as geometry
inside Mechanical. This formulation is similar to the Mechanical APDL constraint defined by the RBE3 com-
mand.

• Rigid: The geometry will not deform (maintains the initial shape). This option is useful when the "abstracted"
object significantly stiffens the model at the attachment point. Note that thermal expansion effects cause
artificially high stresses because the geometry cannot deform where the load is applied. This formulation
is similar to the Mechanical APDL constraint defined by the CERIG command.

• Coupled: The geometry has the same DOF solution on its underlying nodes as the remote point location.
This is useful when you want a portion of geometry to share the same DOF solution (such as UX) that may
or may not be known. For example, to constrain a surface to have the same displacement in the X direction,
simply create a remote point, set the formulation to Coupled, and activate the X DOF. Because the DOF is
known, you can specify an additional Remote Displacement. This formulation is similar to the Mechanical
APDL constraint defined by the CP command.

• Beam: This option specifies that the Remote Point is connected to the model using linear massless beam
elements (BEAM188). This approach is more direct than using Constraint Equations and can help prevent
over-constraint issues that can occur with CE's. The following two user-defined properties are available to
define the connection:

– Material: specifies the material properties, except density, that will be used for the beam connections.
Using appropriate materials for the beams can help to more accurately model thermal expansion effects.

– Radius: defines the cross section dimension of the circular beam (CSOLID) and is sent to the Mechanical
APDL solver via the SECDATA command.

The Beam formulation can be useful when working with shells. For example, when you are trying to
model Spot Welds (p. 1047) between two sheet bodies with holes.

Important:

When you apply a thermal load to your model, thermal differential strains can develop
when using the Beam option. This is because the thermal loading does not become
properly associated to the automatically generated beam elements created to make the
connection.

You must determine which Behavior best represents the actual loading. Note that this option has no
effect if the boundary condition is scoped to a rigid body in which case a Rigid behavior is always used.
Presented below are examples of the Total Deformation resulting from the same Remote Displacement,

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Remote Points

first using a Rigid formulation, then using a Deformable formulation, and finally the Coupled formula-
tion.

Rigid Behavior

Deformable Behavior

Coupled Behavior

Support Specifications
Note the following when using the Remote Point feature.

• Mechanical APDL solver logic is based on MPC-based contact. See the Surface-Based Constraints section of
the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide for more information. However, a Remote Point scoped to
a vertex (or vertices) of a 2D or 3D solid does not use MPC-based contact. Instead, beam elements are created
by the solver to connect the vertex to the Remote Point.

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 Remote Point Features

• The MPC equations are generated from the definition of a Remote Point are based on the underlying element
shape functions. In a large deflection analysis, these element shapes functions are reformed at each substep.
As a result, MPC equations are superior to the RBE3, CERIG, and CP commands.

• For Remote Boundary Conditions (p. 1416) applied to an edge or edges of a line body that are colinear, the
deformable behavior is invalid. As such, the scoped entities exhibit rigid behavior even if a deformable for-
mulation is specified, and a warning is issued in the Message Window.

• All remote boundary conditions are associative, meaning they remember their connection to the geometry.
Their location however does not change. If you want the location to be associative, create a coordinate
system on the particular face and set the location to 0,0,0 in that local coordinate system.

• If the geometry to which a Remote Point is scoped becomes suppressed, the Remote Point also becomes
suppressed. Once the geometry is Unsuppressed, the Remote Point becomes valid again.

• Remote boundary conditions scoped to a large number of elements can cause the solver to consume excessive
amounts of memory. Point masses in an analysis where a mass matrix is required and analyses that contain
remote displacements are the most sensitive to this phenomenon. If this situation occurs, consider modifying
the Pinball setting to reduce the number of elements included in the solver. Forcing the use of an iterative
solver may help as well. Refer to the troubleshooting (p. 2265) section for further details.

• If a remote boundary condition is scoped to rigid body, the underlying topology on which the load is applied
is irrelevant. Since the body is rigid, the loading path through the body will be of no consequence; only the
location at which the load acts.

• For the explicit dynamics solver, when remote points are scoped to a vertex they will always have a rigid
behavior. For other solvers, remote points scoped to a vertex will always have a deformable behavior.

For additional Mechanical APDL specific information, see the Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies
section as well as KEYOPT(2) in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide.

Note:

To apply a remote boundary condition scoped to a surface more than once (for example,
two springs), you must do one of the following:

• Set scoped surface Behavior to Deformable.

• Change scoping to remove any overlap.

• Leverage the Pinball Region option.

Remote Point Features

Use the following tools to get the most out of the Remote Point feature.

• View Remote Points through Connection Lines (p. 798)

• Promote Remote Points (p. 798)

• Program Remote Points with Commands Objects (p. 800)

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Remote Points

View Remote Points through Connection Lines

The connection between the underlying geometry associated with a remote point and the remote point
itself can be visualized by connection lines. You can enable this feature through the Show Connection
Lines property under Graphics in the Details view of the Remote Points object.

If a mesh was generated, the connection lines are drawn between a remote point and the nodes on
the corresponding meshed underlying geometry.

The connection lines take the Pinball radius into account, and only those nodes that are inside that ra-
dius will be connected with the remote point.

Any remote loads that have been promoted to reference remote points will have these lines drawn
when their object is selected as well.

An example illustration of connection lines is shown below.

See the Viewing and Exporting Finite Element Connections (p. 1741) topic in the Solution Information
Object section of the Help for additional information about the ability to view and work with connection
lines.

Promote Remote Points

The Promote Remote Point feature is a contextual menu option that enables you to generate Remote
Point objects from existing, and currently defined, boundary conditions and connection features.

Note:

The promotion action changes the scoping of the corresponding object and may, as a result,
cause up-to-date states to become obsolete. Promoted objects associated with a completed
solution would cause the solution to become obsolete and require it to be re-solved.

The following objects provide the Promote Remote Point option:

• Point Mass (p. 658)

• Thermal Point Mass (p. 662)

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 Remote Point Features

• Joint (p. 958)

• Spring (p. 1037)

• Beam Connection (p. 1045)

• Bearing (p. 1051)

• Remote Force (p. 1215)

• Moment (p. 1232)

• Remote Displacement (p. 1356)

To generate a remote point using this feature:

1. Select the object you wish to use to generate a new Remote Point, right-click, and select Promote Remote
Point. The application adds a new Remote Point object to the tree. This new object contains the same
scoping as the object used for promotion.

In addition and as illustrated in the example shown below, it is important to note that the scoping
of the source object, the object used to generate the promotion, also changes. The application
automatically updates the properties of the Scoping category of the source object and specifies
the scoping to the new Remote Point. Furthermore, multiple Remote Point object can be generated
based on the scoping of the source object, such as a Body-To-Body Spring.

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Remote Points

2. As necessary, you can modify the specifications of the new object.

Note:

This option is not available for objects scoped as a Direct Attachment, such as Springs,
Joints, Beams, a Point Mass, or a Thermal Point Mass.

Program Remote Points with Commands Objects

A Commands (p. 1823) object can be placed in the tree as a child object of a Remote Point providing
you programmable access to the Remote Point pilot node. This is useful if you wish to apply conditions
to the Remote Point that are not supported in Mechanical, such as beam or constraint equations.

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Defining Symmetry
The Symmetry object is a Model-level object in the tree hierarchy. You can insert this object by selecting
the Symmetry option on the Model Context Tab (p. 14).

This feature enables you to use the inherent geometric symmetry of a body to model only a portion of
the body for simulation. Using symmetry provides the benefits of faster simulation times and less use
of system resources. For example, the model below can be simplified by modeling only ¼ of the geometry
by taking advantage of two symmetry planes.

Introduction
Making use of the Symmetry feature requires an understanding of the geometry symmetry and the
symmetry of loading and boundary conditions. If geometric symmetry exists, and the loading and
boundary conditions are suitable, then the model can be simplified to just the symmetry sector of the
model.

DesignModeler can be used to simplify a full model into a symmetric model. This is done by identifying
symmetry planes in the body. DesignModeler will then slice the full model and retain only the symmetry
portion of the model. (See Symmetry in the DesignModeler help). When the Mechanical application
attaches to a symmetry model from DesignModeler, a Symmetry folder is placed in the tree and each
Symmetry Plane from DesignModeler is given a Symmetry Region object in the tree. In addition,
Named Selection objects are created for each symmetry edge or face. (See Symmetry Workflow in
DesignModeler (p. 843).)

Once you have inserted a Symmetry object into the tree, the following options are available:

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Defining Symmetry

Types of Regions
Symmetry Workflow in DesignModeler
Symmetry Workflow in Mechanical
General Axisymmetric Workflow in Mechanical

Types of Regions
The Symmetry folder supports the following objects:

• Symmetry Region (p. 802): This option is supported for Static and Transient Structural analyses and
Thermal/Thermal-Electric analyses.

• Linear Periodic (p. 804): When inserted, this option displays in the tree as a Symmetry Region object only
when the Type property is set to Linear Periodic. As needed, this property can be modified. It is supported
for Static Structural analyses and Thermal/Thermal-Electric analyses.

• Periodic Region (p. 805): This option is supported for Magnetostatic analyses.

• Cyclic Region (p. 808): This option is supported for Harmonic Response (Full), Modal, Static Structural,
Thermal, Harmonic Acoustics, Modal Acoustics, and Static Acoustics analyses.

• Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region (p. 811): This option is supported for Harmonic Response (Full), Modal, Static
Structural, Harmonic Acoustics, Modal Acoustics, and Static Acoustics analyses.

• General Axisymmetric (p. 832): This option is supported for 3D Static Structural analyses only.

Note:

Periodic and Cyclic regions:

• Support 3D analyses only.

• Ensure that a mesh is cyclic and suitable for fluids analyses (the mesh is then matched).

For models generated originally as symmetry models, you may create a Symmetry folder and manually
identify Symmetry Region objects or Periodic/Cyclic Region objects. (See Symmetry Workflow in
Mechanical (p. 844).)

Symmetry Region Overview

A symmetry region refers to dimensionally reducing the model based on a mirror plane. Symmetry
regions are supported for:

• Structural and Thermal Symmetry (p. 803)

• Structural and Thermal Anti-Symmetry (p. 803)

• Structural and Thermal Linear Periodic Symmetry (p. 804)

• Electromagnetic Symmetry (p. 804)

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 Types of Regions

• Electromagnetic Anti-Symmetry (p. 805)

• Explicit Dynamics Symmetry

Structural and Thermal Symmetry

A symmetric structural boundary condition means that out-of-plane displacements and in-plane rota-
tions are set to zero. The following figure illustrates a symmetric boundary condition. Structural
symmetry is applicable to solid and surface bodies.

Note:

Thermal symmetry conditions are naturally satisfied.

Structural and Thermal Anti-Symmetry

An anti-symmetric boundary condition means that the rotation normal to the anti-symmetric face is
constrained. The following figure illustrates an anti-symmetric boundary condition. Structural anti-
symmetry is applicable to solid and surface bodies.

Note:

• The Anti-Symmetric option does not prevent motion normal to the symmetry face. This is
appropriate if all loads on the structure are in-plane with the symmetry plane. If applied loads,
or loads resulting from large deflection introduce force components normal to the face, an
additional load constraint on the normal displacement may be required.

• Thermal anti-symmetry conditions behave the same way as symmetry conditions.

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Defining Symmetry

Structural and Thermal Linear Periodic Symmetry

The Linear Periodic boundary condition is used to simulate models with translational symmetry,
where the structure is assumed to repeat itself in one particular direction to infinity. This feature
supports only a single direction for the entire model (more than one direction is not supported) for
structural analyses and thermal/thermal-electric analyses. The application uses the Mechanical APDL
command CE to apply this boundary condition in a structural environment as compared to the CP
commands used in the thermal and thermal-electric environments.

For structural modeling with the Behavior property set to Free, the application creates a pilot node
and specifies constraint equations for the high and low regions as follows:

DOF(low) - DOF(high) = DOF(PilotNode)

The Pilot Node is left unconstrained. The Pilot Node is sent to the Mechanical APDL solver using the
following parameter (variable): _pilotNode

For structural modeling with the Behavior property set to Coupled, the application directly specifies
constraint equations for the high and low regions as follows:

DOF(low) - DOF(high) = 0

This forces DOF(low) to be coupled with DOF(high) in each pair of matched nodes.

Electromagnetic Symmetry
Symmetry conditions exist for electromagnetic current sources and permanent magnets when the
sources on both sides of the symmetry plane are of the same magnitude and in the same direction
as shown in the following example.

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Electromagnetic symmetric conditions imply Flux Normal boundary conditions, which are naturally
satisfied.

Electromagnetic Anti-Symmetry
Anti-Symmetry conditions exist for electromagnetic current sources and permanent magnets when
the sources on both sides of the symmetry plane are of the same magnitude but in the opposite dir-
ection as shown in the following example.

Electromagnetic anti-symmetric conditions imply Flux Parallel boundary conditions, which you must
apply to selected faces.

Periodic Region Overview

The Periodic Region object is used to define periodic or anti–periodic behavior in a particular model
for Electromagnetic analyses (see Electromagnetic Periodic Symmetry (p. 806) section).

Electromagnetic Periodicity
A model exhibits angular periodicity when its geometry and sources occur in a periodic pattern around
some point in the geometry, and the repeating portion that you are modeling represents all of the
sources, as shown below (see the Periodicity Example (p. 807)).

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Defining Symmetry

Electromagnetic Anti-Periodicity
A model exhibits angular anti-periodicity when its geometry and sources occur in a periodic pattern
around some point in the geometry and the repeating portion that you are modeling represents a
subset of all of the sources, as shown below.

Electromagnetic Periodic Symmetry

Electric machines and generators, solenoid actuators and cyclotrons are just a few examples of
numerous electromagnetic devices that exhibit circular symmetrical periodic type of symmetry (p. 805).

An automated periodic symmetry analysis conserves time and CPU resources and delivers analysis
results that correspond to the entire structure.

The overall procedure in ANSYS Workbench for simulating structures that are periodically symmetric
is to run a magnetostatic (p. 335) analysis and perform the following specialized steps:

1. Insert a Periodic Region (p. 2160) symmetry object in the tree. This step is necessary to enable ANSYS
Workbench to perform a periodic symmetry analysis.

2. Define the low and high boundaries of the Periodic Region by selecting the appropriate faces in the
Low Boundary and High Boundary fields.

3. Define type of symmetry as Periodic or Anti-Periodic (see Periodicity Example (p. 807)).

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4. The solver will automatically take into account defined periodicity, and reported results will correspond
to the full symmetry model (except volumetric type results as Force Summation, Energy probe, and
so on).

Note:

For a magnetic field simulation with periodic regions, you must be careful when applying
flux parallel boundary conditions to adjoining faces. If the adjoining faces of the periodic
faces build up a ring and all are subject to flux parallel conditions, that implies a total
flux of zero through the periodic face. In some applications that is not a physically correct
requirement. One solution is to extend the periodic sector to include the symmetry axis.

See the Periodicity Example (p. 807) section for further details.

Periodicity Example
Periodicity is illustrated in the following example. A coil arrangement consists of 4 coils emulated
by stranded conductors. A ½ symmetry model of surrounding air is created. The model is conveni-
ently broken into 16 sectors for easy subdivision into periodic sectors and for comparison of
results.

Below is a display of the Magnetic Field Intensity for the ½ symmetry model at the mid-plane.
The arrows clearly indicate an opportunity to model the domain for both Periodic or Anti-periodic
sectors. Periodic planes are shown to exist at 180 degree intervals. Anti-periodic planes are shown
to exist at 90 degree intervals.

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Defining Symmetry

The model can be cut in half to model Periodic planes. Applying periodic symmetry planes at 90
degrees and 270 degrees leads to the following results.

The model can be cut in half again to model Anti-Periodic planes. Applying anti-periodic symmetry
planes at 0 degrees and 90 degrees leads to the following results.

Cyclic Region Overview

Fan wheels, spur gears, and turbine blades are all examples of models that can benefit from cyclic
symmetry.

An automated cyclic symmetry analysis conserves time and CPU resources and enables you to view
analysis results on the entire structure (for a Static Structural, Modal, or Harmonic Response (Full)
analyses). ANSYS Workbench automates cyclic symmetry analysis by:

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 Types of Regions

• Solving for the behavior of a single symmetric sector (part of a circular component or assembly). See The
Basic Sector for more information.

• Using the single-sector solution to construct the response behavior of the full circular component or as-
sembly (as a postprocessing step).

For example, by analyzing a single 10° sector of a 36-blade turbine wheel assembly, you can obtain
the complete 360° model solution via simple postprocessing calculations. Using twice the usual
number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) in this case, the single sector represents a 1/36th part of the
model.

Restrictions
Note the following when working with cyclic symmetry:

• Cyclic Region only: The presence of Mesh Connections in a body with cyclic symmetry definition
may create conflicts within the mesh during the solution process.

• Layered Sections (p. 645) cannot be applied to a model that uses cyclic symmetry.

• Mechanical 2D Analyses do not support cyclic results.

• Line bodies are not supported for cyclic symmetry analyses.

• Gasket bodies are not supported for cyclic symmetry analyses.

• When specifying certain Probes (p. 1463) (deformation, stress, strain) during Cyclic analyses, Mechanical
does not currently support probes specified when the Location Method is set to:

– Coordinate System.

– Geometry Selection and you define the associated Geometry property using the Hit Point Co-
ordinate option (Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)).

General Application
The overall procedure in ANSYS Workbench for simulating models that are cyclically symmetric is to
run a static structural, modal, or thermal analysis and perform the following specialized steps:

1. Insert a Cyclic Region (p. 2160) or Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region object. This step is necessary to enable
Mechanical to perform a cyclic symmetry analysis. Multiple Cyclic Region objects are permitted but they
must refer to the same Coordinate System to specify the symmetry axis and sweep the same angle.
Only one Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region can be added and it cannot be used in combination with any other
symmetry objects.

2. Define the low and high boundaries by selecting the appropriate faces in the Low Boundary and High
Boundary fields. Each selection can consist of one or more faces over one or more parts, but they must
be paired properly. To be valid, each face in Low Boundary must be accompanied by its twin in High
Boundary. Also, ensure that each face and its twin belong to the same multibody part (p. 627) (although

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Defining Symmetry

it is not necessary that they belong to the same body), using DesignModeler to adjust your multibody
parts as needed.

Note:

• For the Periodic Region and the Cyclic Region objects, your low/high selections are used
to match the mesh of the two boundaries.

• The Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region object does not influence the mesh.

The example shown below illustrates two equally valid Low Boundary and High Boundary twin
faces. One twin set of faces, located in the corner body, includes faces that are both included in
that same body. Another twin set includes faces that are not on the same body, but are included
in the same multibody part, as shown in the second figure.

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 Types of Regions

Note:

High Boundary and Low Boundary should be exactly same in shape and size, other-
wise Mechanical will not be able to map nodes from Low Boundary to High
Boundary to create full model from a single sector.

3. Continue with the remainder of the analysis. Consult the sections below as applicable to the analysis
type.

Refer to the following sections for further details on cyclic symmetry:

Pre-Meshed Cyclic Symmetry
Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics Analysis
Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic Acoustics Analysis
Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis
Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis

Pre-Meshed Cyclic Symmetry

The Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region is a unique symmetry option in that the selections for the Low
Boundary and High Boundary properties are not used to match the mesh. Although not required
by the solver, it is recommended that you use a matched mesh. This option provides the flexibility
to select the exact orientation of nodal coordinate systems on the sector boundaries.

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Defining Symmetry

This feature is useful to define cyclic symmetry when using geometry from Model Assembly, External
Model, and ACP.

Note:

When the solver detects matching node pairs, you can view the matched nodes using
the Cyclic option of the Display property (FE Connection Visibility (p. 1741) category) of
the Solution Information object (p. 1741).

Requirements
Note the following:

• This symmetry option inherits the limitations and restrictions of the Cyclic Region. For consistency
with the cyclic symmetry solution method, some restrictions apply when defining the orientations
for nodes on the sector boundaries. Refer to the Cyclic Region (p. 808) section for additional inform-
ation.

• The Number of Sectors property requires an entry (a natural number, N>2).

• Loads and supports are assumed to have the same spatial relation with respect to the cyclic axis
in all sectors. Also the loads and supports defined in Mechanical are applied for each and every
sector by Mechanical APDL.

Applying Constraints
Unlike the use of the Cyclic Region object, the application will not attempt to convert supports to
nodal DOF constraints (p. 1819) on either of the sector boundaries (low or high). This means that any
support that depends on these conversions should not contain faces, edges, or vertices that touch
the sector boundaries. Exempt from this requirement are:

• Fixed Support (p. 1346)

• Nodal Orientation (p. 1403)

• Nodal Displacement (p. 1409)

Nodal Displacements and Nodal Orientations can be used to manually adjust any node-based degree-
of-freedom constraints on problematic topologies so they become consistent with both the loading
conditions and the cyclic symmetry method. The solver can be used to automatically assign these
DOFs (Set the Boundary DOF Orientation property to Chosen by Solver), but then Nodal Displace-
ments should be used with caution because final DOF directions may not be known prior to solution.
You can use Nodal Triads (p. 1452) to verify how Mechanical APDL orients the nodes.

To manually prescribe orientations on the sector boundary, set the Boundary DOF Orientation
property to Manual, and then apply any Nodal Orientations necessary to meet restrictions posed
by the cyclic symmetry method. Review the example provided later in this section for additional
information.

Nodal Orientation Requirements

By default, all nodes are oriented using the Global Coordinate System. To orient the nodal coordinate
systems in a manner consistent with cyclic symmetry, the following conditions are required:

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Nodes on Sector Boundaries

Nodes on sector boundaries are free to orient with any direction as long as each node pair meets this
condition: Nodal orientations on the low and high sector differ by a rotation of exactly 360°/N about
the cyclic axis. The difference must be in phase with the cyclic axis. For example, if the sector angle is
90°, then the axis for a node must be obtained by rotating the coordinate system for the corresponding
node on the low boundary by +90° around the cyclic axis.

When Boundary DOF Orientation is set to Chosen by Solver, Mechanical APDL typically aligns
the nodal x axis radially, y tangentially and z axially with respect to the cyclic axis.

Nodes on the Cyclic Axis

If your model contains nodes on the cyclic axis, they require special treatment. The nodes’ orientation
must produce an axis which is aligned with the cyclic axis.

Example: Applying a Frictionless Support Manually via Direct FE

This example demonstrates how to apply the equivalent of a Frictionless Support using Nodal Dis-
placements and Nodal Orientations on a quarter section of a cyclically symmetric model using a
Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region. The first illustration below depicts a Frictionless Support applied to
the exterior faces of a symmetry model. Because this boundary condition shares topology with
sector boundaries, it will not solve.

The second image illustrates a defined Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region object. It selects the same
low/high face selections you would use for a Cyclic Region. It is a quarter-section so the Number
of Sectors property is set to 4 and the Boundary DOF Orientation property is set to Manual.

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Defining Symmetry

To meet the nodal orientation requirements (p. 812), we need to rotate the high boundary nodes.
That means we first need to create a node-based Named Selection of the high sector node
("HighSectorNodes" illustrated below). Then, to achieve the desired orientation, we need to create
Cartesian Coordinate System. This coordinate system requires a rotational transformation (p. 880)
about the z axis so that we can rotate the nodes 90° (360°/4 = 90°). Below we have created the
necessary coordinate system, "HighSectorCoordinateSystem" that includes the needed rotation
(Rotate Z property) about the z axis.

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 Types of Regions

Now, a Nodal Orientation object is inserted using the coordinate system and the node-based
Named Selection, to meet the nodal orientation conditions required by the cyclic symmetry method.

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Defining Symmetry

Understanding Frictionless Support

As with all boundary conditions, a Frictionless Support applies displacements to nodes in their
nodal coordinate system. In particular, a Frictionless Support applies displacements which fix the
nodes in the direction of the normal of the element faces. As stated above, in this example we are
applying the equivalent of a Frictionless Support for several exterior faces. Of these exterior faces,
two are normal to the global +X, and three are normal to the global +Y.

Oriented +X Normal

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 Types of Regions

The intent is to fix these nodes in global X. The nodes on these faces have no Nodal Orientation
applied on them, so they are oriented with the Global Coordinate System. A Nodal Displacement
of X=0 is required for these nodes (Requirement 1 - XNodes).

Oriented +Y Normal

The intent is to fix these nodes in global Y. The majority of the nodes on these faces have no
Nodal Orientation applied on them. A Nodal Displacement of Y=0 is required for these nodes
(Requirement 2 - YNodes). The orientation of the remaining nodes on the edge of the high sector
have been specified by the Nodal Orientation applied above. The Global Y for these nodes is equal
to their Nodal X. Therefore, a Nodal Displacement of X=0 is required for these nodes (Requirement
3 - XNodes).

The node-based Named Selections needed to meet our requirements are illustrated below.

Applying Nodal Displacements

At this point, we have identified three required nodal displacements. However, we find that two
of these requirements use the same nodal displacement (X=0). The definitions for the resulting
Nodal Displacement objects is illustrated below.

X=0 Y=0

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Defining Symmetry

Using the Coordinate System, Named Selections, Nodal Orientations, and Nodal Displacements, we
have manually applied the equivalent of a Frictionless Support that is consistent with cyclic symmetry
for use in a Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region.

Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics Analysis

When you perform a Static Structural (p. 434) or a Static Acoustics (p. 325) analysis that involves
cyclic symmetry (p. 808), unique features are available for loads/supports and reviewing results.
These features are described in the following sections:
Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics Analysis
Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics Analysis

Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static
Acoustics Analysis
The following support limitations and specifications must be observed:

• The following boundary conditions are not supported:

– Bearing Load

– Hydrostatic Pressure

– Fluid Solid Interface (Supported for Static Acoustics but cannot be applied to the Low/High
Boundary)

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 Types of Regions

• The following remote boundary conditions are not supported:

– Joints

– Bearing

• Inertial (p. 1174) boundary conditions as well as the Moment (p. 1232) boundary condition are restricted
to the axial direction. Therefore, you must set the Define By property of the specified boundary
conditions to Components. Only the Z Component property can be non-zero and the Z-Axis of the
specified Coordinate System of the boundary condition must match the coordinate system used by
the corresponding Cyclic Region. In similar fashion, you must define the Remote Point (p. 790) for
Moment loads so that its points of application lie along the cyclic axis.

Additional restrictions apply while specifying supports for a static structural analysis. For example,
Elastic Supports and Compression Only Supports are not available. The loads and supports should
not include any face selections (for example, on 3D solids) that already belong to either the low
or high boundaries of the cyclic symmetry sector. Loads and supports may include edges (for
example, on 3D solids) on those boundaries, however.

Note:

If you scope a Remote Force or Moment boundary condition to a Remote Point that
is located on the cyclic axis of symmetry, it is necessary that the Remote Point be
constrained by a Remote Displacement in order to obtain accurate results. If the Remote
Boundary condition intersects with the cyclic low or high boundary interface, then it
is important to specify symmetry axis to target node using Mechanical APDL element
key option 6, KEYOPT(6), to obtain accurate results in the cyclic sector boundaries. In
addition, if FSI is specified, non-physical results might be exposed if the remote
boundary conditions specify the Behavior option as Deformable.

Loads and supports are assumed to have the same spatial relation for the cyclic axis in all sectors.

In preparation for solution, the boundary conditions on the geometry are converted into node
constraints in the mesh (see Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechan-
ical APDL Solver) (p. 1819) for more information). When these boundary conditions involve nodes
along the sector boundaries (low, high, and axial boundaries), their constraints are integrated to
properly reflect the symmetry. As an example, the low and high edges may feature more node
constraints than are applied to each individually, in order to remain consistent with an equivalent
full model.

Important:

When analyzing a cyclically symmetric structure that rotates without supports, you
may encounter rigid body movement. In this scenario, the recommended action is
specifying Direct for the Solver Type property.

Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Static Structural or Static Acoustics Analysis
When simulating cyclic symmetry in a static structural analysis, the application supports the
static structural analysis result types (p. 1514) that involve full symmetry, with the exception of
Path (p. 1454) and Fatigue (p. 1633) results.

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Defining Symmetry

Even though only one cyclic sector is analyzed, results are valid for the full symmetry model. You
can control the post-processing and display of cyclic results using the Cyclic Solution Display
options on the Solution object:

• Number of Sectors: This option controls the extent the model is expanded from the raw solution.
The value indicates how many sectors should be processed, displayed and animated. Results
generate more quickly and consume less memory and file storage when fewer sectors are reques-
ted. To set the value as Program Controlled, enter zero; this value reveals the full expansion.

• Starting at Sector: Selects the specific sectors to include within the expansion. For example, if
Number of Sectors is set to 1, sectors 1 through N are revealed one at a time. To set the value as
Program Controlled, enter zero; this value reveals the specified number of sectors from sector
1 onwards.

In addition, individual result objects contain a Starting at Sector property. For it to display, the
Number of Sectors property above must be set to a value greater than 0. Furthermore, this
property overrides the setting of the above Starting at Sector property of the Solution object.
This property gives you the ability to define different starting sectors for each result object.

Note:

Extremum values (e.g., Minimum, Maximum) correspond only to the portion of the
model selected in the Cyclic Solution Display.

Figure 20: Unexpanded One Sector Model Display:

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 Types of Regions

Figure 21: Expanded Full Symmetry Model Display:

Note:

• The application does not support the expanded full view of a model for element-based
results (one value per element) such as Volume. That is, results with a Data Type of Element-
al. Nodal Triads as well as Crack and Fracture results are also not expanded.

• The results for the Energy Probe, Force Reaction probe, and Moment Reaction probe
are calculated for the full symmetry model.

• Unaveraged contact results do not expand to all expanded sectors in a cyclic analysis.

• Expanded result visualization is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic Acoustics Analysis

Currently, Mechanical supports cyclic symmetry for the FullHarmonic Response (p. 266) (including
pre-stress effects) and FSI Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) analyses only. When you perform a Harmonic
Response (Full) or FSI Harmonic Acoustics analysis that involves cyclic symmetry, unique features
are available for loads and supports as well as for reviewing results. These features are described
in the following subsections:
Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic Acoustics
Analysis

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Defining Symmetry

Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic Acoustics Analysis

Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Har-
monic Acoustics Analysis
Applying loads and supports for a cyclic Full Harmonic Response analysis (standalone and pre-
stressed) follows the same requirements as those outlined in the Harmonic Response Analys-
is (p. 266) and Harmonic Response (Full) Analysis Using Pre-Stressed Structural System (p. 277)
sections of the Mechanical Help except for the restrictions discussed below.

The following support limitations and specifications must be observed for a standalone (Full)
Harmonic Response analysis when cyclic symmetry is defined:

• The following boundary conditions are not supported:

– Bearing Load

– Rotating Force

– Incident Wave Source

– Port In Duct

– Diffuse Sound Field

• The following remote boundary conditions are not supported:

– Joints

– Bearing

• Inertial (p. 1174) boundary conditions as well as the Moment (p. 1232) boundary condition are restricted
to the axial direction. Therefore, you must set the Define By property of the specified boundary
conditions to Components. Only the Z Component property can be non-zero and the Z-Axis of the
specified Coordinate System of the boundary condition must match the coordinate system used by
the corresponding Cyclic Region. In similar fashion, you must define the Remote Point (p. 790) for
Moment loads so that its points of application lie along the cyclic axis.

• Elastic Supports and Compression Only Supports are not available.

Note:

If you scope a Remote Force or Moment boundary condition to a Remote Point that
is located on the cyclic axis of symmetry, it is necessary that the Remote Point be
constrained by a Remote Displacement in order to obtain accurate results. If the Remote
Boundary condition intersects with the cyclic low or high boundary interface, then it
is important to specify symmetry axis to target node using Mechanical APDL element
key option 6, KEYOPT(6), to obtain accurate results in the cyclic sector boundaries. In
addition, if FSI is specified, non-physical results might be exposed if the remote
boundary conditions specify the Behavior option as Deformable.

Additional restrictions apply while specifying supports for a cyclic Harmonic Response (Full)
analysis. Also, the loads and supports should not include any face selections (for example, on 3D

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 Types of Regions

solids) that already belong to either the low or high boundaries of the cyclic symmetry sector.
Loads and supports may include edges (for example, on 3D solids) on those boundaries, however.

Loads and supports are assumed to have the same spatial relation for the cyclic axis in all sectors.
Also the loads and supports defined in Mechanical are applied for each and every sector by
Mechanical APDL.

In preparation for solution, the boundary conditions on the geometry are converted into node
constraints in the mesh (see Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechan-
ical APDL Solver) (p. 1819) for more information). When these boundary conditions involve nodes
along the sector boundaries (low, high, and axial boundaries), their constraints are integrated to
properly reflect the symmetry. As an example, the low and high edges may feature more node
constraints than are applied to each individually, in order to remain consistent with an equivalent
full model.

Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Harmonic Response or FSI Harmonic

Acoustics Analysis
When simulating cyclic symmetry in a Harmonic Response (Full) analysis, the same results are
available as results in Harmonic Response analyses (p. 266) that involve full symmetry with the
exception of Linearized Stresses and Fatigue results (p. 1633) (which are underdefined). In addition,
purely elemental results, such as Volume, Kinetic Energy, and Potential Energy display only in the
base sector. To verify a result is elemental, examine the Worksheet (from the Solution ob-
ject (p. 2211)) for Solution Quantities and Result Summary (p. 1473) > Available Solution Quant-
ities.

Even though only one cyclic sector is analyzed, results (excluding elemental results) are valid for
the full symmetry model. You can control the post-processing and display of cyclic results using
the following options of the Cyclic Solution Display category of the Solution folder:

• Number of Sectors: This option controls the extent the model is expanded from the raw solution.
The value indicates how many sectors should be processed, displayed and animated. Results generate
more quickly and consume less memory and file storage when fewer sectors are requested. To set
the value as Program Controlled, enter zero; this value reveals the full expansion.

• Starting at Sector: Selects the specific sectors to include within the expansion. For example, if
Number of Sectors is set to 1, sectors 1 through N are revealed one at a time. To set the value as Pro-
gram Controlled, enter zero; this value reveals the specified number of sectors from sector 1 onwards.

In addition, individual result objects contain a Starting at Sector property. For it to display, the
Number of Sectors property above must be set to a value greater than 0. Furthermore, this
property overrides the setting of the above Starting at Sector property of the Solution object.
This property gives you the ability to define different starting sectors for each result object.

Note:

Extremum values (e.g., Minimum, Maximum) correspond only to the portion of the
model selected by these properties (under Cyclic Solution Display).

Unexpanded One Sector Model Display:

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Defining Symmetry

Expanded Full Symmetry Model Display:

Note:

• Probe results are not available for Harmonic Response (Full) analyses when cyclic symmetry
is used.

• Selecting the Solution object or a result object and then selecting the Frequency checkbox
in the Tabular Data window displays the following bar graph. The Harmonic Index values
in Tabular Data are zero because the loading is cyclic. Non-cyclic loading is not supported
for Harmonic Response analyses.

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Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis

When you perform a Modal (p. 283) or FSI Modal Acoustics (p. 304) analysis that involves cyclic
symmetry (p. 808), unique features are available for loads/supports, analysis settings, and reviewing
results. These features are described in the following sections:
Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis
Analysis Settings for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal Analysis
Analysis Settings for Cyclic Symmetry in a FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis
Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis

Applying Loads and Supports for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics
Analysis
The following support limitations and specifications must be observed:

• Elastic Supports and Compression Only Supports are not permitted.

• Supports should not include any face selections (for example, on 3D solids) that already belong to
either the low or high boundaries of the cyclic symmetry sector. Supports may include edges (for
example, on 3D solids) on those boundaries, however.

• Only the following remote boundary conditions are supported:

– Remote Displacement

– Point Mass

– Spring

In preparation for solution, the boundary conditions on the geometry are converted into node
constraints in the mesh (see Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechan-
ical APDL Solver) (p. 1819) for more information). When these boundary conditions involve nodes
along the sector boundaries (low, high and axial boundaries), their constraints are integrated to
properly reflect the symmetry. As an example, the low and high edges may feature more node
constraints than are applied to each individually, in order to remain consistent with an equivalent
full model.

If the modal analysis is activated as pre-stressed (p. 233), no other modal loads/supports are allowed.
On the other hand you can apply all pertinent structural loads/supports (p. 818) in the previous
cyclic static analysis.

When using the Samcef or ABAQUS solver, compatibility of supports with cyclic symmetry is
checked internally. If an incompatibility is detected a warning or error message will be displayed,
and the solve will be interrupted.

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Defining Symmetry

Analysis Settings for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal Analysis

A modal analysis involving cyclic symmetry includes a Cyclic Controls (p. 1132) category that enables
you to solve the harmonic index for all values, or for a range of values. This category is available
if you have defined a Cyclic Region in the analysis.

Note:

Currently for Modal Analysis with Cyclic Symmetry:

• The Unsymmetric Solver Type (UNSYM) is not supported.

• Damping is not supported (Fully Damped, DAMPED, or Reduced Damped, QRDAMP).

• Expansion is only available for harmonic indices > 0 with the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

For more information about the associated Mechanical APDL command, see the
MODOPT section of the Mechanical APDL Command Reference.

Analysis Settings for Cyclic Symmetry in a FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis

A modal analysis involving cyclic symmetry includes a Cyclic Controls (p. 1132) category in the
Analysis Settings object that enables you to solve the harmonic index for all values or for a
range of values. This category is available if you have defined a Cyclic Region object in the ana-
lysis.

Note:

Currently for FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis with Cyclic Symmetry:

• The Unsymmetric Solver Type (UNSYM) is supported.

• Damping is not supported (Fully Damped, DAMPED).

See the MODOPT section of the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for additional information.

Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Modal or FSI Modal Acoustics Analysis
A Modal analysis involving cyclic symmetry includes additional options to help you navigate and
interpret the results. In particular, there are features to:

• Review the complete range of modes: you may request the modes to be sorted by their serial number
in the results file or by their frequency value in the spectrum.

• Review combinations of degenerate modes through the complete range of phase angles.

When simulating cyclic symmetry in a Modal analysis, the same results are available as for a
modal analysis with full symmetry, with the exception of Linearized Stresses (which are under-
defined). In addition, purely elemental results, such as Volume, Kinetic Energy, and Potential Energy
display only in the base sector. To verify a result is elemental, examine the Worksheet (from the
Solution object (p. 2211)) for Solution Quantities and Result Summary (p. 1473) > Available
Solution Quantities.

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 Types of Regions

Although only one cyclic sector is analyzed, results (excluding elemental results) are valid for the
full symmetry model. You can control the post-processing and display of cyclic results using the
following options of the Cyclic Solution Display category of the Solution folder:

• Number of Sectors: This option controls the extent the model is expanded from the raw solution.
The value indicates how many sectors should be processed, displayed and animated. Results generate
more quickly and consume less memory and file storage when fewer sectors are requested. To set
the value as Program Controlled, enter zero; this value reveals the full expansion.

• Starting at Sector: Selects the specific sectors to include within the expansion. For example, if
Number of Sectors is set to 1, sectors 1 through N are revealed one at a time. To set the value as Pro-
gram Controlled, enter zero; this value reveals the specified number of sectors from sector 1 onwards.

In addition, individual result objects contain a Starting at Sector property. For it to display, the
Number of Sectors property above must be set to a value greater than 0. Furthermore, this
property overrides the setting of the above Starting at Sector property of the Solution object.
This property gives you the ability to define different starting sectors for each result object.

Note:

• Extremum values (e.g., Minimum, Maximum) correspond only to the portion of the model
selected by these properties (under Cyclic Solution Display).

• To expand a mode shape, Mechanical applies the scale factors as defined in the Complete
Mode Shape Derivation section of the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference. Normalization
to unity is not supported.

Because these features involve reviewing the mode shapes and contours at individual points
within a range, they leverage the charting facilities of the Graph and Tabular Data windows (p. 124)
together with the 3D contour plotting of the Graphics view.

Reviewing the Complete Range of Modes

You may request the modes to be sorted in the Graph window by their set number in the results
file or by their frequency value in the spectrum. You may then interact with the plot (p. 830) to
generate specific mode shapes and contours of interest.

To control how modes are sorted, use the X-Axis setting under Graph Controls in the Details
view of the result and set to either Mode or Frequency:

• Mode: This choice will designate the x-axis in the Graph window to indicate the set numbers for each
mode (within a harmonic index) in the results file. Each mode will have a vertical bar whose height
represents its frequency of vibration. The columns in the Tabular Data window are displayed in the
order of: Mode, Harmonic Index, and Frequency.

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Defining Symmetry

When X-Axis is set to Mode, the Definition category includes settings for Cyclic Mode and
Harmonic Index.

• Frequency: This choice will designate the x-axis in the Graph window to indicate the mode Frequency.
Modes are thus sorted by their frequencies of vibration. Each mode will have a vertical bar whose
height, for cross-reference, corresponds to the mode number (within its harmonic index). The columns
in the Tabular Data window are displayed in the order of: Frequency, Mode, and Harmonic Index.

When X-Axis is set to Frequency, the Definition category includes a setting for Cyclic Phase.
Read-only displays of the Minimum Value Over Phase and the Maximum Value Over Phase
are also available.

• Phase: For degenerate modes or couplets, a third option for the X-Axis setting under Graph Controls
is available. This choice will designate the x-axis in the Graph window to indicate the phase angle.
The graph will show the variation of minimum and maximum value of the result with change in phase
angle for the concerned couplet. This setting allows you to analyze the result for a particular mode
(for couplets only). The columns in the Tabular Data window are displayed in the order of: Phase,
Minimum and Maximum. For details on couplets, read the section below.

Reviewing results for frequency couplets as a function of cyclic phase angles

An inspection of the results for harmonic indices between 0 and N/2 (that is, 0 < Harmonic Index
< N/2) reveals that natural frequencies are reported in pairs by the solver. These pairs of equal
value are often termed “couplets”. The corresponding mode shapes in each couplet represent

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 Types of Regions

two standing waves, one based on a sine and another on a cosine solution of the same spatial
frequency, thus having a phase difference of 90°. To appreciate the full range of vibrations possible
at a given frequency couplet, it is necessary to review not only the individual mode shapes for
sine and cosine (e.g., at 0° and 90°) but also their linear combinations which sweep a full cycle
of relative phases from 0° to 360°. This sweep is displayed by Mechanical as an animation called
a "traveling wave". The following is an example:

Note:

The following demos are presented in animated GIF format. View online if you are
reading the PDF version of the help.

Animations for mode shapes in other harmonic indices, that is, 0 or, for N even, N/2, will yield
standing waves. The following animation is an example of a standing wave.

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Defining Symmetry

There are options to review the dependence of a result on cyclic phase angle quantitatively. For
applicable harmonic indices, results can be defined by:

• Cyclic Phase: Use in combination with the Cyclic Phase setting to report the contour at a specific
phase. Under this setting, the result will also report the Minimum Value Over Cyclic Phase and the
Maximum Value Over Cyclic Phase.

• Maximum over Cyclic Phase: this contour reveals the peak value of the result as a function of cyclic
phase for every node/element.

• Cyclic Phase of Maximum: this contour reveals the cyclic phase at which the peak value of the result
is obtained for every node/element.

When the result is defined by Cyclic Phase, it may be convenient to use the interaction op-
tions (p. 830) to pick the value of phase from the Tabular Data window as an alternative to direct
input in the Details view. To access this feature, set the X-Axis to Phase under Graph Controls.

To control the density of the cyclic phase sweep, select Options from the File tab (p. 7), and
then select the Frequency (p. 145) category. Modify the Cyclic Phase Number of Steps property.

The phase sweep can be disabled individually on a result by setting Allow Phase Sweep to No
in the Details view.

Interaction Options

The Graph, Tabular Data and the Graphics view can be used in concert while reviewing modal
cyclic results. For example, if you click in the Tabular Data window, a black vertical cursor moves
to the corresponding position in the chart. Conversely, if you click a bar (for Mode or Frequency
display) or a node in the chart (for a Phase display), the corresponding row is highlighted in the
Tabular Data window. Multi-selection is also available by dragging the mouse over a range of
bars or nodes (in the chart) or rows in the Tabular Data window. These are useful in identifying
the mode number and harmonic index with specific values of the frequency spectrum.

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 Types of Regions

Also, the Graph or Tabular Data windows can be used to request a specific mode shape at a
phase value of interest (if applicable) using context sensitive options. To access these, select an
item in the Graph or Tabular Data windows and click the right mouse button. The following are
the most useful options:

• Retrieve This Result: Auto-fills the Mode and Harmonic Index (for a Mode or Frequency display)
or the Phase angle (for a Phase display) into the Details view of the result and will force the evaluation
of the result with the parameters that were recently changed.

• Create Mode Shape Results: processes the selected pairs (Mode, Harmonic Index defined by
dragging in the Graph window to produce a light blue rectangle) and inserts results under the
Solution folder. You must then evaluate these results, since they are not evaluated automatically.
This option is not available for Phase display.

The following two options are available only if you click the right mouse button in the Graph
window:

• Zoom to Range: Zooms in on a subset of the data in the Graph window. Click and hold the left mouse
at a step location and drag to another step location. The dragged region will highlight in blue. Next,
select Zoom to Range. The chart will update with the selected step data filling the entire axis range.
This also controls the time range over which animation takes place.

• Zoom to Fit: If you have chosen Zoom to Range and are working in a zoomed region, choosing
Zoom to Fit will return the axis to full range covering all steps.

Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis

When you perform a steady state thermal analysis (p. 439) or transient thermal analysis (p. 521) that
involves cyclic symmetry (p. 831), unique features are available for loads/supports and reviewing
results. These features are described in the following sections:
Applying Loads for Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis
Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis

Applying Loads for Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis

For a thermal analysis, in the presence of cyclic symmetry, Coupling loads are not available.

Also, loads should not include any face selections (for example, on 3D solids) that already belong
to either the low or high boundaries of the cyclic symmetry sector. Loads may include edges (for
example, on 3D solids) on those boundaries, however.

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Defining Symmetry

Loads are assumed to have the same spatial relation for the cyclic axis in all sectors.

In preparation for solution, the boundary conditions on the geometry are converted into node
constraints in the mesh (see Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechan-
ical APDL Solver) (p. 1819) for more information). When these boundary conditions involve nodes
along the sector boundaries (low, high and axial boundaries), their constraints are integrated to
properly reflect the symmetry. As an example, the low and high edges may feature more node
constraints than are applied to each individually, in order to remain consistent with an equivalent
full model.

Reviewing Results for Cyclic Symmetry in a Thermal Analysis

When simulating cyclic symmetry in a thermal analysis, the same results are available as results
in a thermal analysis (p. 1622) that involve full symmetry.

Note:

Radiation Probe results (p. 1625) are calculated for the full symmetry model.

General Axisymmetric Overview

For three-dimensional (3D) Static Structural analyses only, the General Axisymmetric feature enables
you to create an axisymmetric mesh, in the circumferential direction, on a surface body model that
is based on specified nodal planes and an axis. This feature supports edge and vertex scoping only.
Additionally, from these surface model edges and vertices, you can generate three-dimensional node-
based Named Selections that you can then use as scoping items for other simulation options such
as loading conditions and/or results.

An axisymmetric model created using this feature greatly reduces the modeling and analysis time
compared to that of an equivalent 3D model.

See the General Axisymmetric Workflow in Mechanical (p. 850) section for the steps to use the feature.

Limitations
The Axis of symmetry you specify should not intersect your surface body and must be in the same
plane as the selected surface body.

In addition, review the categorized limitations listed below. You cannot use the listed features and
capabilities in combination with the General Axisymmetric feature.

General Limitations

• All analysis types other than Static Structural analyses.

• Non-planar surface bodies.

• Element Orientations.

• Point Mass and Distributed Mass.

Connection Limitations

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• Beams, Bearings, Joints, and Springs.

• Beam contact formulation type.

• Only bonded contact is supported between General Axisymmetric bodies with one nodal plane.

• When the Type property is set to Bonded and the Formulation property is set to MPC, only the
Programmed Controlled and Projected, Displacement Only options for the Constraint Type (p. 918)
property are supported. All other options define force distributed constraints that are not supported
for General Axisymmetric contacts.

• The Flip Contact Normals and the Flip Target Normals properties cannot not be used to invert the
normal direction of edge contacts on 2D surface bodies.

Named Selection Limitations

• Named Selections defined on faces that are used to define loads or supports.

• Element-based and Element Face-based Named Selections defined using Worksheet criteria.

Load and Boundary Condition Limitations

• Scoping the surface bodies defined using the General Axisymmetric feature to objects such as Sym-
metry Region, Thickness, Layered Section, Imported Thickness, and Imported Layered Section.

• Load or support scoping on the face of the surface body.

• Force (Nodal Force is supported).

• Radial loading.

• Imported Loads other than Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424) and Imported Displacement (p. 1427)
(only).

• Fluid Solid Interface.

• Bolt Pretension.

• Joint Load and Bearing Load.

• Line Pressure or Hydrostatic Pressure.

• Simply Supported, Fixed Rotation, Frictional, and Cylindrical supports.

• Deformable Behavior is not supported for objects which create or use remote points like Remote
Points, Remote loads, Moments, Point Mass, Beam connections, Bearings, Joints, Springs when scoped
to General Axisymmetric bodies.

Graphical Limitations

Note the following scenarios where the load direction arrow (annotation) is not displayed in the
Geometry window:

• Pressure load and Displacement boundary condition defined by Components with a Cylindrical Co-
ordinate System.

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Defining Symmetry

• Pressure load defined using the Normal To option.

When your analysis includes a Thermal Condition, Imported Body Temperature, Imported Displacement,
and/or a Spatially Varying Pressure (Normal To) (p. 1435), load variation contours do not display for any
of these loads types unless you have the load scoped to nodes using a node-based Named Selection.
Otherwise, the variable loading conditions display in purple and there is an annotation in the Geometry
window that indicates the load as a "Variable Load."

Result Limitations

• Path dependent results such as Linearized stress results.

• Location Probes (Location Method property set to Coordinate System)

• Path, Surface, and Surface Coating scoping methods of results. That is, results cannot be extracted
using Construction Geometries.

• Convergence (p. 2002) for results.

Element Description
This feature uses the Mechanical APDL elements SOLID272 and SOLID273. See the General Axisym-
metric Elements section in the Mechanical APDL Element Reference or review the pertinent sections
of the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for additional information.

Graphic Display
As illustrated here, when you specify a General Axisymmetric object, the Geometry window auto-
matically displays the axis and the nodal planes around it. The application will generate nodes on
these planes.

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 Types of Regions

Mesh Generation
Once you fully define the General Axisymmetric object, you can generate the General Axisymmetric
mesh using the context (right-click) menu option Generate Mesh/Update on Mesh object. The ap-
plication first creates the base mesh on the surface body and then it generates the General Axisym-
metric mesh on all nodal planes in circumferential direction. The example below illustrates a mesh
generated for 12 nodal planes.

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Defining Symmetry

Named Selection Specification

As illustrated in the following example, you can create a Named Selection on an edge (or vertex). For
this example, you create a node-based Named Selection from the edge-based Named Selection using
the context (right-click) menu option Create Nodal Named Selection (p. 782). This node-based Named
Selection represents the circumferential nodes of a full axisymmetric mesh. Node-based Named Selec-
tions like this can also be created using the Worksheet.

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 Types of Regions

Contact Support
You use this feature on surface bodies. As a result, you need to specify an edge for contact conditions
(contact and target selection). Supported contact combinations include:

• The edges of two General Axisymmetric bodies.

• A solid surface as the target side and a General Axisymmetric edge as contact side.

• A 3D shell as the target side and General Axisymmetric edge as the contact side.

• When an edge of a General Axisymmetric body is in contact with a surface or edge of a shell body
or with a surface of a solid body, the nodes on the scoped edge in the base nodal plane as well as
the equivalent nodes in the circumferential direction form contact. However, if the General Axisym-
metric body has only one nodal plane, contact occurs only along the nodes of the edge in the base
nodal plane, as illustrated below.

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Defining Symmetry

Note:

For the Contact Tool (p. 1565), for node-to-surface contact, Pressure displays zeros for
results. To display the associated contact force, you must insert a user defined res-
ult (p. 1666) called CONTFORC.

The application creates:

• Asymmetric contact pairs.

• Node-to-surface contact pairs (contact elements CONTA175 paired with target elements TARGE170)
when the Nodal Planes property value specified on the associated General Axisymmetric objects
equals 3-12.

• 2-D node-to-surface contact pairs (contact elements CONTA175 paired with target elements TARGE169),
in the case of a true axisymmetric condition (the Nodal Planes property on the associated General
Axisymmetric objects set to 1).

Note:

• You cannot create contact pairs between two General Axisymmetric bodies with different
nodal planes.

• Only Bonded contact is supported between General Axisymmetric bodies with one nodal
plane.

• If the scoped bodies are not in XY plane, contact between General Axisymmetric bodies
with only one nodal plane is not supported.

Load/Support Application
When specifying loads and supports on your surface body model, you can:

• Apply Direct FE (p. 1402) loading conditions, including: Nodal Force, Nodal Pressure, and Nodal Dis-
placement. You can use these loads to specify non-axisymmetric loads.

• Apply tensile, compressive, and torsional loading using edge or vertex scoping.

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 Types of Regions

• Apply Remote Force, Remote Displacement, and Moments.

• Surface effect elements SURF159 are created to apply a Pressure load when the Defined By property
is set to Normal To and the Applied By property is set to Surface Effect or when the Defined By
property set to Components or Vector.

• An Imported Body Temperature load, when applied on General Axisymmetric bodies, uses the
Volumetric transfer type when the Mapping Control property (p. 2283) is set to Program Controlled
(the recommended data mapping type).

• For imported loads, if you want to map 2D data onto a General Axisymmetric 3D mesh (NP>1), it is
recommended that you set the Dimension property to 2D in the Project Schematic when specifying
the External Data. In Mechanical, the load is transferred onto the General Axisymmetric mesh using
the 2D Projection property (p. 2283). It is further recommended that you select a cylindrical coordinate
system for 2D Projection property in order to transfer the data in circumferential direction.

Important:

Loads on General Axisymmetric bodies with one nodal plane may produce torsion. Use
constraints along the body plane normal if torsion is not desired.

When you scope loads and/or supports to an edge on surface geometry, the solver transfers the load
to the nodes of all the nodal planes. This is essentially the same as selecting a face of a full model,
as highlighted below.

Edge Scoping on a Fixed Support

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Defining Symmetry

Edge Scoping on a Pressure Load

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 Types of Regions

Similarly, and as illustrated here, when you scope a support or load to a vertex, the solver transfers
it onto the corresponding nodes from all nodal planes, which is nothing but an edge of a full model.

Vertex Scoping on a Displacement

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Defining Symmetry

Result Application and Display

Once solved, result contours for this feature display similar to an equivalent 3D solid model.

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 Symmetry Workflow in DesignModeler

Symmetry Workflow in DesignModeler

The following procedure describes the steps use to working with Symmetry in DesignModeler.

1. While in DesignModeler, from the Tools menu, apply the Symmetry feature to the model or define an
Enclosure.

2. Enter the Mechanical application by double-clicking on the Model cell in the Project Schematic. The
Mechanical application screen appears and includes the following objects in the tree:

• A Symmetry object (p. 2232).

• Symmetry Region objects (p. 2233) displayed under the Symmetry folder. The number of Symmetry
Region objects corresponds to the number of symmetry planes you defined in DesignModeler.

• A Named Selections folder object. Each child object displayed under this folder replicates the enclosure
named selections that were automatically created when you started the Mechanical application.

3. In the Details view of each Symmetry Region object, under Definition, specify the type of symmetry (p. 802)
by first clicking on the Type field, then choosing the type from the drop-down list. Boundary conditions
will be applied to the symmetry planes based on both the simulation type and what you specify in the

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Defining Symmetry

symmetry Type field. The Scope Mode read-only indication is Automatic when you follow this procedure
of defining symmetry in DesignModeler. The Coordinate System and Symmetry Normal fields include
data that was “inherited” from DesignModeler. You can change this data if you wish. The Symmetry Normal
entry must correspond to the Coordinate System entry.

Symmetry Workflow in Mechanical

The following procedure describes the general steps, for the different types of regions, that you’ll use
to implement the symmetry feature during an analysis using the Mechanical Application. As needed,
refer to Types of Regions (p. 802) section of the Symmetry documentation for more information about
the specific region types.

1. Once you have imported your model into Mechanical, select the Model object and select the Symmetry
option from the Model Context Tab (p. 14). Alternatively, you can right-click on the Model object or
within the Geometry window and select Insert>Symmetry from the context menu.

2. Based on your analysis type, and symmetry needs, insert one of the following Symmetry objects:

• Symmetry Region (p. 2233) (only flexible body scoping is supported)

• Linear Periodic (p. 2233) (this object displays as a Symmetry Region object)

• Periodic Region (p. 2160)

• Cyclic Region (p. 2160)

• Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region (p. 2160)

3. Specify the Scoping Method property: specify as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.
Based on your selection, one of the following properties is required.

Geometry/Low Boundary/High Boundary

These properties are visible when the Scoping Method property is set to Geometry Selection. You
use this property to specify the desired geometric entity. Use the options of the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)
to make your selections.

For Periodic Region, Cyclic Region, and Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region objects, instead of a Geo-
metry property, you are presented with the Low Boundary and High Boundary properties.

Each low/high selection can consist of one or more faces over one or more parts, but they must
be paired properly. To be valid, each face/edge you specify as the Low Boundary must be ac-
companied by its twin for the High Boundary.

In addition, make sure that each selected face/edge and its twin belong to the same multibody
part (although it is not necessary that they belong to the same body). Adjust your multibody
parts as needed.

Note:

• For the Periodic Region and the Cyclic Region objects, your low/high selections are
used to match the mesh of the two boundaries.

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 Symmetry Workflow in Mechanical

• For a Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region object, it is assumed that the mesh is matched. This
object does not influence the mesh.

Named Selection/Low Selection/High Selection

These properties are visible when the Scoping Method property is set to Named Selection. This field
provides a drop-down list of available, and appropriate, user-defined Named Selections.

For Periodic Region, Cyclic Region, and Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region objects, instead of a Named
Selection property, you are presented with the Low Selection and High Selection properties.

For a Periodic Region, Cyclic Region, or Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region object, like the Geometry
Selection option, the Low Selection must correspond to the Low Boundary component and
High Selection must correspond to the High Boundary component.

The mesh matching requirements are the same as those for a geometry selection.

4. For the Symmetry Region and Periodic Region objects, and as required, define the Type property. It
provides a drop-down list of the following options:

• Symmetry

• Anti-Symmetry

• Linear Periodic

These options essentially apply boundary conditions to the symmetry planes. The Type property
options support specific analysis types. See the Symmetry Region (p. 802) section for a more detailed
description of use of these options.

5. Specify the Coordinate System: Select an appropriate coordinate system from the drop-down list.

• Symmetry Region: Only supports Cartesian coordinate systems.

• Periodic Region, Cyclic Region, and Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region: Only supports cylindrical coordinate
systems.

As needed, refer to the Coordinate Systems section, Initial Creation and Definition (p. 878).

6. Based on your symmetry application, you may need to also specify one or more of the following properties:

• Symmetry Normal (Symmetry Region only): Specify the normal axis from the drop down list that cor-
responds to the coordinate system that you chose.

• Periodicity Direction: This option applies a Symmetry Region object with the Type property set to
Linear Periodic only. This axis should point into the direction (in user selected Coordinate System) the
model should be translated. It might be different from Symmetry Normal property used for other Sym-
metry Region types.

• Behavior: This property displays during a structural analysis for a Symmetry Region object that has the
Type property set to Linear Periodic. This property specifies the coupling behavior between the Low
and High Boundaries. Options include:

– Free (default): The application allows the specified Low Boundary and High Boundary to deform in
different directions in order to enable the structure to "breathe."

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Defining Symmetry

– Coupled: The application couples the specified Low Boundary and High Boundary. This forces the
boundaries to experience the same deformation in same direction.
Refer to the Structural and Thermal Linear Periodic Symmetry (p. 804) topic for more information.

• Linear Shift: This option applies to a Symmetry Region object with the Type property set to Linear
Periodic only. This value (positive or negative) represents the increment applied to the node's location
in the chosen Periodicity Direction.

• For a Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region only, define the following:

– Number Of Sectors: The entry range is any real number greater than 2.

– Boundary DOF Orientation:

– Relative Distance Tolerance: The default setting is Program Controlled and this setting uses a value
of -0.0001.

Symmetry Examples
The following example shows a body whose Symmetry Region was defined in the Mechanical applic-
ation.

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 Symmetry Workflow in Mechanical

Note:

You can select multiple faces to work with a symmetry region. For Symmetric/Anti-Symmetric
Symmetry Regions, all faces selected (or chosen through Named Selection folder) must have
only one normal. For Periodic/Cyclic types, you should additionally choose the proper cyl-
indrical coordinate system with the z-axis showing the rotation direction, similar to the
Matched Face Mesh meshing option. For a Symmetry Region with the Type property set
to Linear Periodic, you should choose the proper Cartesian coordinate system with the
Periodicity Direction and Linear Shift properties showing pertinent values to facilitate
conditions similar to the Arbitrary Match Control meshing option. In addition, the Behavior
property also enables you to specify the coupling behavior between the Low and High
Boundaries (Linear Periodic only).

The following example shows a body whose Periodic Region was defined in the Mechanical application.

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Defining Symmetry

The following example shows a body whose Cyclic Region was defined in the Mechanical application.

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 Symmetry Workflow in Mechanical

Note:

When using a Periodic/Cyclic Region or for a Symmetry object whose Type is specified as
Linear Periodic, the mesher automatically sets up match face meshing on the opposite Low
Boundary and High Boundary faces.

A useful feature available is the ability to swap Low Boundary and High Boundary settings under
Scope in the Details view. You accomplish this by clicking the right mouse button on the specific
symmetry regions (Ctrl key or Shift key for multiple selections) and choosing Flip High/Low.

The following example shows a model defined with the Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region object in the
Mechanical application.

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Defining Symmetry

Note:

Except for cyclic symmetry models, symmetry models do not deform for unaveraged results.
For example, for an unaveraged stress display, you will see the undeformed shape of the
model.

General Axisymmetric Workflow in Mechanical

The following procedure describes the steps to specify a General Axisymmetric object (p. 2035).

1. Once you have imported your model into Mechanical, select the Model object and then select the Sym-
metry option from the Model Context Tab (p. 14). Alternatively, you can right-click on the Model object
or within the Geometry window and select Insert > Symmetry from the context menu.

2. Select the Symmetry folder and then select the General Axisymmetric option from the Symmetry
Context Tab (p. 16). Alternatively, you can right-click on the Symmetry folder object or within the Geo-
metry window and select Insert > General Axisymmetric from the context menu.

3. Specify the desired Geometry. Only Body scoping is supported. You can scope any planar surface body.

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 General Axisymmetric Workflow in Mechanical

4. Using the Nodal Planes property, enter your desired number of planes on which nodes should be gener-
ated. The entry for this property can be either 1 or 3 through 12. A Nodal Planes entry of 2 is not sup-
ported.

5. As needed, modify the Coordinate System property. The application uses the Global Coordinate System
option as the default setting. You can specify a local coordinate system.

6. Specify the Axis property. This property specifies the axis about which the mesh nodes are generated.
Options include X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis.

Note:

The specified Axis must lie along the selected body, it cannot intersect the body. And,
the Axis specified must be on the same plane as the selected surface body.

Refer to General Axisymmetric Overview (p. 832) section for additional information, such as load applic-
ation, limitations, and results options.

Specification Support Examples

In the example illustrated below, a coordinate system is specified at the centroid of the geometry. As
you can see, all three axes of this system cut through the geometry. As a result, you cannot specify this
coordinate system and any of its axis for a General Axisymmetric object.

In this example, the X- Axis of the coordinate system cuts through the geometry. As a result, it cannot
be specified for the Axis property. The Y-Axis is not in the same plane as the surface body so it cannot
be specified for the Axis property. For this example, you can use only the Z-Axis as the axisymmetric
axis.

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Defining Symmetry

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Specifying Mesh Numbering
The Mesh Numbering object is a Model-level object in the tree hierarchy. You can insert this object
by selecting the Mesh Numbering option on the Mesh Context Tab (p. 21).

The Mesh Numbering feature allows you to renumber the node and element numbers of a generated
meshed model consisting of flexible parts. The feature is useful when exchanging or assembling models
and could isolate the effect of using special elements such as superelements.

The Mesh Numbering feature is available for all analysis systems except Rigid Dynamics analyses.

Because this feature changes the numbering of the model's nodes, all node-based scoping is lost when
mesh numbering is performed, either in a suppressed or unsuppressed state. If this situation is en-
countered, a warning message allows you to stop the numbering operation before the node-based
scoping is removed.

You can prevent the loss of any node-based scoping by using criteria-based Named Selections, or by
scoping an object to nodes after mesh renumbering has taken place. Criteria-based Named Selections
scoped to nodes are supported in combination with the Mesh Numbering object as long as you have
the Generate on Remesh property set to Yes.

To activate Node Number Compression:

By default node numbers will not be compressed to eliminate gaps in the numbering that can occur
from events such as remeshing or suppression of meshed parts. This allows maximum reuse of mesh
based Named Selections but can result in node numbers that are higher than required. Node number
compression can be turned on by setting Compress Node Numbers to Yes. If compression is turned
on, the compression will occur before any other numbering controls are applied.

To activate Mesh Numbering:

1. Insert a Mesh Numbering folder by highlighting the Model folder, then:

a. Selecting the Mesh Numbering toolbar button.

Or...

b. Right-clicking on the Model folder and choosing Insert> Mesh Numbering.

Or...

c. Right-clicking in the Geometry window and choosing Insert> Mesh Numbering.

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Specifying Mesh Numbering

2. In the Details view, set Node Offset or Element Offset values for the entire assembly, as needed. For ex-
ample, specifying a Node Offset of 2 means that the node numbering for the assembly will start at 2.

Note:

The Node Offset value cannot exceed a value that results in a node number having a
magnitude greater than one (1) billion. Mesh numbering of this magnitude requires
considerable processing power.

3. Insert a Numbering Control object by highlighting the Mesh Numbering folder (or other Numbering
Control object), then:

a. Selecting the Numbering Control toolbar button.

Or...

b. Right-clicking on the Mesh Numbering folder (or other Numbering Control object) and choosing In-
sert> Numbering Control.

Or...

c. Right-clicking in the Geometry window and choosing Insert> Numbering Control.

4. Specify a part, a vertex, or a Remote Point in the model whose node or element numbers in the correspond-
ing mesh are to be renumbered.

a. To specify a part:

i. Select the part.

ii. In the Details view, set Scoping Method to Geometry Selection, click the Geometry field and click
Apply.

iii. Enter numbers in the Begin Node Number and/or Begin Element Number fields. Also, if needed,
change the End Node Number and End Element Number from their default values.

b. To specify a vertex:

i. Select the vertex.

ii. In the Details view, set Scoping Method to Geometry Selection, click the Geometry field and click
Apply.

iii. Enter the Node Number.

c. To specify a Remote Point that has already been defined:

i. In the Details view, set Scoping Method to Remote Point, click the Remote Points field and choose
the specific Remote Point in the drop-down menu.

ii. Enter the Node Number.

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5. Right-click the Mesh Numbering folder, or a Numbering Control object, and choose Renumber Mesh.
If the model is not meshed, it will first generate a mesh and then perform mesh numbering. The nodes
and elements are numbered based on the values that you specified.

Note:

During the mesh numbering process, the user interface enters a waiting state, meaning
you cannot perform any actions such as clicking objects in the tree. In addition, you
cannot cancel the process once it is started and must wait for its completion. However,
a progress dialog box appears to report status during the operation.

Mesh Numbering Characteristics

• The Mesh Numbering feature is available in both the Mechanical application and the Meshing applications.

• The Node Offset value cannot exceed a value that results in a node number having a magnitude greater
than one (1) billion. Mesh numbering of this magnitude requires considerable processing power.

• Geometry selection is part-based, not body-based.

• Selecting Update at the Model level in the Project Schematic updates the mesh renumbering.

• The Solve is aborted if mesh renumbering fails.

• Whenever a control is changed, added, or removed, the mesh renumbering states are changed for all controls
where mesh numbering is needed.

• When exporting mesh information to Fluent, Polyflow, CGNS, or ICEM CFD format, the last status is retained
at the time of export. If renumbering has been performed, the mesh is exported with nodes and elements
renumbered. If not, the original mesh numbering is used.

• Mesh renumbering of a Point Mass is not supported.

• The Convergence (p. 1752) object is not supported with Mesh Numbering folder.

Note:

Be cautious when deleting the Mesh Numbering folder. Deleting this folder leaves the mesh
in the numbered state that you specified. There is no way to know that the existing mesh
has been renumbered.

Mesh Numbering Suppression Characteristics

For Mesh Numbering, the suppression feature operates differently. Rather than excluding the object
when the Mesh Numbering object is suppressed, the mesh numbering instead returns to the original
numbering. That is, it resets and updates the input deck’s contents. This change can affect analysis
operations.

As a result, restrictions have been implemented, and Mechanical no longer supports suppression of the
Mesh Numbering object. For legacy (v14.5 and earlier) files, an error is generated in the Message
Window if suppressed Mesh Numbering objects are present. You can continue your analysis by

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Specifying Mesh Numbering

manually changing the Suppressed property setting to No, but the change is then permanent; the
application will not allow you to return this setting to Yes.

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Specifying Part Transformations
While setting up your simulation, you can use the Part Transform feature to modify the orientation of
parts on your model. This can be beneficial if you want to reorient or move certain parts after they have
been imported into Mechanical as well as if you wish to simulate different parts orientations. The feature
also enables you to parameterize your changes.

Application
To create part transformations:

1. Select the Model object and then select the Part Transform option on Model context toolbar. As illustrated
below, a Transforms folder object is placed in the Outline and automatically includes a Part Transform
object (p. 2156). This folder object houses all of the part transformations.

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Specifying Part Transformations

Additional insertion options include:

• Right-click on the Model object or in the Geometry window and select Insert > Part Transform
to insert these objects.

• Select the parts/bodies you wish to transform from the Geometry object or on your model in the
Geometry window, right-click, and then select Create Part Transform.

2. As needed, change the settings of the Transforms object properties, including:

• Transform Mesh: Options include Yes (default) and No. This property controls whether the application
automatically transforms the mesh of your transformed parts. Setting this property to No instructs the
application to clear the mesh of your transformed parts when updated.

• Regenerate Contacts: Options include Yes and No (default). This property controls whether the applic-
ation automatically generates contact on your transformed parts.

3. Specify the Scoping Method property as either Geometry (default) or Named Selections.

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4. Specify your desired geometry:

• Select the entry field of the Geometry property and, using the Body selection filter on the Graphics
toolbar (p. 49), make geometry selections on the model, and then select the Apply button. Once spe-
cified, this field displays the number of parts you have selected (e.g., 1 Part, 2 Parts, etc.). An example
is illustrated below.

Or...

• Select a body-based Named Selection from the Named Selection property drop-down list. Once spe-
cified, this field displays the specified Named Selection. An example is illustrated below.

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Specifying Part Transformations

• Note:

If you make a geometry selection using either the Face, Edge, or Vertex selection filters
or if you specify a Named Selection based on any of these geometric entities, the
application automatically selects the entire body associated with the entity. Mesh
selection options are not supported.

5. Using the Define By property, select your transformation method. Options include Rotation and Trans-
lation (default) and Coordinate System.

• Rotation and Translation: You use this option and the associated Transform X/Y/Z and Rotate X/Y/Z
properties to specify the dimensions for moving or reorienting the selected parts. This option also
provides an associated Coordinate System property that you can use to define a user-defined coordinate
system instead of using the default Global Coordinate System setting. Note that the application applies
the rotational transforms first, followed by translation transformations.

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• Coordinate System: You use this option and the associated (source) Coordinate System and Target
Coordinate System properties to specify your transformation on the selected parts by coordinate
systems. For this option, you need to manually create a Target Coordinate System that will be the
basis of the transformation. The application reorients your selected parts by aligning the source coordin-
ate system with the user-defined Target Coordinate System.

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Specifying Part Transformations

6. Specify your desired transformations. Once you complete your entries, the parts highlight as indicated
by the annotations Before Transform/After Transform. The red display shows the current position of
your parts and the blue highlight shows the pending location of the transformation. An example is illus-
trated below. A Coordinate System system is created for the transformation location and the parts are
rotated 90° in the +Y direction.

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7. Right-click on the Part Transform object (or the Transforms object) and select Transform.

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Specifying Part Transformations

The parts are moved and/or reoriented as specified. Before and after highlights are also shown
following the transformation.

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8. You can perform additional transformations as needed. If you create multiple transformations, you can
change their order in the Outline by dragging and dropping the objects onto one another.

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Specifying Construction Geometry
The Construction Geometry object is a Model-level object in the tree hierarchy. The Construction
Geometry drop-down menu in the Prepare group of the Model Context Tab enables you to insert a
desired Construction Geometry type, including:
Path
Surface
Solid
STL

Note:

The Path and Surface construction geometry features enable you to create a specific geometry
scoping (curve or plane) and then use this scoping to specifically define a result item.

Path
A Path is categorized as a form of construction geometry and is represented as a spatial curve to which
you can scope path results (p. 1454). The results are evaluated at discrete points along this curve.

A path can be defined in two principal ways:

• By start point and end point.

These points can be specified directly or can be calculated from the entry and exit point (intersections)
of the positive X-axis of a coordinate system through a mesh. The path may be a straight line segment
or a curve depending on the type of coordinate system (Cartesian or Cylindrical). You can control
the discretization by specifying the number of sampling points, and these will be evenly distributed
along the path up to a limit of 200.

Note:

Paths defined in this manner will only be mapped onto solid or surface bodies. If you wish
to apply a path to a line body you must define the path by an edge (as described below).

• By an edge.

The discretization will include all nodes in the mesh underlying the edge. Multiple edges may be
used but they must be continuous.

For each result scoped to a Path, the Graph Controls category provides an option to display the result
in the Graph on X-axis, as a function of Time or with S, the length of the path. Note that Path results
have the following restrictions: They are calculated on solids and surfaces but not on lines. They can

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Specifying Construction Geometry

be collected into charts as long as all of the other objects selected for the chart have the same X-axis
(Time or S). You can define a path in the geometry by specifying two points, an edge, or an axis. Before
you define a path, you must first add the Path object from the Construction Geometry context toolbar.
You can then define the path using any of the three methods presented below.

There are a number of methods to define a Path, including:

• Defining a Path using Two Points (p. 868)

• Defining a Path using an Edge (p. 869)

• Defining a Path from Results Scoped to Edges (p. 869)

• Defining a Path using X-axis Intersection (p. 870)

• Defining a Path from Probe Labels (p. 870)

Additional options for this feature include:

• Snap to Mesh Nodes (p. 2158)

• Exporting Path Data (p. 872)

Defining a Path using Two Points

Using this method you define the path by specifying two points in any of the following ways:

To define the path using the Hit Point Coordinate option:

1. In the Details view, select Two Points in the Path Type list.

2. Under Start, choose Click to Change in the Location row.

3. Select the Hit Point Coordinate option on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

As you move the cursor across the model, the coordinates display and update as you reposition the
cursor.

4. Click at the desired start location for the path. A small cross hair appears at this location. You can click again
to change the cross hair location.

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 Path

5. Click Apply. A “1” symbol displays at the start location. Also, the coordinates of the point display in the
Details view. You can change the location by repositioning the cursor, clicking at the new location, and
then clicking Click to Change and Apply, or by editing the coordinates in the Details view.

6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to define the end point of the path under End in the Details view. A “2” symbol
displays at the end location.

7. Enter the Number of Sampling Points.

To define the path using coordinates:

1. In the Details view, select Two Points in the Path Type list.

2. Under Start, enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates for the starting point of the path.

3. Under End, enter the X, Y, and Z coordinates for the ending point of the path.

4. Enter the Number of Sampling Points.

To define a Path using vertices, edges, faces, or nodes:

1. In the Details view, select Two Points in the Path Type list.

2. Select one or more vertices or nodes, a single edge, or a face where you want to start the path, and then
click Apply under Start, Location. An average location is calculated for multiple vertex or node selections.

3. Select the vertices, nodes, face, or the edge where you want to end the path, and then click Apply under
End, Location.

4. Enter the Number of Sampling Points.

Note:

The start and end points need not both be specified using the same procedure of the three
presented above. For example, if you specify the start point using the Coordinate toolbar
button, you can specify the end point by entering coordinates or by using a vertex, edge,
or face. Any combination of the three procedures can be used to specify the points.

Defining a Path using an Edge

This method helps you define a path by selecting an edge. To define a path:

1. In the Details view, select Edge in the Path Type list.

2. Specify an edge geometry using Geometry Selection or by specifying an edge-based Named Selection.

Defining a Path from Results Scoped to Edges

In order to help better quantify the variation of a result along a set of edges, path results are available.
For a result that is scoped to an edge or multiple contiguous edges, you can convert the scoping to
the equivalent Path, by:

1. Selecting the result object that is scoped to an edge or contiguous edges.

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Specifying Construction Geometry

2. Display the context menu by right-clicking the mouse, and the select Convert To Path Result.

A Path is automatically created and a corresponding Path object is displayed in the tree with a Path
Type of Edge.

Defining a Path using X-axis Intersection

Depending on the coordinate system you select, Workbench creates a Path from the coordinate system
origin to the point where the X-axis of the selected coordinate system intersects a geometry boundary.
Workbench computes intersections of the axis with the mesh and displays more precise locations for
path endpoints for the path results. The endpoints for the path are not modified, and remain as the
intersections with the geometry. The first compact segment of the path inside a single body is included
in the path definition.

1. In the Details view, select X Axis Intersection in the Path Type list.

2. Select the coordinate system you want to use to define the x-axis.

3. Enter the Number of Sampling Points.

Defining a Path from Probe Labels

While reviewing results, you can define a path automatically from two probe labels. To define the path:

1. Create two probe annotations (p. 132) by choosing the Probe button from the Result Context Tab (p. 24).

2. Choose the Label or Imported Objects button from the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) and select the two
probe annotations. (Hold the Ctrl key to select both probe annotations.)

3. Right-click in the Geometry window and choose Create Path From Probe Labels from the context menu.

4. A path is automatically created between the probe annotations. A corresponding Path object is displayed
in the tree with a Path Type of Two Points.

Snap to Mesh Nodes

When solving linearized stresses (p. 1533), the path you define by two points must be contained within
the finite element mesh to avoid an error. Because the two points can be derived from the tessellation
of the geometric model, the points may be contained within the geometry but may not be contained
within the mesh. This is especially true for curved geometry faces. After defining the two points using
the Coordinate toolbar button method (see above), you can ensure that the path is contained within
the mesh by using the Snap to mesh nodes feature. To use the feature, set Show Mesh to Yes in the
Details view of the Construction Geometry object in order to see the location of the nodes in the
mesh. Then, right-click the Path object and select Snap to mesh nodes from the context menu. This
action alters the path, as necessary, such that both the start point and end point of the path snap to
the closest node in the mesh.

The Snap to mesh nodes feature avoids the error and allows the solve to continue provided the path
you define does not traverse through any discontinuities in the model, such as a hole. For these cases,
even though the Snap to mesh nodes feature alters the path endpoints to coincide with the nearest
nodes in the mesh, the linearized stress result still fails because the path is defined through the discon-
tinuity.

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 Path

The following pictures illustrate this feature.

Attempt to solve for linearized stress. Path defined within geometric model:

Corresponding mesh used for geometric model, obtained by setting Show Mesh to Yes:

Path contained within mesh after choosing Snap to mesh nodes. Solution completes:

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Specifying Construction Geometry

Note:

If the model is re-meshed after choosing Snap to mesh nodes, the feature is not automatically
applied to the newly meshed model. You must choose Snap to mesh nodes again to alter
the path start and end points to the new mesh.

Exporting Path Data

You can export coordinate data for a defined path by clicking the right mouse button on a Path object
and choosing Export from the context menu.

Surface
A surface is categorized as a form of construction geometry and is represented as a section plane to
which you can scope surface results (p. 1460) or reaction probes (p. 1591).

To define a surface:

1. Highlight the Model object, open the Construction Geometry drop-down menu on the Model Context
Tab (p. 14), and select Surface.

2. Define a coordinate system whose X-Y plane will be used as a cutting plane, as follows:

a. Create a local coordinate system (p. 878).

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 Surface

b. Define the origin (p. 878) of the local coordinate system.

Note:

With respect to the facets of the surface:

• For a Cartesian coordinate system, the surface is the intersection of the model with the
X-Y plane of the coordinate system.

• For a cylindrical coordinate system, the surface is the intersection of the model with the
cylinder whose axis is the Z axis of the coordinate system. In this case, you must specify
the radius in the Details view of the Surface object.

Tip:

For an existing coordinate system, you can define a Surface Construction Geometry object
by selecting a desired Coordinate System object, right-clicking, and selecting Create Con-
struction Surface. This feature allows you to define the coordinate system first. See the
procedure below.

Create Construction Geometry Surface from Coordinate System

As illustrated below, you can create a Surface Construction Geometry from any existing coordinate
system using the right-click feature Create Construction Surface.

Right-click Menu for Create Construction Surface

Details for Surface Object

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Specifying Construction Geometry

The Details display the defined coordinate system and allow you to suppress the object if desired.

Solid
The Solid option of the Construction Geometry feature enables you to create and add a solid part to
the model you have imported into Mechanical.

To define a Solid Construction Geometry:

1. Highlight the Model object, open the Construction Geometry drop-down menu on the Model Context
Tab (p. 14), and select Solid.

2. As needed, specify a coordinate system. The default is the Global Coordinate System.

3. Specify the dimensions of the solid part using the X1 through Z2 properties. These properties define the
start point and the end point for each dimension. The application displays a frame of your geometry as
you enter values.

Important:

• The difference between the X, Y, and Z values must be greater than zero and within a tolerance
of 1e-10. All comparisons are performed in the associated CAD units.

• Automatic contact detection is not performed when a solid part is generated. In order for the
solid part to be included in automatic contact generation, you need to either select Create
Automatic Connections option via the Connections folder or update the geometry from

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 Solid

the CAD source by selecting the Update Geometry from Source option via the Geometry
folder.

• Making a vertex or node selection on your model displays the Location of the vertex/node
in the Status Bar (p. 80). This information can be helpful when constructing your solid part.

4. Right-click on the object and select Add to Geometry. Once created, a new Part is placed in the Geometry
folder. This part behaves as and may be used like any part of the model.

Note:

Review the following requirements:

• You must update the Geometry (p. 2040) object (Update Geometry from Source option) in
order to transfer changes made on the Solid object to the Part object.

• In order to delete a Solid object, you must first right-click the object and select Remove
Geometry. This action removes the part from the Geometry folder. You can then delete
the Solid object as needed.

• Selective Update (p. 223) is not supported for solids created in Mechanical.

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Specifying Construction Geometry

STL
The STL option of the Construction Geometry feature enables you to import and view an STL (Stereo-
lithography) file in Mechanical.

To import an STL file:

1. Highlight the Model object, open the Construction Geometry drop-down menu on the Model Context
Tab (p. 14), and select STL.

2. At this point, define the following properties as needed:

• Length Units: Meters is the default setting. Changing this property rescales the STL geometry according
to the new unit. Changing from Meters to Centimeters resizes the model accordingly.

• Show Always: Options include No (default) and Yes. If you set this property to Yes, the application dis-
plays the STL geometry in the Geometry window regardless of what object is selected in the tree.

• Color: Change the color of the STL geometry. This enables you to easily identify your STL geometry.

3. Right-click on the STL object and select Import STL File. This option imports and displays the new model
in the Construction Geometry folder.

Note:

When generated, the position of the imported STL geometry in the Geometry window
is determined by the coordinates from which the original STL file is generated. To ensure
that you can see the geometry, use the F7 key (Zoom to Fit) to properly display all
geometries.

The Statistics property displays the number of triangles included in the STL geometry.

Also see the STL object reference (p. 2221) page of the Help for more information.

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Setting Up Coordinate Systems
All geometry in the Mechanical application is displayed in the global coordinate system by default. The
global coordinate system is the fixed Cartesian (X, Y, Z) coordinate system originally defined for a part.

In addition, you can create unique local coordinate systems to use with springs, joints, various loads,
supports, and result probes.

Cartesian coordinates apply to all local coordinate systems. In addition, you can apply cylindrical co-
ordinates to parts, displacements, and forces applied to surface bodies.

Note:

Cylindrical coordinate systems are not supported by the Explicit Dynamics solvers, but may
be used for some postprocessing operations.

Annotations are available for coordinate systems. You can toggle the visibility of these annotations in
the Annotation Preferences dialog box. For more information, see Specifying Annotation Prefer-
ences (p. 208).

The following topics are covered in this section:

Creating Coordinate Systems
Importing Coordinate Systems
Applying Coordinate Systems as Reference Locations
Using Coordinate Systems to Specify Joint Locations
Creating Coordinate-Based Section Planes
Transferring Coordinate Systems to the Mechanical APDL Application

Creating Coordinate Systems

The following topics involve the creation of local coordinate systems:
Initial Creation and Definition
Establishing Origin for Associative and Non-Associative Coordinate Systems
Setting Principal Axis and Orientation
Using Transformations
Creating a Coordinate System Based on a Surface Normal

See the Coordinate System Object Reference (p. 2002) page of the Help for additional information about
the categories and properties of the Coordinate System object.

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Setting Up Coordinate Systems

Initial Creation and Definition

Creating a new local coordinate system involves adding a Coordinate System object to the tree and
addressing items under the Definition category in the Details view.

To create and define a new local coordinate system:

1. Select the Coordinate Systems folder in the Outline and then select the Coordinate System option
from the Insert group on the Coordinate Systems Context tab. This group is also contained on the
Home tab. Alternatively, when the Coordinate Systems folder, or an existing coordinate system
object is selected, you can right-click on the object, or in the Geometry window, and select Insert
> Coordinate System.

2. In the Details view Definition group, set the following:

a. Type: set to Cartesian or Cylindrical.

b. Coordinate System: to Program Controlled or Manual. This assigns the coordinate system
reference number (the first argument of the Mechanical APDL LOCAL command). Choose Program
Controlled to have the reference number assigned automatically, or choose Manual to assign
a particular reference number in the Coordinate System ID field for identification or quick refer-
ence of the coordinate system within the input file. You should set the Coordinate System ID
to a value greater than or equal to 12. If you create more than one local coordinate system, you
must ensure that you do not duplicate the Coordinate System ID.

c. Suppressed: Yes or No (default). If you choose to suppress a coordinate system, you remove the
object from further treatment, write no related data to the input deck, and cause any objects
scoped to the coordinate system to become underdefined (therefore invalidating solutions).

Establishing Origin for Associative and Non-Associative Coordinate Systems

After creating a local coordinate system, you can further designate it as being associative or non-as-
sociative with geometry and define its origin.

• An associative coordinate system remains joined to the face or edge on which it is applied throughout
preprocessing. Its position and orientation is thus affected by modifications to the geometry during up-
dates (p. 220) and through the use of the Configure tool (p. 1015). The coordinate system does not follow
the geometry and its mesh during the solution.

• A non-associative coordinate system is independent of any geometry.

You establish the origin for either an associative or non-associative coordinate system in the Origin
category in the Details view. The category provides the following properties:

• Define By: options include Geometry Selection, Named Selection, and Global Coordinates.

• Geometry: this property is a graphical selection tool. The selection you make using this property defines
the values populated in the Origin X, Y, and Z properties.

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 Creating Coordinate Systems

• Origin X, Origin Y, and Origin Z: automatically populated by the Geometry property selection or you
can manually enter values.

Note:

A coordinate system's origin cannot be located by scoping it to a line body. If you wish to
put the origin at the center of the line body, select the edge of the line body for the origin
selection instead.

To establish the origin for an associative coordinate system:

1. Set the Define By property to Geometry Selection or Named Selection. For a Reference Coordinate
System attached to a joint, work with the Orientation About Principal Axis category to make the co-
ordinate system associative.

If you select:

• Geometry Selection

a. Graphically select geometry (vertex or vertices, edge, face, cylinder, circle, or circular arc) or one
node or multiple nodes.

b. Select the Geometry field and then select Click to Change.

c. Click Apply. A coordinate system symbol displays at the centroid of your selection. The centroid
is defined as the simple average (unweighted by length, area, or volume) of the individual centroids
of your geometry selections.

• Named Selection: Select a user-defined Named Selection (p. 761) from the Named Selection drop-
down menu.

Preselecting one or more topologies and then inserting a Coordinate System will automatically locate
its origin as stated above.

To establish the origin for a non-associative coordinate system:

• In the Details view Origin group, set Define By to Global Coordinates. You then define the origin in
either of the following ways:

• Selecting any point on the exterior of the model:

1. Set Define By to Global Coordinates.

2. Select the Click to Change field of the Location property.

3. Select the Hit Point Coordinate ( ) button on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49). This feature allows
you to move the cursor across the model and display coordinates.

4. Select the desired origin location on the model. A small cross hair appears at the selected location.
You can change the cross hair location as desired.

5. Click Apply in the Location property field. A coordinate system symbol displays at the origin
location. Note that the coordinates display in Origin X, Y and Z properties of the Details view. You

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Setting Up Coordinate Systems

can change the location by repositioning the cursor, clicking at the new location, and then clicking
Click to Change and Apply, or by editing the coordinates in the Details view.

• Selecting any point using the average location of selected nodes:

1. Set Define By to Global Coordinates.

2. Choose Click to Change in the Location row.

3. Select the Node filter on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

4. Select as many nodes as desired and then click Apply. The origin coordinate system is specified
on the model based on the average location of the selected nodes.

• Entering the coordinates directly in the Details view.

1. Set Define By to Global Coordinates.

2. Type the Origin X, Y, Z coordinates. The origin will be at this location.

Setting Principal Axis and Orientation

The definition of the coordinate system involves two vectors, the Principal Axis vector and the Ori-
entation About Principal Axis vector. The coordinate system respects the plane formed by these
two vectors and aligns with the Principal Axis. Use the Principal Axis category in the Details view to
define one of either the X, Y, or Z axes in terms of a:

• Geometry Selection – Associatively align axis to a topological feature in the model. When a change occurs
to the feature, the axis automatically updates to reflect the change.

• Fixed Vector – Depending upon the Geometry Selection, this option preserves the current Geometry
Selection without associativity. When a change occurs to the feature the axis will not update automatically
to reflect that change.

• Global X, Y, Z axis – Force the axis to align to a global X, Y, or Z axis.

• Hit Point Normal – Align the axis along a normal vector which represents the normal direction of the
local surface curvature of the hit point. You then select a point on the screen to define the Hit Point
Normal and orient the primary axis. For information on creating a coordinate system aligned with the hit
point, see Creating a Coordinate System Based on a Surface Normal (p. 881).

Use the Orientation About Principal Axis category in the Details view to define one of the orientation
X, Y, or Z axes in terms of the Default, Geometry Selection, the Global X, Y, Z axes, or Fixed Vector.

Using Transformations
Transformations allow you to “fine tune” the original positioning of the coordinate system. Options
are available for offsetting the origin by a translation in each of the x, y and z directions, as well as
by rotation about each of the three axes. Flipping of each axis is also available. To exercise transform-
ations, you use buttons on the Coordinate System Context Tab (p. 21) and settings in the Transform-
ations category in the Details view.

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 Creating Coordinate Systems

To transform a coordinate system:

1. Choose a transformation (translation, rotation, or flip) from the Transform group.

Entries appear in the Details view as you add transformations.

2. Enter information in the Details view for each transformation.

3. If required:

• Reorder a transformation by highlighting it in the Details view and using the Move Up or Move
Down options.

• You can delete a transformation by highlighting it in the Details view and then selecting the Delete
option of the Transform group on the Coordinate System Context Tab.

Creating a Coordinate System Based on a Surface Normal

You can orient a coordinate system based on the surface normal. You have two options. You can
orient the principal axis based on the hit point normal of an existing coordinate system, or you can
create an aligned coordinate system based on the hit point.

Orienting the Principal Axis by Hit Point Normal

To orient the principal axis based on the hit point normal of an existing coordinate system:

1. Create a coordinate system (p. 877).

2. In the Details view, define the principal axis by Hit Point Normal.

3. In the Graphics window, select a point.

4. In the Details view, click Apply for Hit Point Normal.

For more information, see Setting Principal Axis and Orientation (p. 880).

Creating a Coordinate System Aligned with a Hit Point

To create an aligned coordinate system based on the hit point:

1. Enable Hit Point Coordinate mode by toggling the Hit Point Coordinate button in the Graphics Tool-
bar (p. 49).

2. In the Graphics window, select a point.

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Setting Up Coordinate Systems

3. Right-click the Graphics window and select Create Coordinate System Aligned with Hit Point.

Mechanical creates a coordinate system on the location of hit point with the primary axis aligning
along the hit point normal.

If a hit point is not defined, Mechanical creates a coordinate system on the location of {0,0,0},
with the axis the same as the global coordinate system.

Importing Coordinate Systems

Coordinate systems defined when geometry is imported from DesignModeler, Creo Parametric, or
SOLIDWORKS will automatically be created in the Mechanical application. For more information, see
the Attaching Geometry section under DesignModeler, or see the Notes section under Creo Parametric
or SOLIDWORKS in the CAD Integration section of the ANSYS Workbench help.

If you update the model in the Mechanical application, coordinate systems from these products are
refreshed, or newly defined coordinate systems in these products are added to the model.

If a coordinate system was brought in from one of these products but changed in the Mechanical ap-
plication, the change will not be reflected on an update. Upon an update, a coordinate system that
originated from DesignModeler, Creo Parametric, or SOLIDWORKS will be re-inserted into the object
tree. The coordinate system that was modified in the Mechanical application will also be in the tree.

Applying Coordinate Systems as Reference Locations

Any local coordinate systems that were created in the Mechanical application, or imported from
DesignModeler, Creo Parametric, or SOLIDWORKS, can be applied to a part, or to a Point Mass (p. 658),
Spring (p. 1037), Acceleration (p. 1175), Standard Earth Gravity (p. 1181), Rotational Acceleration (p. 1187), Rota-
tional Velocity (p. 1183), Force (p. 1210), Bearing Load (p. 1222), Remote Force (p. 1215), Moment (p. 1232), Dis-
placement (p. 1348), Remote Displacement (p. 1356), or Contact Reaction (p. 1565). This feature is useful because
it avoids having to perform a calculation for transforming to the global coordinate system.

To apply a local coordinate system:

1. Select the tree object that represents one of the applicable items mentioned above.

2. For an Acceleration, Rotational Velocity, Force, Bearing Load, or Moment, in the Details view, set the
Define By property to Components, and then proceed to Step 3. For the other items, proceed directly
to step 3.

3. In the Details view, set Coordinate System to the name of the local coordinate system that you want to
apply. The names in this drop-down list are the same names as those listed in the Coordinate Systems
branch of the tree outline.

Note:

If you define a load by Components in a local coordinate system, changing the Define
By field to Vector will define the load in the global coordinate system. Do not change
the Define By property to Vector if you want the load defined in a local coordinate
system.

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 Creating Coordinate-Based Section Planes

Using Coordinate Systems to Specify Joint Locations

Whenever you create a joint, an accompanying reference coordinate system is also created. The intent
of this coordinate system is for positioning the joint. See the Joint Properties (p. 978) section for further
details.

Creating Coordinate-Based Section Planes

For viewing purposes, you can use the Section Plane option from the Insert group (p. 10) of the Home
tab to slice the graphical image of your model based on a predefined coordinate system.

Note:

The Section Plane feature does not support Cylindrical Coordinate Systems.

1. Select the desired Coordinate Systems object.

2. Right-click the mouse and select Create Section Plane.

As illustrated here, the model is sliced based on the Coordinate System.

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Setting Up Coordinate Systems

Note:

This option is also available for Coordinate System objects in the Meshing Application.

Transferring Coordinate Systems to the Mechanical APDL Application

You can transfer coordinate systems to the Mechanical APDL application using any of the following
methods:

• Write Input File (p. 1810)

• Load the Mechanical APDL application.

• Commands Objects (p. 1823)

Any coordinate system defined in the Mechanical application and sent to the Mechanical APDL applic-
ation as part of the finite element model, will be added to the Mechanical APDL application input file
as LOCAL commands. For example:
/com,*********** Send User Defined Coordinate System(s) ***********
local,11,0,0.,0.,0.,0.,0.,0.
local,12,1,11.8491750582796,3.03826387968126,-1.5,0.,0.,0.
csys,0

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Setting Connections
Supported connection features consist of Contact, Joint, Spring, Beam Connection, End Release, Spot
Weld and Body Interaction (Explicit Dynamics only). Each of these connections can be created manually
in the application. Only Contact and Joint can also be generated automatically.

This section describes Connections folder, Connection Group folder, Automatic Generated Connections,
as well as each connection type as outlined below.
Connections Folder
Connections Worksheet
Connection Group Folder
Common Connections Folder Operations for Auto Generated Connections
Contact
Joints
Springs
Beam Connections
Spot Welds
End Releases
Bearings

Connections Folder
The Connections folder is the container for all types of connection objects except for the two types
that can be automatically generated (Contact and Joint). The objects of each of these two types are
placed in a sub-folder called the Connection Group folder. As illustrated below, the Details view of the
Connections folder provides the following two properties.

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Setting Connections

Auto Detection

• Generate Automatic Connection On Refresh: options are Yes (default) or No. This is a setting to turn
on/off for auto generation of connection objects when the geometry is refreshed. The process of automat-
ically creating the contact objects is additive. Any existing connection objects of these types that were created
manually may be duplicated when the connections are automatically regenerated. To avoid duplication,
you should first delete any existing contact objects before the geometry is refreshed.

Note:

Special conditions apply to updating geometry that includes Spot Welds (p. 1047).

The process of automatically creating joint objects is not additive. Any existing joint objects are not
duplicated when connections are automatically regenerated.

Transparency

• Enabled: options are Yes (default) or No. This is a setting to enable or disable transparency of the bodies
not associated with the connection in the graphics display.

Connections Worksheet
When you are working with the Connections object in the tree Outline, you can use the Worksheet
window (p. 122) to supplement the Details view by providing a summary of the contact information,
joint information, and the connections between geometry bodies. Select the Worksheet option on the
Connections Context tab (p. 16) to display the Worksheet window. A Show Preferences option and
a Generate option display and enable you to define worksheet data to display and the generate
worksheet content.

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 Connections Worksheet

To toggle on the worksheet:

1. Select the Worksheet option from the Context tab.

2. Select the Show Preferences option to view the possible data types.

3. Select the check boxes for the data types you want to view.

4. Select the Generate option to generate the content. ANSYS Mechanical remembers the display preferences
you select and will default to those in future sessions.

Select Hide Preferences to hide the preferences and Refresh to refresh the worksheet data.

Navigation
The Worksheet remains displayed as you select different objects within the Connections folder. Selecting
an object outside of the folder returns you to the Graphics display. Returning to a Connections object
displays the last active data. Any changes require you to regenerate the Worksheet data.

Worksheet Connections Data Types

The data types available in the worksheet are described below. You can turn the displayed properties
on and off using the right-click menu.

Contact Information
Displays the properties for each contact.

Joint DOF Checker

Checks the total number of free degrees of freedom and displays the free DOF, based on the number
of unsuppressed parts, fixed constraints, and translation joints. If this number is less than 1, the
model may be overconstrained, and you should check the model closely and remove any redundant
joint constraints. You can use a Redundancy Analysis to detect redundant joint constraints.

Joint Information
Displays the name, type, scope, and status of all joints.

Spring Information
Displays spring connection properties.

Beam Information
Displays beam connection properties.

Connection Matrix
Displays a matrix that represents the connections between bodies in the geometry. These connections
are color-coded by type (as shown in the legend). In the Preferences, you can choose the type of
data to display, in order to filter out unwanted information. Activate the options by checking the se-
lection box beside the Connection Matrix title. The following options can then be selected or
deselected as desired.

• Show Upper Diagonal

• Show Diagonal Marker

• Show Unconnected Bodies

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Setting Connections

• Show Suppressed Objects

• Bundle Connections
The Bundle Connections option is an especially useful tool because it enables you to group Control
Connection Types. For example, if you have three Spot Welds contained in the same cell of the
matrix, activating the Bundle Connections option displays the spot welds as "3 Spot Welds" instead
of displaying the individual names of all three within the cell.

Note:

• The matrix displays a grounded connection as a connection to itself. For example, if a

grounded joint is scoped to body1, then it will be displayed in the cell of column body1
and row body1.

• The Connection Matrix is limited to 200 prototypes.

Control Connection Types

The Control Connection Types display area provides a list of selectable connection features/types
that you can choose to display or to not display within the Connection Matrix. Options include:

• Contact

• Spot Weld

• Joint

• Spring

• Beam

Context Menu Selection Options

Selecting an item in the table and then right-clicking the mouse provides a menu of the following options,
in addition to those associated with the properties of the data types:

• Go To Selected Items in Tree: the application displays the associated contact object or objects in the
Geometry Window.

• Reset Columns: if you change the order of the table content by clicking on a column title, this option resets
the order of the table content.

• Reset Column Widths: reset the columns to the default width.

• Edit Column Width: changes column width (in pixels). You can select multiple columns or rows. A value of
zero (default) indicates that the setting is program controlled.

• Export (Connection Matrix Only - see below)

Exporting the Connection Matrix

You can export a text file version of the Connection Matrix from either the Worksheet or the Connec-
tions object in the Tree Outline.

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 Connection Group Folder

To export from the worksheet, right-click the Connection Matrix table and select Export.

To export from the Tree Outline, right-click the Connections object and select Export.

Connection Group Folder

The role of a Connection Group folder is to provide you with the ability to automatically generate
Contact or Joint objects for the whole model or for a group of bodies within the model with a tolerance
value applied only to this group. Only these two types of connections are provided with the automatic
detection capability and only one type of connection objects can be included in a Connection Group
folder with the exception of Spot Weld (see details in the Spot Weld (p. 1047) section). The generated
objects are placed in a Connection Group folder which is automatically renamed to "Contacts" or "Joints"
depending on the type.

When you import your model into Mechanical, by default, contact detection is performed automatically.
This is based on the setting in the Workbench Options dialog. On the Workbench Project Page, under
Tools > Options > Mechanical, there is a setting labeled Auto Detect Contact On Attach. This setting
is selected by default. Furthermore, this automatic contact detection is based on the settings you define
in the Options dialog (p. 138) (Connections category > Auto Detection) of the Mechanical application.
To open the Options dialog in Mechanical, select the icon available beside the Help drop-down menu
on the title bar. The File tab contains this option as well.

Detailed steps for auto/manual generating connection objects are presented in the Common Connections
Folder Operations for Auto Generated Connections (p. 895) section.

The Connection Group has the following properties.

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Setting Connections

Definition

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 Connection Group Folder

• Connection Type: options include Contact and Joint.

Scope

• Scoping Method: options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selection.

– Geometry: used to define geometry selections. Appears when Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-
lection.

– Named Selection: drop-down list of available Named Selections. Appears when Scoping Method is set
to Named Selection.

Auto Detection

• Tolerance Type: options include Slider, Value, and Use Sheet Thickness. Bodies in an assembly that were
created in a CAD system may not have been placed precisely, resulting in small overlaps or gaps along the
connections between bodies. You can account for any imprecision by specifying connection detection tol-
erance. This tolerance can be specified by value when the type is set to Slider and Value, or sheet thickness
of surface bodies when the type is set to Use Sheet Thickness. This option is only applicable to Contact
and available when the Group By property (see below) is set to None or Bodies.

• Tolerance Slider: appears if Tolerance Type is set to Slider. To tighten the connection detection, move
the slider bar closer to +100 and to loosen the connection detection, move the slider bar closer to -100. A
tighter tolerance means that the bodies have to be within a smaller region (of either gap or overlap) to be
considered in connection; a looser tolerance will have the opposite effect. Be aware that as you adjust the
tolerance, the number of connection pairs could increase or decrease.

• Tolerance Value: appears if Tolerance Type is set to Slider or Value. This field will be read-only if the
Tolerance Type is set to Slider showing the actual tolerance value based on the slider setting. When the
Tolerance Type is set to Value, you will be able to provide an exact distance for the detection tolerance.

After you provide a greater than zero value for the Tolerance Value, a circle appears around the
current cursor location as shown below.

The radius of the circle is a graphical indication of the current Tolerance Value. The circle moves
with the cursor, and its radius will change when you change the Tolerance Value or the Tolerance
Slider. The circle appropriately adjusts when the model is zoomed in or out.

• Use Range: appears when the Tolerance Type property is set to Slider or Value. Options include Yes and
No (default). If set to Yes, you will have the connection detection searches within a range from Tolerance
Value to Min Distance Value inclusive.

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– Min Distance Percentage: appears if Use Range is set to Yes. This is the percentage of the Tolerance
Value to determine the Min Distance Value. The default is 10 percent. You can move the slider to adjust
the percentage between 1 and 100.

– Min Distance Value: appears if Use Range is set to Yes. This is a read-only field that displays the value
derived from: Min Distance Value = Min Distance Percentage * Tolerance Value/100.

• Thickness Scale Factor: appears if Tolerance Type is set to Use Sheet Thickness. The default value is 1.

Use Sheet Thickness will use sheet bodies' thickness values (t1 and t2 above) to find contact between
bodies. For example, if the sheets are within t1/2 + t2/2 * Thickness Scale Factor, then Sheet Body 1 and
Sheet Body 2 would be found to be in contact.

Note:

If sheet bodies and/or shell thicknesses are not precise, the default value could result in
some missing contact areas. Increasing the Thickness Scale Factor to a larger value, say
1.1, may help in such cases.

For Edge/Edge pairing (see below), the largest thickness among the surface bodies involved is used;
however, if the pairing is Face/Edge, the thickness of the surface body with the face geometry is
used.

• Face/Face: (Contacts only) options include Yes (default) and No. Detects connection between the faces of
different bodies. The maximum allowable difference in the normals for which contact is detected is 15 degrees.
For Joints, Face/Face is the only detection type allowed. That is why the property does not appear in the
Details view when the Connection Type is Joint.

• Face/Face Angle Tolerance: This property is visible when the Face/Face property is set to Yes. When
working with Face/Face automatic contact detection, this property enables you to define the minimum
angle between two face normals. This minimum angle is the threshold below which the application will ignore
the faces from proximity detection. The default value is 75°, the minimum value is 0°, and the maximum
value is 90° (perpendicular).

• Face Overlap Tolerance (Contacts only): This property is visible only when the Face/Face property is set
to Yes. It sets the tolerance for overlap of faces in contact; that is, the minimum percentage of overlap at
which a contact pair is created for two overlapping faces. For example, if Face Overlap Tolerance is set to
25, a contact pair is created for each pair of faces for which at least 25% of one face overlaps the other. You
can set a value from 0 to 100 or retain the default. Setting the tolerance to 0 turns off the overlap checks.

The following images illustrate the use of Face Overlap Tolerance. For the image of the circuit board
below, SpaceClaim's Imprint tool was used to get common boundaries between parts, and then the
model was loaded into Mechanical. Notice the area of interest.

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 Connection Group Folder

In general, the smaller the face overlap tolerance, the greater the chance that contact will result in
extra pairs. The image below shows an enlarged view of the area of interest when a single Contact
Region was selected in the tree. With Face Overlap Tolerance set to 0, the 3 faces identified by the
arrows were scoped automatically to the Contact property of the Contact Region, and 1 face (the
large blue face) was scoped automatically to the Target property of the Contact Region.

To get more precise contact pairs, you can increase the value of Face Overlap Tolerance. In the
image below, the same Contact Region was selected in the tree but Face Overlap Tolerance was
set to 20. In this case, the 2 small fillets were not found to be in contact with the large blue face, so
only the 1 face identified by the arrow was scoped to the Contact property of the Contact Region,
and 1 face (the large blue face) was scoped to the Target property of the Contact Region.

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Setting Connections

• Cylindrical Faces (3D Only): This property is only visible when the Connection Type property is set to
Contact and the Face/Face property is set to Yes. Available options are Include (default), Exclude, and
Only. This property determines how the application handles cylindrical faces during automatic contact
generation either upon geometry attach or manually on a Connection Group. For example, given a simulation
that contains bolted joints, where the bolt shank should have frictionless contact applied and the bolt head
should have bonded contact applied. Setting this property appropriately creates contacts during automatic
generation that define cylindrical contact (Only setting for the bolt shank) and the flat contact (Exclude for
the bolt head).

• Face/Edge: options include Yes, No (default), Only Solid Body Edges, Only Surface Body Edges, and Only
Beam Body Edges. Detects connection between faces and edges of different bodies. Faces are designated
as targets and edges are designated as contacts. To determine connection with all faces, for Only Solid
Body Edges, face to edge connection uses the edges of solid bodies; for Only Surface Body Edges, it uses
only edges of surface bodies; and for Only Beam Body Edges, it uses only edges of beam bodies.

• Edge Overlap Tolerance (Contacts only): This property is visible only when the Face/Edge property is set
to Yes, Only Solid Body Edges, or Only Surface Body Edges. It sets the tolerance for overlap of an edge
and a face in contact; that is, the minimum percentage of overlap at which a contact pair is created for an
edge and a face that overlap. For example, if Edge Overlap Tolerance is set to 25, a contact pair is created
for an edge and a face when at least 25% of the edge overlaps the face. You can set a value from 0 to 100
or retain the default. Setting the tolerance to 0 turns off the overlap checks.

• Edge/Edge: options include Yes and No. Detects connection between edges of different bodies.

• Priority: options include Include All, Face Overrides and Edge Overrides. For very large models the
number of connection objects can sometimes become overwhelming and redundant, especially when
multiple detection types are chosen. Selecting some type of priority other than Include All will lessen the
number of connection objects generated during Create Automatic Connections by giving designated
connection types precedence over other types. Face Overrides gives Face/Face option precedence over
both Face/Edge and Edge/Edge options. It also gives Face/Edge option precedence over Edge/Edge option.
In general, when Face Overrides priority is set with Face/Edge and Edge/Edge options, no Edge/Edge
connection pairs will be detected. Edge Overrides gives Edge/Edge option precedence over both Face/Edge
and Face/Face options, no Face/Face connections pairs will be detected.

• Group By: options include None, Bodies (default), Parts, and Faces. This property enables you to group
the automatically generated connections (p. 895) objects. Setting Group By to Bodies (default) or to Parts
means that connection faces and edges that lie on the same bodies or same parts will be included into a
single connection object.

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Setting Group By to None means that the grouping of geometries that lie on the same bodies or
same parts will not occur. Any connection objects generated will have only one entity scoped to each
side (that is, one face or one edge). Applications for choosing None in the case of contact are:

– If there are a large number of source/target faces in a single region. Choosing None avoids excessive
contact search times in the Mechanical APDL solver.

– If you want to define different contact behaviors on separate regions with contact of two parts. For example,
for a bolt/bracket contact case, you may want to have bonded contact (p. 907) between the bolt
threads/bracket and frictionless contact (p. 908) between the bolt head/bracket.

• Search Across: This property enables automatic connection detection through the following options:

– Bodies (default): Between bodies.

– Parts: Between bodies of different parts, that is, not between bodies within the same multibody part.

– Assemblies: Between bodies from different sub-assemblies (sources) in an Assembled Model (p. 721).

– Anywhere: Detects any connections regardless of where the geometry lies, including different parts.
However, if the connections are within the same body, this option finds only Face/Face connections, even
if the Face/Edge setting is turned On.

– Files: Between bodies from different External Model source files and between copies of an External
Model source file.

• Fixed Joints: (Joint only) options include Yes and No. This property determines if Fixed Joints are to be
automatically generated. See the Automatic Joint Creation (p. 1028) section for details.

• Revolute Joints: (Joint only) options include Yes and No. This property determines if Revolute Joints are
to be automatically generated. See the Automatic Joint Creation (p. 1028) section for details.

Common Connections Folder Operations for Auto Generated Connections

You can automatically generate supported connections for a group of bodies in a model and use a
separate tolerance value for that group. The supported connection types are Contact Region (p. 902)
and Joint (p. 958).

To automatically generate connections for a group of bodies:

1. Insert a Connection Group group folder under the Connections folder by selecting the Connection Group
option on the Connections Context tab (p. 16) or by selecting Insert > Connection Group from the
context menu (right mouse click) for this folder.

2. From the Details view of the Connection Group object, select the desired Connection Type. The default
is Contact.

3. Select some bodies in the model based on the Scoping Method. The default is Geometry Selection scoped
to All Bodies.

4. If applicable, set the Auto Detection properties. Note that these properties will be applied only to scoped
geometries for this connection group.

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Setting Connections

5. Choose Create Automatic Connections from the context menu (right mouse click) for the Connection
Group.

Note:

For small models, the auto contact detection process runs so fast that the Contact De-
tection Status (progress bar) dialog box does not get displayed. However, for large
models with many possible contact pairs, the progress bar dialog box is displayed
showing the contact detection progress. If you click the Cancel button on the dialog box
while contact detection is processing, the detection process stops. Any contact pairs
found by that moment are discarded and no new contacts are added to the tree.

The resulting connection objects will be placed under this folder and the folder name will be changed
from its default name Connection Group to a name based on the connection type. The folder name
for contacts will be Contacts and for joints it will be Joints. Once the Connection Group folder
contains a child object, the Connection Type property cannot be changed. Each Connection Group
folder will hold objects of the same type and will include a worksheet that displays only content
pertaining to that folder. When two or more Connection Group folders are selected and you choose
Create Automatic Connections, auto detection for the selected Connection Group folders will be
performed. The Create Automatic Connections option is also available from the context menu
(right mouse click) for the Connections folder provided there is at least one Connection Group
folder present. When you choose this command from the Connections folder, auto detection will
be performed for all connection groups under this folder.

Manually Inserting Connection Objects

You can insert any supported connection objects manually using Context tab options or using the
context (right-click) menu on the Connections or Connection Group folder. When inserting a connection
object from the Connections folder, a Connection Group object will automatically be created in addition
to the connection object itself. When inserting a connection object from a Connection Group folder,
if it is an empty folder, any supported type of object can be inserted. However, if the folder already
contains at least one object, only objects of the same type can be inserted.

Overlapping Contact Regions

Overlapping contact conditions arise when a face or edge is contained in more than one Contact Region.
Mechanical supports this situation for the Mechanical APDL solver; however, if your analysis is incorpor-
ated into a fluid analysis, issues can arise.

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 Common Connections Folder Operations for Auto Generated Connections

Mechanical provides the context menu option Check Overlapping Contact Regions to identify any
overlapping contact regions in your model so that you can address them appropriately.

Searching for Duplicate Pairs

Generating connections (Contacts or Joints) and Mesh Connections , either automatically or manually,
may result in the same geometry pair being scoped by more than one connection object. This may
over constrain the model which may lead to convergence difficulty problems in the solver. If this situation
occurs, you can take corrective action by modifying the geometry scoping of the duplicated pairs or
by deleting the duplicate connection objects.

In order to assist with this corrective action the Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs feature is
useful. Select the connection object and from the context menu select the Search Connections for
Duplicate Pairs option. This will check against existing connection objects for possible duplicate pairs.
If one or more duplicate pairs are found in the existing connection objects (which includes Mesh Con-
nections), the following warning message will appear in the Messages pane for a connection object
that shares the same geometry pair:

"This connection object shares the same geometries with one or more connection objects. This may
over-constrain the model. Consider eliminating some connection objects."

To search for connection objects that share the same geometry pair with more than one connection
object, select multiple connection objects before selecting Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs.
Or you may issue the search from a Connection Group or Mesh Connection Group (p. 2125) folder,
where the search will be carried out for all connection objects under this folder. When this command
is issued from the Connections folder or the Mesh Connections (p. 2133) folder, the search will be for
the entire set of connection objects under these folders.

Once the duplicates have been detected, the resulting messages can then be used. To find the connection
object for a particular message, highlight that message in the Messages pane, right-click that message,
and choose Go To Object from the context menu. The connection object will be highlighted in the
tree. In order to find other connection objects that share the same geometry pair, right-click the high-
lighted object and select Go To Connections for Duplicate Pairs from the context menu; all connection
objects that share the same geometry pair will be highlighted in the tree.

Moving and Copying Connection Objects

To move a connection object to another folder of the same connection type, drag the object and drop
it on that folder. For example, to move a contact region object, drag the object from its current Contacts
folder and drop it on another folder whose Connection Type is Contact (possibly named Contacts 2).

To copy a connection object to another folder of the same connection type, hold the Ctrl key while
performing the move procedure described above.

Creating Contact Sizing Controls for Contact Regions Automatically

You can create contact sizing controls automatically by:

• Dragging and dropping the Contacts folder onto the Mesh object to create a Contact Sizing control for
each contact region in the folder.

• Selecting the Contacts folder or an individual Contact Region in the Tree and using the RMB option Create
> Contact Sizing to create Contact Sizing controls for the selected contact regions.

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Setting Connections

Treatment of Legacy Databases

Supported connection objects from databases of previous versions of ANSYS Workbench will be grouped
based on their types and migrated into Connection Group folders.

Contacts from legacy databases are resumed with the Protected property set to No.

Contact
The following topics are covered in this section:
Contact Overview
Contact Formulation Theory
Contact Settings
Supported Contact Types
Setting Contact Conditions Manually
Contact Ease of Use Features
Contact in Rigid Dynamics
Best Practices for Specifying Contact Conditions

Contact Overview
Contact conditions are created when an assembly is imported into the application and it detects that
two separate bodies (solid, surface, and line bodies) touch one another (they are mutually tangent).
Bodies/surfaces in contact:

• Do not “interpenetrate.”

• Can transmit compressive normal forces and tangential friction forces.

• Can be bonded together (Linear)

• Able to separate and collide (Nonlinear)

Surfaces that are free to separate and move away from one another are said to have changing-status
nonlinearity. That is, the stiffness of the system depends on the contact status, whether parts are
touching or separated.

Use the Contact Tool (p. 1565) to help you coordinate contact conditions before loading and as part
of the final solution.

Note:

For information about controlling the quality of facets, see Facet Quality in the Graphics
section of the ANSYS DesignModeler help.

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Contact Formulation Theory

Contact solutions are often very complicated. It is recommended that, whenever possible, you employ
the Program Controlled setting. However, in order to better understand your selections, this section
examines the specifics of Formulations.

Because contacting bodies do not interpenetrate, the application must establish a relationship between
the two surfaces to prevent them from passing through each other in the analysis. When the applic-
ation prevents interpenetration, it is said to enforce “contact compatibility”.

In order to enforce compatibility at the contact interface, Workbench Mechanical offers several different
contact Formulations. These Formulations define the solution method used. Formulations include the
following and are discussed in detail in the Formulations (p. 913) section.

• Pure Penalty (p. 899) ( Default - Program Controlled )

• Augmented Lagrange (p. 899)

• Normal Lagrange (p. 900)

• MPC (p. 901)

• Beam (p. 901)

Pure Penalty and Augmented Lagrange Contact Formulation

For nonlinear solid body contact of faces, Pure Penalty or Augmented Lagrange formulations can
be used. Both of these are penalty-based contact formulations:

FNormal = kNormalxPenetration

The finite contact Force, Fn, is a concept of contact stiffness, kNormal. The higher the contact stiffness,
the lower the penetration, xp, as illustrated here.

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Setting Connections

Ideally, for an infinite kNormal, one would get zero penetration. This is not numerically possible with
penalty-based methods, but as long as xp is small or negligible, the solution results are accurate.

The main difference between Pure Penalty and Augmented Lagrange methods is that Augmented
Lagrange augments the contact force (pressure) calculations:

Pure Penalty: FNormal = kNormalxPenetration

Augmented Lagrange: FNormal = kNormalxPenetration + λ

Because of the extra term λ, the Augmented Lagrange method is less sensitive to the magnitude of
the contact stiffness kNormal.

Normal Lagrange Contact Formulation

Another available option is Normal Lagrange. This formulation adds an extra degree of freedom
(contact pressure) to satisfy contact compatibility. Consequently, instead of resolving contact force
as contact stiffness and penetration, contact force (contact pressure) is solved for explicitly as an extra
DOF.

FNormal = DOF

Specifications:

• Enforces zero/nearly zero penetration with pressure DOF.

• Does not require a normal contact stiffness (zero elastic slip)

• Requires Direct Solver, which can increase computation requirements.

Normal Lagrange Chattering

Chattering is an issue which often occurs with Normal Lagrange method. If no penetration is allowed
(left), then the contact status is either open or closed (a step function). This can sometimes make
convergence more difficult because contact points may oscillate between an open and closed status.
This is called "chattering". If some slight penetration is allowed (right), it can make it easier to converge
since contact is no longer a step change.

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 Contact

Multi-Point Constraint (MPC) Contact Formulation

For the specific case of Bonded and No Separation Types (p. 907) of contact between two faces, a
Multi-Point Constraint (MPC) formulation is available. MPC internally adds constraint equations to
“tie” the displacements between contacting surfaces. This approach is not penalty-based or Lagrange
multiplier-based. It is a direct, efficient way of relating surfaces of contact regions which are bonded.
Large-deformation effects are supported with MPC-based Bonded contact.

Beam Contact Formulation

Beam Formulation is available for the Bonded Type (p. 907) only. This formulation works by
"stitching" the contact topologies together using massless linear Beam Elements.

Comparison of Formulations
Some of the primary aspects of contact formulations are compared below.

Table 4: Comparing Contact Formulations

Pure Penalty Augmented Normal Lagrange MPC Beam

Lagrange
Good Additional Additional Excellent convergence behavior (one
convergence equilibrium equilibrium equilibrium iteration).
behavior (few iterations needed iterations if
equilibrium if penetration is needed chattering
iterations). too large. is present.
Sensitive to Less sensitive to No normal contact stiffness is required. NA
selection of selection of
normal contact normal contact
stiffness. stiffness.
Contact Contact Usually, No Penetration. Penetration is
penetration is penetration is penetration is minimal with a
present and present but near-zero. stiff enough
uncontrolled. controlled to material definition.
some degree.
Useful for any type of contact behavior. Only Bonded & No Bonded Only
Separation
behaviors.
Iterative or Direct Solvers can be used. Only Direct Solver Iterative or Direct Solvers can be used.
can be Used.

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Setting Connections

Pure Penalty Augmented Normal Lagrange MPC Beam

Lagrange
Symmetric or Asymmetric contact Asymmetric contact Only. NA
available.
Contact detection at integration points. Contact Detection at Nodes. NA

Contact Settings
When a model is imported into Workbench Mechanical, the default setting of the application auto-
matically detects instances where two bodies are in contact and generates corresponding Contact
Region objects in the tree Outline.

When a Contact Region is selected in the Tree Outline, as illustrated here, contact settings are
available in the Details view, and are included in the following categories:

• Scope (p. 903): settings for displaying, selecting, or listing contact and target geometries.

• Definition (p. 907): commonly used contact settings.

• Advanced (p. 912): advanced controls that are primarily program controlled.

• Display (p. 925): display of element normal direction.

• Geometric Modification (p. 926): settings for further defining contact interface behaviors.

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Scope Settings
The properties for the Scope category are described in the following table.

Property Description/Selections
Scoping Method Specifies whether the Contact Region is applied to a Geometry
Selection (default), a Named Selection (p. 42), or to a
Pre-Generated Interface for fracture mechanics (Interface
Delamination (p. 2102)) when you are using the ANSYS Composite
PrepPost (ACP) application.
Interface This property displays when you select Pre-Generated Interface as
the Scoping Method. It provides a drop-down list of the available
interface layers that were imported from ACP.
Contact Displays/selects which geometries (bodies, faces, edges, or
vertices) or mesh entities (element faces) are considered as
contact. The geometries can be manually selected or
automatically generated.

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Setting Connections

Property Description/Selections
For Face/Edge or Body/Edge contact, the edge must be
designated as Contact. Body scoping always includes all
pertinent faces in the solution process.

A contact pair can have a flexible-rigid scoping, but the flexible

side of the pair must always be the Contact side. If the Contact
side of the contact pair is scoped to multiple bodies, all of the
bodies must have the same Stiffness Behavior (p. 631), either Ri-
gid or Flexible.

Note that if you click this field, the bodies are highlighted.
Target Displays which body element (body, face, or edge) or mesh
entities (element faces) is considered Target (versus Contact).
This element can be manually set or automatically generated.

For Face/Edge or Body/Edge contact, the face or body must

be designated as Target. Body scoping includes all pertinent
faces in the solution process.

If the Contact side of the contact pair has a flexible Stiffness

Behavior (p. 631) then the Target side can be rigid.

Multiple rigid bodies cannot be selected for the Target side

scoping of the contact pair. The selection of multiple rigid bodies
for the Target invalidates the Contact Region object and an
error message is generated following the solution process.

Note that if you click this field, the bodies are highlighted.
Contact Bodies This read only property displays which bodies have faces or edges
in the Contact list.
Target Bodies This read only property displays which bodies have faces or edges
in the Target list.
Beam-Beam Detection The application displays this property when you specify beam
edges as the scoping for both the Contact and Target
properties. Options include:

• External - Only 1 Segment

• External - Up to 4 Segments (default)

• External - Up to 8 Segments

• Internal Pipe Contact

The external options enable you to specify the maximum number

of target segments interacting with each contact detection point
simultaneously.

The Internal Pipe Contact can be used to model a beam (or

pipe) sliding inside another hollow beam (or pipe). However, if
the inner beam is much stiffer than the outer beam, the inner

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 Contact

Property Description/Selections
beam can be the target surface. This setting specifies a maximum
of four target segments for the Contact edge (CONTA177).

See the CONTA177 and 3D Beam-To-Beam Contact sections for

additional technical details about this property.
Protected Specifies if the contact entities (faces, edges, and vertices) are
protected topology. Set the property to Yes to respect the geometry
features the Contact is scoped to and ensure proper association
between the geometry and mesh. Set the property to No to indicate
that the topology may not be protected.
Contact Shell Face Specifies whether the Contact should be applied on a surface body’s
top face or bottom face. When scoped to an element face, a third
option (By Scoping) is also available which applies the contact to the
scoped side (top/bottom) of the shell face. If you set Contact Shell
Face to the default option, Program Controlled, then the Target
Shell Face option must also be set to Program Controlled. The
Program Controlled default option is not valid for nonlinear contact
types. This option displays only when you scope a surface body to
Contact Bodies.
Target Shell Face Specifies whether the Target should be applied on a surface body’s
top face or bottom face. When scoped to an element face, a third
option (By Scoping) is also available which applies the target to the
scoped side (top/bottom) of the shell face. If you set Target Shell
Face to the default option, Program Controlled, then the Contact
Shell Face option must also be set to Program Controlled. The
Program Controlled default option is not valid for nonlinear contact
types. This option displays only when you scope a surface body to
Target Bodies.
Shell Thickness Effect This property appears when the scoping of the contact or target
(See Using KEYOPT(11)) includes a surface body. Options include:

• Yes - indicates to include the property.

• No (default) - indicates to exclude the property.

When set to Yes, the contact object becomes under-defined if

the Offset Type of any scoped surface body is set to a value
other than Middle. In this situation, the following error message
will be displayed: "The shell thickness effect of a contact pair is
turned on; however, the offset type of a shell body in contact
is set to other than Middle. Set its offset type to Middle."

In the presence of a Thickness, Imported Thickness, Layered

Section, or an Imported Layered Section object, the following
warning message will be issued if a solve is requested: "The shell
thickness effect of a contact pair is turned on. Make sure that
the offset type of the thickness, imported thickness, layered
sections and imported layered sections objects associated with
the shell bodies in contact are set to Middle."

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Setting Connections

Shell Thickness Effect

The Shell Thickness Effect allows users to automatically include the thickness of the surface body
during contact calculations. Instead of contact being detected on the face of the surface body,
contact will be detected a distance of half the thickness away from the face.

If the surface body undergoes large strains and changes thickness, the updated (current) thickness
is also used in the contact calculations. However, to be able to take advantage of this feature, the
Offset Type (p. 641) must be set to Middle.

For cases where Offset Type (p. 641) is set to Top or Bottom, you can do the following:

• For a given contact region, if contact is occurring on the same face (Top or Bottom) as the offset, no
special settings are required. The location of the nodes and elements of the surface body represent the
actual position of that face.

• For Rough, Frictionless, or Frictional contact types, if contact is occurring on the opposite face as the
offset, specify a contact Offset equal to the shell thickness for the Interface Treatment (p. 926). Note that
changes in shell thickness for large strain analyses will not be considered.

Note:

If the Shell Thickness Effect is activated, and you have specified a contact Offset for the
Interface Treatment (p. 926), the total offset will be half the thickness of the surface body
plus the defined contact offset.

Postprocessing surface bodies with the shell thickness effect has the following special considerations:

• Because contact is detected half of the thickness from the middle of the surface body, viewing surface
body results without Thick Shell and Beam (See the Style group (p. 35) of the Display tab) effects
turned on will show an apparent gap between contact bodies. This is normal since contact is being
detected away from the location of the nodes and elements.

• When using the Contact Tool (p. 1565) to postprocess penetration or gaps, these values are measured
from the middle of the surface bodies (location of the nodes and elements), regardless of whether or
not the shell thickness effect is active.

Support Specifications

Note:

• All bodies selected for the Target or Contact side of a contact pair must have the same
stiffness behavior.

• You cannot scope the target side in a contact pair to more than one rigid body.

• If any of the bodies you scope have rigid stiffness behavior, you must select Asymmetric
behavior under Definition in the Details view.

• If you have both rigid and flexible bodies in your contact pair, you must scope the rigid body
as a Target.

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• For the Mechanical APDL solver, you cannot scope the Target side in a contact pair to the
edge of a rigid body.

Definition Settings
The differences in the contact settings determine how the contacting bodies can move relative to
one another. This category provides the following properties.

• Type (p. 907)

• Scope Mode (p. 908)

• Behavior (p. 909)

• Trim Contact (p. 910)

• Suppressed (p. 912)

Type
Choosing the appropriate contact type depends on the type of problem you are trying to solve. If
modeling the ability of bodies to separate or open slightly is important and/or obtaining the stresses
very near a contact interface is important, consider using one of the nonlinear contact types (Fric-
tionless, Rough, Frictional), which can model gaps and more accurately model the true area of
contact. However, using these contact types usually results in longer solution times and can have
possible convergence problems due to the contact nonlinearity. If convergence problems arise or
if determining the exact area of contact is critical, consider using a finer mesh (using the Sizing
control) on the contact faces or edges.

The available contact types are listed below. Most of the types apply to Contact Regions made up
of faces only.

• Bonded: This is the default configuration and applies to all contact regions (surfaces, solids, lines, faces,
edges). If contact regions are bonded, then no sliding or separation between faces or edges is allowed.
Think of the region as glued. This type of contact allows for a linear solution since the contact length/area
will not change during the application of the load. If contact is determined on the mathematical model,
any gaps will be closed and any initial penetration will be ignored. [Not supported for Rigid Dynamics.
Fixed joint can be used instead.]

• No Separation: This contact setting is similar to the Bonded case. It only applies to regions of faces
(for 3D solids) or edges (for 2D plates). Separation of the geometries in contact is not allowed.

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• Frictionless: This setting models standard unilateral contact; that is, normal pressure equals zero if
separation occurs. Thus gaps can form in the model between bodies depending on the loading. This
solution is nonlinear because the area of contact may change as the load is applied. A zero coefficient
of friction is assumed, thus allowing free sliding. The model should be well constrained when using this
contact setting. Weak springs are added to the assembly to help stabilize the model in order to achieve
a reasonable solution.

• Rough: Similar to the frictionless setting, this setting models perfectly rough frictional contact where
there is no sliding. It only applies to regions of faces (for 3D solids) or edges (for 2D plates). By default,
no automatic closing of gaps is performed. This case corresponds to an infinite friction coefficient
between the contacting bodies. [Not supported for Explicit Dynamics analyses.]

• Frictional: In this setting, the two contacting geometries can carry shear stresses up to a certain mag-
nitude across their interface before they start sliding relative to each other. This state is known as
"sticking." The model defines an equivalent shear stress at which sliding on the geometry begins as a
fraction of the contact pressure. Once the shear stress is exceeded, the two geometries will slide relative
to each other. The coefficient of friction can be any nonnegative value. [Not supported for Rigid Dynamics.
Forced Frictional Sliding should be used instead.]

• Forced Frictional Sliding: In this setting, a tangent resisting force is applied at each contact point. The
tangent force is proportional to the normal contact force. This setting is similar to Frictional except
that there is no "sticking" state. [Supported only for Rigid Dynamics]

By default the friction is not applied during collision. Collisions are treated as if the contact is
frictionless regardless the friction coefficient. The following commands override this behavior
and include friction in shock resolution (see Rigid Dynamics Command Objects Library in the
Mechanical User's Guide (p. 352) for more information).

options=CS_SolverOptions()

options.FrictionForShock=1

Note that shock resolution assumes permanent sliding during shock, which may lead to unreal-
istic results when the friction coefficient is greater than 0.5.

• Friction Coefficient: Enables you to enter a friction coefficient. Displayed only for frictional contact
applications.

Note:

• For the Bonded and No Separation contact Type, you can simulate the separation of a
Contact Region as it reaches some predefined opening criteria using the Contact Debond-
ing (p. 1101) feature.

• Refer to KEYOPT(12) in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide for more information
about modelling different contact surface behaviors.

Scope Mode
This is a read-only property that displays how the selected Contact Region was generated. Either
automatically generated by the application (Automatic) or constructed or modified by the user (
Manual (p. 934)). Note that this property is not supported for Rigid Body Dynamics analyses.

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Behavior
This property will appear only for 3D Face/Face or 2D Edge/Edge contacts. For 3D Edge/Edge or
Face/Edge contacts, internally the program will set the contact behavior to Asymmetric (see below).
Note that this property is not supported for Rigid Body Dynamics analyses.

Sets contact pair to one of the following:

• Program Controlled (Default for the Mechanical APDL solver): internally the contact behavior is set to
the following options based on the stated condition:

– Auto Asymmetric (see below): for Flexible-Flexible bodies.

– Asymmetric (see below): for Flexible-Rigid bodies.

– Symmetric (see below): for Flexible-Flexible bodies that are scoped to a Nonlinear Adaptive Re-
gion (p. 1383).

For Rigid-Rigid contacts, the Behavior property is under-defined for the Program Controlled
setting. The validation check is performed at the Contact object level when all environment
branches are using the Mechanical APDL solver. If the solver target for one of the environments
is other than Mechanical APDL, then this validation check will be carried out at the environment
level; the environment branch will become under-defined.

• Asymmetric: Contact will be asymmetric for the solve. All face/edge and edge/edge contacts will be
asymmetric. [In Explicit Dynamics analyses this is supported for Bonded connections.]

Asymmetric contact has one face as Contact and one face as Target (as defined under Scope
Settings (p. 903)), creating a single contact pair. This is sometimes called "one-pass contact," and
is usually the most efficient way to model face-to-face contact for solid bodies.

The Behavior property setting must be Asymmetric if the scoping includes a body specified
with rigid Stiffness Behavior (p. 631).

• Symmetric: Contact will be symmetric for the solve. The symmetric pairs will have the same contact
characteristics (using KEYOPT(8)=1) except when the Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383) object is
present.

• Auto Asymmetric: Automatically creates an asymmetric (p. 909) contact pair, if possible. This can signi-
ficantly improve performance in some instances. When you choose this setting, during the solution
phase the solver will automatically choose the more appropriate contact face designation. You can also

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designate the roles of each face in the contact pair manually. [In Explicit Dynamics analyses this option
is available for Bonded connections; see Bonded Type.]

Note:

Refer to KEYOPT(8) in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide for more inform-
ation about asymmetric and symmetric contact selection.

Trim Contact
The Trim Contact feature can speed up the solution time by reducing the number of contact ele-
ments sent to the solver for consideration. For a Contact Region interface of a Condensed Part, this
property enables you to reduce the number of master DOFs the application sends to the solver.
Note that this feature is not supported for Rigid Body Dynamics analyses.

Trim Contact options include:

• Program Controlled: This is the default setting. The application chooses the appropriate setting. Typ-
ically, the application sets Trim Contact to On. However, if there are manually created contact conditions,
no trimming is performed. By default, for Condensed Part generation, no trimming of the master DOFs
is performed.

• On: During the process of creating the solver input file, checking is performed to determine the prox-
imity between source and target elements. Elements from the source and target sides which are not in
close proximity (determined by a tolerance) are not written to the file and therefore ignored in the
analysis.

• Off: No contact trimming is performed.

The checking process is performed to identify if there is overlap between the bounding boxes of
the elements involved. If the bounding box of an element does not overlap the bounding box of
an opposing face or element set, that element is excluded from the solution. Before the elements
are checked, the bounding boxes are expanded using the Trim Tolerance property (explained
below) so that overlapping can be detected.

Trim Tolerance

This property provides the ability to define the tolerance value that is used to expand the bounding
boxes of the elements before the trimming process is performed.

This property is available for both automatic and manual contacts when the Trim Contact is set
to On. It is only available for automatic contacts when the Trim Contact is set to Program Con-
trolled since no trimming is performed for manual contacts. For automatic contacts, this property

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displays the value that was used for contact detection and it is a read-only field. For manual contacts,
enter a value greater than zero.

Note that a doubling expansion effect can result from the bounding box expansion since the
bounding box of both the source and target elements are expanded. An example of the double
expansion effect is illustrated below where the Trim Tolerance is defined as 10 mm. For simplicity
sake, the size of the elements is specified as 5mm. Therefore, the bounding boxes for the contact/tar-
get elements will extend 10mm (two elements) in each direction as represented by the orange
boxes, solid and dashed. For each face, Contact and Target, the number of elements that will be
used are illustrated.

The brown area illustrated below represents the elements from the contact face. On the correspond-
ing target side exist potential elements from the entire target face. The elements of the target face
that will be kept are drawn in black. On the target Face, each element bounding box is expanded
by 10mm and an overlap is sought against each element from the contact side. Referring to the
image below, the bounding boxes between Contact Element 1 (CE1) and Target Element 2 (TE2)
overlap thus TE2 is included in the analysis. Meanwhile, CE3 and TE4 do not overlap and as a result,
TE4 is not included in the analysis. This results in a reduced number of elements in the analysis
and, typically, a faster solution.

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Suppressed
Specifies whether or not the Contact Region is included in the solution.

Advanced Settings
The Advanced category provides the following properties.

• Formulation (p. 913)

• Small Sliding (p. 914)

• Detection Method (p. 915)

• Penetration Tolerance (p. 916)

• Elastic Slip Tolerance (p. 917)

• Normal Stiffness (p. 919)

• Constraint Type (p. 918)

• Update Stiffness (p. 920)

• Pressure at Zero Penetration (p. 921)

• Initial Clearance (p. 921)

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• Stabilization Damping Factor (p. 922)

• Thermal Conductance (p. 922)

• Pinball Region (p. 923)

• Pinball Radius (p. 924)

• Time Step Controls (p. 924)

• Electric Conductance (p. 924)

• Restitution Factor - Rigid Body Dynamics Solver Only (p. 925)

Formulation
Formulation options allow you to specify which algorithm the software uses for a particular Contact
pair computation.

Property options include:

Mechanical
Property Description APDL
Reference
Program This is the default setting. For this setting, the application selects
Controlled the Pure Penalty property for contact between two rigid bodies
-
and the Augmented Lagrange property for all other contact
situations.
Pure Penalty Basic contact formulation based on Penalty method. KEYOPT(2)
=1
Augmented Also a penalty-based method. Compared to the Pure Penalty
Lagrange method, this method usually leads to better conditioning and is
less sensitive to the magnitude of the contact stiffness coefficient. KEYOPT(2)
However, in some analyses, the Augmented Lagrange method =0
may require additional iterations, especially if the deformed mesh
becomes too distorted.
MPC Available for Bonded and for No Separation contact Types.
Multipoint Constraint equations are created internally during the
KEYOPT(2)
Mechanical APDL solution to tie the bodies together. This can be
=2
helpful if truly linear contact is desired or to handle the nonzero
mode issue for free vibration that can occur if a penalty function

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Setting Connections

is used. Note that contact based results (such as pressure) will be

zero.

Note:

When modeling Shell-Solid assemblies with the

MPC contact Formulation, the contact
surface/edge must be on the shell side and the
target surface must be on the solid side. However,
you can override this requirement to support
certain special cases, such as acoustics. See the
Modeling a Shell-Solid Assembly section of the
Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide for
additional information.

Normal Enforces zero penetration when contact is closed making use of

Lagrange a Lagrange multiplier on the normal direction and a penalty
method in the tangential direction. Normal Stiffness is not
applicable for this setting. Normal Lagrange adds contact traction
KEYOPT(2)
to the model as additional degrees of freedom and requires
=3
additional iterations to stabilize contact conditions. It often
increases the computational cost compared to the Augmented
Lagrange setting. The Iterative setting (under Solver Type) cannot
be used with this method.
Beam Available for Bonded (p. 907) Type only. This formulation -
works by "stitching" the contact topologies together using
massless linear Beam Elements.

For additional Mechanical APDL specific information, see KEYOPT(2) in the Mechanical APDL Contact
Technology Guide.

Note:

Cases involving large gaps and faces bonded together can result in fictitious moments
being transmitted across a boundary.

Small Sliding
The Small Sliding property displays and activates an assumption of relatively-small sliding (less
than 20% of the contact length during the analysis). If small sliding is known to occur, this feature
can make your solution more efficient and robust. The Program Controlled setting for the Small
Sliding property automatically sets the property to On in most situations if the Large Deflection
property is set to Off or the Formulation property is set to Bonded contact. The default setting
for this property can be changed using the Small Sliding option in the Connections category (p. 140)
of the Options preference.

Property options include:

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 Contact

Property Description
Program This is the default setting. The application determines whether small sliding
Controlled logic is enabled.
Yes Enable small sliding.
No Disable small sliding

For additional information, see the Selecting a Sliding Behavior topic in the Mechanical APDL Contact
Technology Guide.

Detection Method
Detection Method enables you to choose the location of contact detection used in the analysis
in order to obtain a good convergence. It is applicable to 3D face-face contacts and 2D edge-edge
contacts.

Property options include:

Property Description
Program This is the default setting. The application uses Gauss integration points
Controlled (On Gauss Point) when the formulation is set to Pure Penalty and Augmented
Lagrange. It uses nodal point (Nodal-Normal to Target) for MPC and Normal
Lagrange formulations.
On Gauss The contact detection location is at the Gauss integration points. This option
Point is not applicable to contacts with MPC or Normal Lagrange formulation.
Nodal - The contact detection location is on a nodal point where the contact normal
Normal is perpendicular to the contact surface.
From
Contact

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Nodal - The contact detection location is on a nodal point where the contact normal
Normal To is perpendicular to the target surface.
Target
Nodal - The contact detection location is at contact nodal points in an overlapping
Projected region of the contact and target surfaces (projection-based method).
Normal
From Note:
Contact
Additive Manufacturing Process simulations do not support
projection-based contact.

For additional Mechanical APDL specific information, see Selecting Location of Contact Detection
(specifically, KEYOPT(4) related information) in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide.

Penetration Tolerance
The Penetration Tolerance property enables you to specify the Penetration Tolerance Value or
the Penetration Tolerance Factor for a contact when the Formulation property is set to Program
Controlled, Pure Penalty, or Augmented Lagrange.

Note:

The Update Stiffness property must be set to either Program Controlled, Each Iteration,
or Each Iteration, Aggressive for the Penetration Tolerance property to be displayed
when Formulation is set to Pure Penalty.

Property options include:

Property Description
Program Con- This is the default setting. The Penetration Tolerance is calculated by the
trolled program.
Value Enter the Penetration Tolerance Value directly. This entry is a length
measurement (foot, meter, etc.). Only non-zero positive values are valid.
Factor Enter the Penetration Tolerance Factor directly. This entry must be equal to
or greater than zero but must also be less than 1.0. This entry has no unit.

Penetration Tolerance Value

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 Contact

The Penetration Tolerance Value property displays when Penetration Tolerance is set to Value.
You enter a Value.

Penetration Tolerance Factor

The Penetration Tolerance Factor property displays when Penetration Tolerance is set to Factor.
You enter a Factor.

Note:

When viewing the Connections Worksheet (p. 886), a Value displays as a negative number
and a Factor displays as a positive number.

For additional information, see the Determining Contact Stiffness and Allowable Penetration, spe-
cifically Using FKN and FTOLN, section of the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide (Surface-
to-Surface Contact).

Elastic Slip Tolerance

The Elastic Slip Tolerance property enables you to set the allowable elastic slip value for a contact
when the Formulation is set to Normal Lagrange or when the contact stiffness is set to update each
iteration (Update Stiffness is set to Each Iteration or Each Iteration, Aggressive).

Note:

Elastic Slip Tolerance is not applicable when the contact Type is set to Frictionless or
No Separation.

Property options include:

Property Description
Program Con- This is the default setting. The Elastic Slip Tolerance Value is calculated by the
trolled application.
Value Enter the Elastic Slip Tolerance Value directly. This entry is a length
measurement (foot, meter, etc.). Only non-zero positive values are valid.
Factor Enter the Elastic Slip Tolerance Factor directly. This entry must be equal to or
greater than zero but must also be less than 1.0. This entry has no unit.

Elastic Slip Tolerance Value

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The Elastic Slip Tolerance Value property displays when Elastic Slip Tolerance is set to Value.
You enter a Value.

Elastic Slip Tolerance Factor

The Elastic Slip Tolerance Factor property displays when Elastic Slip Tolerance is set to Factor.
You enter a Factor.

Note:

When viewing the Connections Worksheet (p. 886), a Value displays as a negative number
and a Factor displays as a positive number.

For additional information, see the Determining Contact Stiffness and Allowable Penetration, spe-
cifically Using FKT and SLTO, section of the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide (Surface-to-
Surface Contact).

Constraint Type
The Constraint Type property controls the type of MPC constraint to be created for bonded contact.
This displays only if Formulation property is set to MPC and if either Contact Bodies or Target
Bodies are scoped to a surface body. The property includes the following options:

Property Description
Program Con- This is the default setting. Internally this corresponds to the Projected,
trolled Displacement Only option for solid-solid contact and Distributed, All
Directions option for all other contact types.
Projected, Dis- Constraints are constructed to couple the translational DOFs only. Projected
placement Only constraint if an intersection is found from the contact normal to the target
surface.
Projected, Un- The rotational and displacement constraints will not be coupled together.
coupled U to This option can model situations where the surface body edges line up well
ROT and a moment is not created from the physical surface body positions. Thus
it is most accurate for the constraints to leave the displacements/rotations
uncoupled. This provides an answer which is closer to a matching mesh
solution. Using a coupled constraint causes artificial constraints to be added
causing an inaccurate solution.

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Distributed, Nor- Both translational DOFs and rotational DOFs of contact nodes and
mal Only translational DOFs of target nodes are included in the constraint set in a
coupled manner.
Distributed, All Represents the most common type of surface body contact. Constraints are
Directions constructed to couple the translational and rotational DOFs. In most types
of surface body contact, an offset will exist. Due to this offset there will be
a moment created. To get the correct moment, the rotation/displacement
DOF's must be coupled together. If the program cannot detect any contact
in the target normal direction, it will then search anywhere inside the pinball
for contact.
Distributed, Any- Constraints are coupled and created anywhere to be found inside the pinball
where Inside region. Thus the pinball size is important as a larger pinball will result in a
Pinball larger constraint set. This option is useful when you wish to fully constrain
one contact side completely to another.

For additional information, see the Controlling Degrees of Freedom Used in the MPC Constraint
topic in the Modeling Solid-Solid and Shell-Shell Assemblies section of the Mechanical APDL Contact
Technology Guide. Also note that the Mechanical APDL entry for the Constraint Type is KEYOPT(5)
for element TARGE170.

Normal Stiffness
Defines a contact Normal Stiffness factor. Property options include:

Option Description
Program This is the default setting. The Normal Stiffness Factor is calculated by the
Controlled program. If only Bonded or No Separation contact exists, the value is set
to 10. If any other type of contact exists, all of the program controlled regions
(including Bonded or No Separation) will use the Mechanical APDL default
(Real Constant FKN).
Factor You enter the Normal Stiffness Factor (see below). This is a unit-less entry.
Absolute You enter the Normal Stiffness Value (see below).
Value

Normal Stiffness Factor

This property appears when the Normal Stiffness property is set to Factor. It enables you to specify
the Normal Stiffness Factor. Only non-zero positive values are supported. The usual factor range
is from 0.01 - 10The default value is selected by the application. A smaller value provides for
easier convergence but with more penetration. The default value is appropriate for bulk deformation.
If bending deformation dominates, use a smaller value (0.01 - 0.1).

For additional information specific to Mechanical APDL, see the following sections:

• Determining Contact Stiffness and Allowable Penetration section of the Mechanical APDL Contact
Technology Guide (Surface-to-Surface Contact).

• Using FKN and FTOLN section of the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide (Surface-to-Surface
Contact).

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Normal Stiffness Value

This property appears when the Normal Stiffness property is set to Absolute Value. It enables
you to specify the Normal Stiffness Value. The application supports positive values only. The Units
for this value are based on the types of contact involved. For a traction based model, the application
uses Force/Volume (e.g., N/m3) and for a force-based model, the application uses Force/Length
(e.g., N/m). A force-based model is used for face-to-edge contacts and edge-to-edge (not including
line bodies).

Update Stiffness
This property enables you to specify if the program should update (change) the contact stiffness
during the solution. If you choose any of these stiffness update settings, the application modifies
the stiffness (raise/lower/leave unchanged) based on the physics of the model (that is, the underlying
element stress and penetration). To use the options of this property, you need to set the Formulation
property to either Augmented Lagrange or Pure Penalty, the two formulations where contact
stiffness is applicable. For the Each Iteration, Exponential option, the Formulation property must
be set to Pure Penalty.

An advantage of specifying an Update Stiffness setting is that stiffness is automatically determined

that allows both convergence and minimal penetration. Also, if this setting is used, problems may
converge in a Newton-Raphson sense, that would not otherwise.

You can use a Result Tracker (p. 1745) to monitor a changing contact stiffness throughout the
solution.

Property options are illustrated and described below.

Property Description
Program Con- This is the default setting. The application sets the property to Never for contacts
trolled between two rigid bodies and to Each Iteration for all other cases. You can
change the default using the Options (p. 138) dialog.
Never This is the default setting. Turns off the program's automatic Update Stiffness
feature.
Each Iteration Sets the program to update stiffness at the end of each equilibrium iteration.
This choice is recommended if you are unsure of a Normal Stiffness Factor to
use in order to obtain good results.

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Each Iteration, Sets the program to update stiffness at the end of each equilibrium iteration,
Aggressive but compared to the Each Iteration, this option allows for a more aggressive
changing of the value range.
Each Iteration, This option requires the Type property to be set to either Frictional or
Exponential Frictionless and the Formulation property to Pure Penalty. When selected, the
Pressure at Zero Penetration and the Initial Clearance properties display. This
option updates stiffness using an exponential pressure-penetration relationship.
For detailed information about this option, see the Exponential
Pressure-Penetration Relationship (KEYOPT(6) = 3) topic (of the Set the Real
Constants and Element KEYOPTS section) in the Mechanical APDL Contact
Technology Guide.

Pressure at Zero Penetration

This property corresponds to the PZER real constant used in the Mechanical APDL application. It
defines the pressure when there is zero penetration between Contact and Target geometries. See
the Exponential Pressure-Penetration Relationship (KEYOPT(6) = 3) topic (of the Set the Real Constants
and Element KEYOPTS section) in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide for a detailed
description of this property and its function. Property options are illustrated and described below.

Option Description
Program Controlled This is the default setting. The application automatically calculates and selects
default pressure values.
Value Using this option, you can manually specify a pressure value. This entry has a
unit of measure for pressure (Pa, etc.). Only non-zero positive values are valid.
Factor Using this option, you can manually specify a factor of the default pressure
value. This entry must be equal to or greater than zero but must also be less
than 1.0. This entry has no unit.

Initial Clearance
This property corresponds to the CZER real constant used in the Mechanical APDL application. It
defines the initial clearance or gap at which the contact pressure begins to act on the Contact and
Target geometries. See the Exponential Pressure-Penetration Relationship (KEYOPT(6) = 3) topic (of
the Set the Real Constants and Element KEYOPTS section) in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology
Guide for a detailed description of this property and its function. Property options are illustrated
and described below.

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Option Description
Program Controlled This is the default setting. The application automatically calculates and selects
default clearance values.
Value Using this option, you can manually specify a clearance value. This entry is a
length measurement (meter, etc.). Only non-zero positive values are valid.
Factor Using this option, you can manually specify a factor of the default clearance
value. This entry must be equal to or greater than zero but must also be less
than 1.0. This entry has no unit.

Stabilization Damping Factor

A contact you define may initially have a near open status due to small gaps between the element
meshes or between the integration points of the contact and target elements. The contact will not
get detected during the analysis and can cause a rigid body motion of the bodies defined in the
contact. The stabilization damping factor provides a certain resistance to damp the relative motion
between the contacting surfaces and prevents rigid body motion. This contact damping factor is
applied in the contact normal direction and it is valid only for frictionless, rough and frictional
contacts. The damping is applied to each load step where the contact status is open. The value of
the stabilization damping factor should be large enough to prevent rigid body motion but small
enough to ensure a solution. A value of 1 is usually appropriate. Property options are described
below.

Mechanical APDL
Property Description
Reference
Stabil- If this factor is 0 (default), the damping is activated FDMN
iza- only in the first load step (KEYOPT(15) = 0, the default).
tion If its value is greater than 0, the damping is activated KEYOPT(15) = 2.
Damp- for all load steps (KEYOPT(15) = 2).
ing Damping is
Factor activated for all load
steps.

Thermal Conductance
Controls the thermal contact conductance value used in a thermal contact simulation. Property
options are described below.

Property Description

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Program Con- This is the default setting. The program will calculate the value for the thermal
trolled contact conductance. The value will be set to a sufficiently high enough
value (based on the thermal conductivities and the model size) to model
perfect contact with minimal thermal resistance. Note that the Program
Controlled option is not valid for composite materials. For orthotropic
materials, the application only considers Thermal Conductivity in the X
direction.
Manual The Thermal Conductance Value is input directly by the user.

Thermal Conductance Value

Allows input of the Thermal Conductance Value. Only positive values are allowed. This choice is
displayed only if Manual is specified for Thermal Conductance. The Units for this value are based
on the types of contact involved. For 3D faces and 2D edges, the units are HEAT/(TIME * TEMPER-
ATURE* AREA). For contact between 3D edges and vertices, the units are HEAT/(TIME * TEMPERATURE)
with the value applied to every node in the contact side. For more information about the units
used for thermal contact conductance coefficient, see Table 78 (p. 1803) and Table 79 (p. 1803) in the
Solving Units (p. 1759) section.

For additional Mechanical APDL specific information, see the Modeling Thermal Contact, specifically
Modeling Conduction>Using TCC, section of the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide (Mul-
tiphysics Contact).

Pinball Region
This option enables you to specify the contact search size, commonly referred to as the Pinball
Region. Setting a pinball region can be useful in cases where initially, bodies are far enough away
from one another that, by default, the program will not detect that they are in contact. You could
then increase the pinball region as needed. Consider an example of a surface body that was gener-
ated by offsetting a face of a solid body, possibly leaving a large gap, depending on the thickness.
Another example is a large deflection problem where a considerable pinball region is required due
to possible large amounts of over penetration. In general though, if you want two regions to be
bonded together that may be far apart, you should specify a pinball region that is large enough
to ensure that contact indeed occurs.

For bonded and no separation contact types (p. 907), you must be careful in specifying a large pinball
region. For these types of contact, any regions found within the pinball region will be considered
to be in contact. For other types of contact, this is not as critical because additional calculations
are performed to determine if the two bodies are truly in contact. The pinball region defines the
searching range where these calculations will occur. Further, a large gap can transmit fictitious
moments across the boundary. Property options are described below.

Property Description
Program Con- This is the default setting. The pinball region will be calculated by the program.
trolled
Auto Detection This option is only available for contacts generated automatically. The pinball
Value region will be equal to the tolerance value used in generating the contacts. The
value is displayed as read-only in the Auto Detection Value field. Auto Detection
Value is the recommended option for cases where the automatic contact
detection region is larger than a Program Controlled region. In such cases, some

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contact pairs that were detected automatically may not be considered in contact
for a solution.
Radius The radius value is input directly by the user.

For the Rigid Body Dynamics solver: In the Rigid Body Dynamics solver, the pinball region is
used to control the touching tolerance. By default, the Rigid Body Dynamics solver automatically
computes the touching tolerance using the sizes of the surfaces in the contact region. These default
values are sufficient in most of cases, but inadequate touching tolerance may arise in cases where
contact surfaces are especially large or small (small fillet for instance). In such cases, the value of
the touching tolerance can be directly specified using the following properties:

Property Description
Program Con- The touching tolerance is automatically computed by the Rigid Body
trolled (de- Dynamics solver from the sizes of the contact surfaces.
fault)
Radius The value of the touching tolerance is directly given by user.

Pinball Radius
The numerical value for the Pinball Radius. This choice is displayed only if Pinball Region is set
to Radius.

Electric Conductance
Controls the electric contact conductance value used in an electric contact simulation. Property
options are described below.

Property Description
Program Con- This is the default setting. The program will calculate the value for the electric
trolled contact conductance. The value will be set to a sufficiently high enough
value (based on the electric conductivities and the model size) to model
perfect contact with minimal electric resistance.
Manual The Electric Conductance value is input directly by the user.

Note:

The Electric Analysis result, Joule Heat (p. 1632), when generated by nonzero contact res-
istance is not supported.

Electric Conductance Value

Allows input of the Electric Conductance value (in units of electric conductance per area). Only
positive values are allowed. This choice is displayed only if Manual is specified for Electric Conduct-
ance.

Time Step Controls

Allows you to specify if changes in contact behavior should control automatic time stepping. This
choice is displayed only for nonlinear contact (Type is set to Frictionless, Rough, or Frictional).
Property options are described below.

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Property Description
None This is the default setting. Contact behavior does not control automatic time
stepping. This option is appropriate for most analyses when automatic time
stepping is activated and a small time step size is allowed.
Automatic Contact behavior is reviewed at the end of each substep to determine
Bisection whether excessive penetration or drastic changes in contact status have
occurred. If so, the substep is reevaluated using a time increment that is
bisected (reduced by half ).
Predict for Performs same bisection on the basis of contact as the Automatic Bisection
Impact option and also predicts the minimal time increment needed to detect
changes in contact behavior. This option is recommended if you anticipate
impact in the analysis.
Use Impact Activates impact constraints with automatic adjustment of the time
Constraints increment. This option includes constraints on penetration and relative
velocity to more accurately predict the duration of impact and the rebound
velocities after separation.

Restitution Factor - Rigid Body Dynamics Solver Only

For the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver, the Advanced group has only one property, Restitution
Value. This value represents the energy lost during shock and is defined as the ratio between rel-
ative velocity prior to the shock and the velocity following the shock. This value can be between
0 and 1. A Restitution Factor equal to 1 indicates that no energy is lost during the shock, that is,
the rebounding velocity equals the impact velocity (a perfectly elastic collision). The default value
is 1.

Display
The Display category is available for edge contacts on 2D surface bodies. This category contains
the property Element Normals. The options for this property are No (default) and Yes. Setting the
feature to Yes enables you to see the normal direction of each edge element in the Contact Region.
As needed, you can use the Flip Contact Normals and/or the Flip Target Normals properties (p. 931)
in the Geometric Modification category to invert the normal direction.

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Important:

If your analysis includes 2D surface bodies in contact and the edge normal directions
do not adhere to the right-hand rule, that is, the normals appear to be in the wrong
direction, you can use the Flip Contact Normals and/or the Flip Target Normals
properties (p. 931) to reorient the edge directions.

Geometric Modification
The Geometric Modification category provides the features described below. As described, this
category only displays when certain contact conditions are detected by the application and/or
certain property definitions are specified.

• Interface Treatment (p. 926)

• Contact/Target Geometry Correction (p. 928)

• Flip Contact/Target Normals (p. 931)

Interface Treatment
The Interface Treatment property defines how the contact interface of a contact pair is treated.
It becomes active when contact Type is set to Frictionless, Rough or Frictional (nonlinear contact).

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When active, the Interface Treatment option provides the following properties.

• Adjust to Touch: Any initial gaps are closed and any initial penetration is ignored creating an initial
stress free state. Contact pairs are “just touching” as shown.

Contact pair after Adjust to Touch

Contact pair before any Interface Treatment.
treatment. Gap is closed automatically. Pair
Gap exists.
is “just touching”.

Contact pair before any Interface Treatment. Contact pair after Adjust to Touch
Penetration exists. treatment. Pair touches at interface.

This setting is useful to make sure initial contact occurs even if any gaps are present (as long as
they are within the pinball region). Without using this setting, the bodies may fly apart if any
initial gaps exist. Although any initial gaps are ignored, gaps can still form during loading for the
nonlinear contact types. For nonlinear contact types (Frictionless, Rough, and Frictional), Inter-
face Treatment is displayed where the choices are Adjust to Touch, Add Offset, Ramped Effects,
and Add Offset, No Ramping.

Note:

– The Adjust to Touch option does not lead to uniform contact between concentric cylinders
that contain a small initial gap. For this situation, manually specify the gap as an offset in
with the Add Offset, No Ramping option.

– Gaps may still be present if the contact pair has regions of differing gaps. When gaps exist,
this setting makes sure that initial contact occurs by closing the smallest gap.

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• Add Offset, Ramped Effects: models the true contact gap/penetration plus adds in any user defined
offset values. This setting is the closest to the default contact setting used in the Mechanical APDL except
that the loading is ramped. Using this setting will not close gaps. Even a slight gap may cause bodies
to fly apart. Should this occur, use a small contact offset to bring the bodies into initial contact. Note
that this setting is displayed only for nonlinear contact and the ramping occurs over the first load step.

• Add Offset, No Ramping: this is the default setting. This option is the same as Add Offset, Ramped
Effects but loading is not ramped.

• Offset: appears if Interface Treatment is set to Add Offset, Ramped or Add Offset, No Ramping. This
property defines the contact offset value. A positive value moves the contact closer together (increase
penetration/reduce gap) and a negative value moves the contact further apart.

Contact pair after Add Offset treatment

(either option). Gap is closed "manually”
Contact pair before any Interface Treatment.
based on value entered for Offset (positive
Gap exists.
value shown that includes some
penetration).

Contact/Target Geometry Correction

The Contact Geometry Correction and the Target Geometry Correction properties both have
the default setting None as well as the following two options for geometry correction.

• Smoothing (p. 928)

• Bolt Thread (p. 929)

Smoothing
For Contact and/or Target geometries, the Smoothing option enables you to improve the accuracy
of circular edges (2D) and spherical or revolute surfaces (3D) by evaluating the contact detection
based on the exact geometry instead of the mesh. This feature enables curved geometries to be
analyzed more effectively using meshes with dropped midside nodes. For additional technical in-
formation about this feature, see the Surface Smoothing section of the Mechanical APDL Contact
Technology Guide.

Note:

• The Behavior (p. 909) properties Symmetric and Auto-Asymmetric are not supported.

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 Contact

• To avoid having the application incorrectly modify the geometry of a contact surface that
has drastically deformed, do not use the Smoothing feature during an analysis that has
specified Large Deflection (p. 1122).

The following properties become visible when the Contact Geometry Correction property and/or
the Target Geometry Correction property are set to Smoothing.

Orientation
Property options include:

• The Program Controlled option is only valid when the contact scoping is on a sphere or a single,
simple cylinder. The option becomes invalid when the specified scoping:

– Includes more than one face.

– Is on a single cylinder face, but the cylinder includes more than two edges.

– Is on a single cylinder face with two edges, but the CAD package does not identify it as a cylinder.
In this case, you can confirm your model's geometric information using the Selection Information
window (p. 111).

If the Program Controlled option is not valid, you can use the Revolute Axis option to
manually identify the cylinder.

• Sphere Center Point (3D) or Circle Center Point (2D): When one of these properties is selected,
the Center Point property also displays. The Center Point property provides a drop-down list of
available coordinate systems, Global as well as user-defined. As needed, create a local coordinate
system (p. 877) at the center of your sphere.

• Revolute Axis: You use this option for 3D revolute surfaces, such as a cone or a cylinder. The
definition of the revolute surface is computed using an internal axis definition. When Revolute
Axis is selected, the following additional properties display. These properties define the coordinate
systems that are used to define the axis around which the contact smoothing is oriented.

– Starting Point

– Ending Point

Bolt Thread
This geometry correction option enables you to model bolt threads. For a 2D axisymmetric model,
only edge-to-edge scoping is supported. For a 3D model, only face-to-face scoping is supported.
For additional technical information about this feature, see the Simplified Bolt Thread Modeling
section of the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide.

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Tip:

When you specify the Bolt Thread option, it is strongly recommended that you have a
refined mesh. See the Sizing Group (Category) sections of the Meshing User's Guide for
additional information about mesh refinement.

Support Requirements

In order to use the Bolt Thread option, note the following.

• The Contact Geometry Correction property is available for all contact Type settings except for Bonded.

• The Behavior (p. 909) properties Symmetric and Auto-Asymmetric are not supported.

• It is recommended that you do not set the Detection Method (p. 915) to either Nodal-Normal To
Target or On Gauss Point.

• The diameter of the solid model (bolt and nut bodies) should be based on the major diameter (d).

Property Descriptions
The following properties are visible when Contact/Target Geometry Correction is set to Bolt
Thread.

Orientation
Property options include:

• Program Controlled (default): A contact condition with Contact/Target Geometry Correction

property defined as Bolt Thread, is fully defined only when cylindrical contact conditions are detected
by the application, otherwise, manual specifications are required.

• Revolute Axis: when Revolute Axis is selected, the following additional properties display. These
properties define the coordinate systems that are used to generate the axis around which the bolt
is oriented. They do not correspond to the starting and ending point of the bolt threads.

– Starting Point

– Ending Point

Mean Pitch Diameter

This property defines the average diameter of the threaded bolt.

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 Contact

Pitch Distance
This property defines the length of the thread pitch.

Thread Angle
This property defines the angle of the thread’s inclination.

The following diagram illustrates the Mean Pitch Diameter, Pitch Distance, and Thread Angle.

Thread Type
This property defines the number of threads on the bolt. Property options include:

• Single-Thread

• Double-Thread

• Triple-Thread

Handedness
This property defines the bolt as either right or left handed. Property options include:

• Right-Handed

• Left-Handed

Flip Contact/Target Normals

The Flip Contact Normals and the Flip Target Normals properties enable you to invert the normal
direction of edge contacts on 2D surface bodies. You use the Element Normals property (p. 925)
of the Display category in combination with these properties to display the normal directions of
the edge elements in contact and, as needed, invert the direction.

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Supported Contact Types

The following table identifies the supported formulations and whether symmetry is respected for the
various contact geometries.

Contact Geometry Face Edge Vertex (Line Bodies Only)

(Scope = Contact) (Scope = Contact) (Scope = Contact)

Face Symmetry Symmetry Respected: Symmetry
Respected: Yes No Respected: No
(Scope = Tar-
get) Contact Element: Contact Element: Contact Element:
CONTA171 CONTA175 CONTA175
Edge (see notes Not Supported for Symmetry Respected: Symmetry
below) solving. No Respected: No

(Scope = Tar- Contact Element: Contact Element: Contact Element:

get) CONTA175 CONTA175 (3D) and CONTA175
CONTA172 (2D)

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Vertex Not Supported for Not Supported for Not Supported for
solving. solving. solving.
(Scope = Tar-
get)

Note:

In 2D analyses, only edge-edge contact is supported (the equivalent of 3D face-face contact).

Beam-to-Beam (Edge-Edge) Contact Requirements and Restrictions

Note the following requirements for beam-to-beam (edge-edge) contact:

• Beam-to-Beam (Edge-Edge) contact is supported by structural analyses only (static, transient, modal,
harmonic, etc.).

• The application uses contact element CONTA177.

• During contact detection, the contact and target surface are assumed to be the surface of a cylinder.
The application automatically calculates the equivalent circular radius based on the associated geometry
of the underlying elements.

• Any defined beam offsets on the line bodies are not taken into account for the contact calculations.

Setting Contact Conditions Manually

Manual contact regions represent contact over the entire extent of the contact scope, for example,
faces of the contact region.

Automatic contact regions represent contact only to the extent of the scope where the corresponding
bodies initially are close to one another. For automatic contact, the contact elements are “trimmed”
before solution. The trimming is based on the detection tolerance (p. 895). The tighter the tolerance,
the less number of generated contact elements. Note that if you set Large Deflection effects to On
in the Details view of a Solution object (p. 2211), no trimming will be done due to the possibility of
large sliding.

Valid reasons to manually change or add/delete contact regions include:

• Modeling "large sliding" contact. Contact regions created through auto-detection assume "assembly
contact," placing contact faces very near to one another. Manual contact encompasses the entire scope
so sliding is better captured. In this case, you may need to add additional contact faces.

• Auto-detection creates more contact pairs than are necessary. In this case, you can delete the unnecessary
contact regions.

• Auto-detection may not create contact regions necessary for your analysis. In this case, you must add
additional contact regions.

You can set contact conditions manually, rather than (or in addition to) letting the application auto-
matically detect contact regions.

Within a source or target region, the underlying geometry must be of the same geometry type (for
example, all surface body faces, all solid body faces). The source and target can be of different geometry

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 Contact

types, but within itself, a source must be of the same geometry type, and a target must be of the
same geometry type.

To set contact regions manually:

1. Select the Connections object in the Outline (p. 56).

2. Right-click and select Insert > Manual Contact Region. You can also select the Contact option on the
Context tab.

3. A Contact Region item appears in the Outline. Click that item, and under the Details View (p. 67),
specify the Contact and Target regions (faces or edges) and the contact type. See the Contact and
Target topics in the Scope Settings (p. 903) section for additional Contact Region scoping restrictions.

Contact Ease of Use Features

The following features are intended to assist you in performing simulations involving contact:
Automatically Generate Objects Scoped to Contact Regions
Controlling Transparency for Contact Regions
Displaying Contact Bodies with Different Colors
Displaying Contact Bodies in Separate Windows
Hiding Bodies Not Scoped to a Contact Region
Renaming Contact Regions Based on Geometry Names
Identifying Contact Regions for a Body
Create Contact Debonding
Flipping Contact and Target Scope Settings
Merging Contact Regions That Share Geometry
Saving or Loading Contact Region Settings
Resetting Contact Regions to Default Settings
Locating Bodies Without Contact
Locating Parts Without Contact

Automatically Generate Objects Scoped to Contact Regions

When you select a Contact Region (p. 1994) object (or multiple Contact Region objects) in the tree,
the context menu contains the option Create, as illustrated below. This option enables you to
generate specific contact objects, results, and automatically scope the objects to the selected
Contact Region or regions.

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The Create context menu options include:

Contact Tool
This option enables you to create a Contact Tool under the Connections folder. The application
automatically scopes the tool to the selected Contact Region(s) only.

Mesh Connection
This option enables you to create Mesh Connection objects from Contact Regions. The application
scopes the new Mesh Connection objects to the geometries of the Contact Region(s) and sets the
tolerance to be equal to the trim tolerance of the contact region. The Mesh connections are added
into a new Mesh Connections Group folder.

Environment Submenu
The Create option provides a submenu of options to create specific result objects for environments
that include the options shown below. The application inserts the corresponding object under the
Solution folder for the selected environment and automatically scopes the object to the Contact
Region (or Contact Regions).

• Force Reaction (p. 1591)

• Moment Reaction (p. 1591)

• Contact Tracker (p. 1748)

• Contact Tool (p. 1565)

Controlling Transparency for Contact Regions

As shown below, you can graphically highlight an individual contact region.

The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. View online if you are reading the PDF version of
the help. Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released
product.

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 Contact

• Click on a contact region to highlight the bodies in that region.

• Highlighting is due to internal transparency settings:

– Transparency is set to 0.8 for bodies in selected contact region.

– Transparency is set to 0.1 for bodies not in selected contact

region(s).

– You can change the default transparency values in using the

Connections settings (p. 140) of the Options dialog box (p. 138).

• You can disable the contact region highlighting feature in either the
Details view of a contact group branch, or by accessing the context
menu (right mouse click) on a contact region or contact group branch
of the tree, and choosing Disable Transparency.

Displaying Contact Bodies with Different Colors

Contact and Target bodies are displayed using default colors (red and blue). You can change the
display color using the Random option in the Annotations group (p. 35) to display each contact
using a color chosen at random each redraw.

Displaying Contact Bodies in Separate Windows

By default, the Body Views option on the Connections Context Tab (p. 16), is active to display
parts and connections in separate auxiliary windows. As illustrated below, the different contact
bodies (Contact and Target) have colors codes associated with them, in the Details view as well
as the graphic windows. The Body Views feature is available for joints, contacts, springs, and beam
connections.

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Note:

The Body Views feature does not support the use of hotkeys and hotkey combina-
tions (p. 212).

Hiding Bodies Not Scoped to a Contact Region

You can hide all bodies except those that are scoped to a specific contact region.

To Hide All Bodies Not Scoped to a Contact Region:

1. Select the Contact Region (p. 1994) object whose bodies you do not want to hide.

2. Right-click to display the context menu.

3. Select Hide All Other Bodies in the menu. All bodies are hidden except those that are part of the
selected contact region.

Renaming Contact Regions Based on Geometry Names

You can change the name of any contact region using the following choices available in the context
menu that appears when you click the right mouse button on a particular contact region:

• Rename: Enables you to change the contact region name to a name that you type (similar to renaming
a file in Windows Explorer).

• Rename Based on Definition: Enables you to change the contact region name to include the corres-
ponding names of the items in the Geometry branch of the tree that make up the contact region. The
items are separated by the word “To” in the new contact region name. You can change all the contact
region names at once by clicking the right mouse button on the Connections branch, then choosing
Rename Based on Definition from that context menu. A demonstration of this feature follows.

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The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. View online if you are reading the PDF version of
the help. Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released
product.

When you change the names of contact regions that involve multiple bodies, the region names
change to include the word Multiple instead of the long list of names associated with multiple
bodies. An example is Bonded – Multiple To Multiple.

Identifying Contact Regions for a Body

See the description for Contacts for Selected Bodies in the Correlating Tree Outline Objects with
Model Characteristics (p. 60) section.

Create Contact Debonding

To automatically generate a Contact Debonding object (p. 1993), select a Contact Region and drag
and drop it onto the Fracture (p. 2029) folder.

Flipping Contact and Target Scope Settings

A valuable feature available when using asymmetric contact is the ability to swap contact and target
face or edge Scope settings in the Details view. You accomplish this by clicking the right mouse
button on the specific contact regions (Ctrl key or Shift key for multiple selections) and choosing
Flip Contact/Target. This is illustrated below for a single region.

The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. View online if you are reading the PDF version of
the help. Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released
product.

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Note:

This feature is not applicable to Face/Edge contact where faces are always designated
as targets and edges are always designated as contacts.

Merging Contact Regions That Share Geometry

You can merge two or more contact regions into one contact region, provided they share the same
type of geometry (edges or faces).

To Merge Contact Regions That Share Geometry:

1. Select two or more contact regions in the tree that share the same type of geometry (edges or faces).
Use the Shift or Ctrl key for multiple selections.

2. Right-click to display the context menu.

3. Select Merge Selected Contact Regions in the menu. This option only appears if the regions share
the same geometry types. After selecting the option, a new contact region is appended to the list in
the tree. The new region represents the merged regions. The individual contact regions that you se-
lected to form the merged region are no longer represented in the list.

Saving or Loading Contact Region Settings

You can save the configuration settings of a contact region to an XML file. You can also load settings
from an XML file to configure other contact regions.

To Save Configuration Settings of a Contact Region:

1. Select the contact region whose settings you want to save.

2. Right-click to display the context menu.

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3. Select Save Contact Region Settings in the menu. This option does not appear if you selected more
than one contact region.

4. Specify the name and destination of the file. An XML file is created that contains the configuration
settings of the contact region.

Note:

The XML file contains properties that are universally applied to contact regions. For this
reason, source and target geometries are not included in the file.

To Load Configuration Settings to Contact Regions:

1. Select the contact regions whose settings you want to assign. Use the Shift or Ctrl key for multiple
selections.

2. Right-click to display the context menu.

3. Select Load Contact Region Settings in the menu.

4. Specify the name and location of the XML file that contains the configuration settings of a contact
region. Those settings are applied to the selected contact regions and will appear in the Details view
of these regions.

Resetting Contact Regions to Default Settings

You can reset the default configuration settings of selected contact regions.

To Reset Default Configuration Settings of Contact Regions:

1. Select the contact regions whose settings you want to reset to default values. Use the Shift or Ctrl
key for multiple selections.

2. Right-click to display the context menu.

3. Select Reset to Default in the menu. Default settings are applied to the selected contact regions and
will appear in the Details view of these regions.

Locating Bodies Without Contact

See the description for Bodies Without Contacts in Tree in the Correlating Tree Outline Objects
with Model Characteristics (p. 60) section.

Locating Parts Without Contact

See the description for Parts Without Contacts in Tree in the Correlating Tree Outline Objects
with Model Characteristics (p. 60) section.

Contact in Rigid Dynamics

Contact conditions are formed where rigid bodies meet. While the default contact settings and
automatic detection capabilities are often sufficient for structural analyses, the default contact defin-

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ition must be extended to adjacent surfaces in some cases. This is because the nature of rigid dynamics
usually implies very large displacements and rotations.

In rigid dynamics, supported contact types depend on where the contact is defined and which time
integration type (p. 1124) is used:

• Frictionless and forced frictional contact are available for all time integration schemes.

• Rough contact and no separation contact are supported by the Runge-Kutta (p. 420), Generalized-Al-
pha (p. 421), and Stabilized Generalized-Alpha (p. 423) time integration schemes.

• Bonded contact is only supported within condensed parts.

The contact is always based on Pure Lagrange formulation. Contact constraint equations are updated
at each time step, and added to the system matrix through additional forces of degrees of freedom
called Lagrange Multipliers. In this formulation, there is no contact stiffness. Contact constraints are
satisfied when the bodies are touching, and they are nonexistent when bodies are separated.

Contact and Rigid Bodies

Contact is formulated between rigid bodies. Hence, there is no possibility of deforming the bodies to
satisfy the contact constraint equations. If the contact equations cannot eventually be satisfied, the
solution will not proceed. To illustrate this, two examples are considered:

Example 4: Cylindrical Shaft in a Block

• If the diameter of the cylindrical shaft is smaller than that of the hole, motion is possible.

• If the diameter of the cylindrical shaft is larger than that of the hole, the simulation is not possible.

• If the two diameters are exactly equal, then the analysis might fail.

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 Contact

Example 5: Block Sliding on Two Blocks

• If the green block slides horizontally from left to right and the height of the right block is less than
that of the left block, motion is possible.

• If the height of the two bottom blocks is identical and a vertical contact surface is defined between
the two bottom blocks, the block might hit the vertical surface, and the solution will not proceed.

• If the height of the right block is greater than the height of the left block, the green block will move
back to the left.

Note:

Avoid ambiguous configurations whenever possible. Consider creating fillets on sharp

edges as a workaround.

Contact Mesh
You can scope the contact objects to rigid bodies using 3-D faces in solid bodies, or pick the entire body.
When you create this type of contact, the surfaces and edges in the contact region are meshed.

The mesh is used differently depending on the RBD Contact Detection setting:

When RBD Contact Detection is set to Geometry-Based, the mesh helps to speed up the solution
by providing an initial position to the contact points that are calculated, and it helps to drive the
number of contact points used between the bodies when in contact. As each body has up to 6
degrees of freedom, a contact between two rigid bodies will restrain up to 6 relative degrees of
freedom. This means that a reasonably coarse mesh is generally sufficient to define the contact
surface. The contact solver will use this mesh to initiate the contact geometry calculation, but will
then project back the contact points to CAD geometry. Refining the mesh can increase the solution
time without always increasing the quality of the solution. Conversely, refining the mesh can be
useful if the geometry is concave and the solver reports a high amount of shocks for the pair in-
volving the concave surfaces.

When RBD Contact Detection is set to Mesh-Based, contact points are on the mesh, while the
contact normal is still evaluated on the geometry. In conjunction with the Moreau-Jean (p. 424)
time integration type, mesh-based contact detection can handle more refined meshes that capture
smaller geometry details.

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Contact and Time Step

The rigid solver uses event-based time integration. Over each time step, the solver evaluates the trajectory
of the bodies, and checks when these trajectories interfere. When interference is found (as with stops
on joints), a shock will be analyzed, leading to a new velocity distribution. The physics of the velocity
redistribution during the shock is based on the conservation of momentum and energy. The amount of
energy lost during the shock is quantified by the coefficient of restitution. For details, see Joint Stops
and Locks (p. 1029). The trajectory detection of interferences allows the use of rather large time steps
without missing the contacts; however, transitions between adjacent contact surfaces in certain situations
(such as sliding situations) often require smaller time steps.

In contrast to Penalty based simulation that introduces an artificial deformation of the bodies and
thus high frequencies in the simulation, the pure Lagrange formulation used in the rigid dynamics
formulation does not change the frequency content of the simulation.

A solution that includes contact requires an increased amount of geometrical calculation, resulting
in a significantly higher overall simulation time than a solution without contact. As such, it is re-
commended that joints stops are used in place of contacts whenever possible.

Limitations
For models with sliding contacts (such as cams, guiding grooves, and so on), small bounces due to
nonzero restitution factors can cause an increase in simulation time and instabilities. Using a restitution
factor of zero will significantly speed up the simulation.

The Rigid Dynamics solver unifies contact regions defined between the same pairs of parts/bodies.
Consequently, defining more than one contact region between the same pairs of bodies may
lead to unpredictable results. The following guidelines are strongly recommended:

• All contact regions defined between the same pairs of parts/bodies must have the same type.
Mixing different types (e.g., frictionless and rough) may lead to incorrect results.

• All contact regions defined between the same pairs of parts/bodies must follow the same order.
A body defined as a target body in one contact region must not be defined as contact body
in another contact region between the same pairs of parts/bodies.

Best Practices for Contact in Rigid Body Analyses

The following guidelines are considered best practices for optimizing performance with contact
when simulating complex models with large numbers of contact elements, long duration, or high
speed.

Time Integration Type

• Use the Moreau-Jean time stepping method (p. 1124) when non-smooth and for:

– Models with large number of contact elements

– Models with many locks/stops

• Use a small Initial Time Step.

• Use a small Max Time Step.

• Use output controls (p. 1158) to limit the number of steps saved.

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 Contact

Mesh

• Use low order triangle element shape.

• Use mapped mesh when possible.

• Make sure the mesh is capturing the fine details of your model.

Contact Pairs
Contact can be defined on surfaces or on entire bodies.

• When defining contact on a surface, one surface/surface pair is defined per surface. If your contact
has less than a dozen surfaces on each side, surface to surface contact should be used. When dealing
with a larger number of surfaces, use body to body contact. For example, when modeling contact
between the teeth of two gears, body to body contact is best.

• When using body to body contact, mesh-based contact is the only option.

• Setting the coefficient of restitution to 0 introduces some dissipation into the model and adds ro-
bustness.

Pinball
Pinball radius is automatically calculated based on the size of the contact surface pairs. Most of the
time, this value is correct. In cases where the pinball radius is very small, increasing it slightly should
correct the issue (don't go over 10 times the default value). The actual value of the pinball radius can
be found in the solver log file:
Forced Frictional Sliding – Body1 to Body2 is open. Contact radius = 7.828508e-004

Special Cases
When a gap is small and surface exact geometry matters, you should use geometry-based contact. In
cases like this, Moreau-Jean time-stepping can still be used.

Redundancies
The rigid body solver solves for forces between bodies. When the model is redundant, these forces
are harder to determine. The solver has multiple algorithms that are used in sequence to determine
forces between bodies. At time 0, the solver often has no information about forces, so adding an initial
step to bring all the parts of the model into proper touching configuration can help. When applicable,
use the 2-D option (only generates a few contact points per pair).

When redundancies can't be avoided, you can attempt to force convergence by inserting the
ContactUseRobustPSOR(itermax) command in a snippet with itermax being a large
number (5000 - 10000 is typical). This will increase solution time, and you should carefully review
the joint and contact forces.

Monitoring Contact
The contact log file shows the status of contacts in the simulation. In the following example, one pair
goes from separated to touching at time 0.151928:

Region: Solid - Solid - Separated...

Number Of Points 7

Region: Solid - Solid - Separated...

Number Of Points 7

Region: Solid - Solid - Separated...

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Number Of Points 7
________________________

Region: Solid - Solid - ...

Shock 1 time prediction is = 0.151928 alpha 0.638561
________________________

Region: Solid - Solid - Touching...

Number Of Points 7

Checking the contact log file can help you troubleshoot contact in your model.

• Shocks are not reported for Moreau-Jean time-stepping (p. 1124), but the status does change.

• Look for contact status Penetrated if the solution fails at time = 0. You can configure joints to
avoid this initial penetration.

• Check the number of points for a given contact pair. Avoid large and small numbers. If necessary,
change the mesh density.

Monitoring the Solver

The solver output monitors the solver progress. It lists the status of contacts and stops.

Contact "Frictionless - Solid To Solid" not active (0 points received)

_____________________________________________________________
Contact "Frictionless - Solid To Solid" not active (0 points received)
_____________________________________________________________
Current Time: 0.12 Current time step 0.05
Frictionless - Solid To Solid is open.
_____________________________________________________________
Contact "Frictionless - Solid To Solid" not active (0 points received)
_____________________________________________________________
Contact "Frictionless - Solid To Solid" Received 7 contact points
Stopped Frictionless - Solid To Solid at 0.151928

Time 0.1519 Solving Shock 1

Stopped Frictionless - Solid To Solid at 0.151928

Time 0.151928 Processing Event "Contact"
Frictionless - Solid To Solid is open.
_____________________________________________________________
Contact "Frictionless - Solid To Solid" not active (7 points received)

The solver log file will also report redundancies. When detected, the solver will mention LCP errors:

*** Error:
w[4]=1.097266e-005 > threshold2=7.859939e-007, z[4]=6.639837e-001, > threshold=8.865630e-009
0 C_BlockMatrix::Block::CheckLCPSolution(), C_BlockMatrix.cpp line 2174

Murty by Factorization algorithm failed

Trying PSOR
PSOR algorithm reached maximum number of iterations: 680
Initial residual 4.455025e+000 Last 3 residual values are 2.194531e-005 2.194531e-005 2.194531e-005
PSOR algorithm failed
Trying Lemke

threshold is the force in the contact that the solver needs to reach for convergence. The value de-
pends on global forces in the model.

A model with touching contact with no forces is always difficult for the solver. Adding small
forces to stabilize the solution usually helps with convergence. In many cases, gravity is sufficient.

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 Contact

Friction
Frictionless and Forced frictional contact (p. 907) are the only supported contact types for Moreau-Jean
time-stepping (p. 1124).

Best Practices for Specifying Contact Conditions

For typical structural problems, the presence of nonlinear contact is often the reason for increased
solution times. This can be exacerbated by poorly defined contact conditions, which may also create
further instability and cause convergence issues and require additional processing time. Given properly
defined contact conditions, contact results converge more efficiently and results tend to be smoother.

The following topics are examined in this section to help you achieve better results through proper
contact definition:
Contact Setup and Verification
Solver Preparation
Addressing Non-Convergence

Contact Setup and Verification

This section describes some of the tools that you should try to use when generating and managing
contact.

• Automatic Contact Generation (p. 947)

• Manual Contact Pairs (p. 948)

• Multiple Contact Folders (p. 948)

• Contact Search and Select (p. 949)

• Worksheet Options (p. 949)

• Body Views (p. 950)

• Shell Contact Normal Directions (p. 950)

• Initial Contact Tool (p. 951)

Automatic Contact Generation

On geometry attach, or when requested, Contact pairs can be automatically detected and generated
in Mechanical. Search options also can be set on the Contact folder, and include:

• Scoping (search entire assembly or only selected bodies)

• Auto Detection Tolerance (see Connection Group Folder (p. 889) Help section)

• Topology Types (Face/Face)

• Grouping Options

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Manual Contact Pairs

There are times when you need to create contact conditions manually (p. 934). This could be necessary
when a required contact is not detected automatically, such as when a gap exists that is outside
of the tolerance, as shown in the example below.

Multiple Contact Folders

Creating multiple contact folders can be beneficial. Multiple folders enable you to:

• Create different automatic detection settings on different bodies.

• Organize a large numbers of contact regions more efficiently.

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Contact Search and Select

To find connections associated with a geometric selection, the context menu (right-click) Go To
options (p. 60).

Tip:

Use tags (p. 1936) to keep track of contacts pairs of interest.

Worksheet Options
As illustrated below, the connections Worksheet (p. 886) view provides a detailed layout for review-
ing all of your contact settings, and includes the capability to:

• Sort rows by clicking the column header.

• Control the visibility of each column/property using the selections available on the right-click
(context) menu.

Contact Worksheet

RMB Menu

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Body Views
A helpful way to spatially identify a contact, especially when the contact occurs on the interior of
your model, is to use the Body Views feature on the Connections Context Tab (p. 16) to display
parts in separate auxiliary windows (p. 937).

This is the default display option when you select a Contact object, and as illustrated below, the
different contact bodies (Contact and Target) have colors codes associated with them in the Details
view as well as the graphic windows.

Note:

The Body Views feature does not support the use of hotkeys and hotkey combina-
tions (p. 212).

Shell Contact Normal Directions

Contact on shell bodies can only be detected if the direction of the contact is appropriately defined.
For example, to model the self-contact when pinching the following shell:

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 Contact

Undesirable Normals Details View

Desired Normals

Contact Tool
You can use the Contact Tool (p. 1565) to quickly learn about the contact status as seen by the solver
(before you solve). Initial Information is illustrated below.

The color coding alerts you to possible issues. And you can calculate contours for results such as
Status and Penetration. In addition, you can see:

• Contact pairs that are open/closed.

• The extent of initial penetration.

• Active/Inactive pairs.

Solver Preparation
This section describes useful techniques for making sure that you establish robust contact settings
and conditions.

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• Mesh Quality (p. 952)

• Mesh Sizing (p. 952)

• Understanding Contact Formulation (p. 953)

• Advantages of MPC Contact (p. 953)

• Contact Stiffness (p. 954)

• Overlapping Contact and Boundary Conditions (p. 954)

• Initial Gaps and Rigid Body Motion (p. 955)

Mesh Quality
Poor mesh quality can cause convergence problems, especially when nonlinear contact is applied
on it. Examples of mesh quality are illustrated below. Understanding the use of Local Mesh Controls
can help you refine the mesh on your contact conditions.

The contact surface shown here has a mesh that could be

improved.

This contact surface shown here has a very good mesh quality.

Tip:

For nonlinear contact models, you can either set Physics Preference to Mechanical and
Error Limits to Aggressive Mechanical, or set Physics Preference to Nonlinear
Mechanical. See ANSYS Workbench and Mechanical APDL Application Meshing Differences
for details.

Mesh Sizing
In order to create smooth results, you need to make sure that the elements closely follow the
curvature and that your model has sufficient contact elements on curved surfaces, including straight
surfaces that may become curved as the analysis proceeds. This is especially true for nonlinear

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 Contact

contact conditions. For the best results, use similar mesh densities on both sides of the contact
pair. To improve element size and density, modify the mesh using Sizing Controls.

This example shown below illustrates a curve with not enough elements.

The parts are now shown below with improved element sizes and density for each contact side.

Understanding Contact Formulation

Formulation options (p. 913) allow you to specify which algorithm the software uses for a particular
Contact pair computation. Formulations define the solution method used. See the Contact Formu-
lation Theory (p. 899) section for additional information.

• Augmented Lagrange (Default): this setting is suitable for most problems.

• Pure Penalty: this setting is suited to contact occurring only on an edge or vertex.

• MPC (Multi-Point Constraint): this setting is ideal for all linear contacts when there is no over-constraint.

• Normal Lagrange: this Formulation option:

– provides the highest accuracy.

– works well with material nonlinearities.

– works well with shells or thin layers.

– enables interference fit

– allows large sliding

• Beam: this setting is ideal for linear contact when there may be over-constraint.

Advantages of MPC Contact

The MPC Formulation option (p. 913) does not provide stiffness settings. It is a purely linear way to
connect contacting bodies. This setting is ideal for shell-solid, shell-shell, and beam-shell contacts.
MPC prevents artificial stiffness when gaps exist between curved surfaces (another alternative is to
use fixed Joints).

One caveat is that MPC is the most sensitive contact type to overconstraint so it should be avoided
when there are other contacts or boundary conditions that overlap.

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Following a completed solution, you can view MPC equations and other FE Connections (p. 1741)
graphically.

Contact Stiffness
Using the Normal Stiffness (p. 919) property, you can manually increase the stiffness associated
with a contact pair. A high stiffness setting can lead to reduced penetration and an increase in ac-
curacy. However, it can also lead to ill-conditioning and divergence.

For contacts that lead to convergence difficulty, you should try lowering the stiffness.

For pretension problems, increase the stiffness, because penetration can strongly influence the
pretension forces.

And, when there is difficulty converging due to high penetration, you may need to increase the
stiffness.

Here is an example of poor convergence. 122 iterations were required and there are too many
bisection instances.

This example shows very good convergence as a result of the stiffness being reduced. No
bisections have occurred and only 30 iterations were required.

Overlapping Contact and Boundary Conditions

Care should be taken when a contacts and constraint type boundary conditions have overlapping
topology. In this case, you can use modeling techniques to eliminate the overconstraint, including:

• Modifying the Contact Trimming (p. 910).

• Modifying the Pinball Radius property on the remote boundary conditions. This property specifies a
radius (length unit) that the boundary condition is applied to the elements that are within the region.

• Implementing node-based (p. 179) scoping on the boundary conditions.

If you cannot eliminate an overcontraint situation, the use of the MPC Formulation should be
avoided. The Beam Formulation option (p. 913) can be a good alternative in this case.

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Initial Gaps and Rigid Body Motion

There are times when parts (that have exterior constraints placed on them) are dependent upon
contact to prevent rigid body motion. In addition, when small gaps exist (especially for curved
contact conditions), rigid body motion can occur at the beginning of the solution before contact
engages.

When nonlinear contact is present, small gaps that are initially open can lead to rigid body motion
(as shown below). Changing the Interface Treatment (p. 926) property to Adjust to Touch can
be an effective means to resolve this gap. Mathematical adjustment to close the gap causes an
open region to be visible when post-processing. This gap is simply offset by the contact elements.
Note that for concentric cylinders, Adjust to Touch is not recommended. Instead the offset should
be manually entered.

An alternative is to employ the Stabilization Damping Factor (p. 922) property. Rather than ignoring
the gap by offsetting the contact elements, damping is applied and makes the approach of the
bodies towards each other less difficult for the solver to handle, leading eventually to closed contact.
An example is shown below. Note that you need to use care and verify that the damping does not
negatively affect the accuracy of your analysis.

Addressing Non-Convergence
This section describes techniques to troubleshoot convergence problems.

• Diagnostic Tool: Contact Result Tracker (p. 956)

• Making Use of Partial Solutions (p. 956)

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• Contact Results Tool: Penetration (p. 956)

• Diagnostic Tools: NR Residuals (p. 957)

• Checklist for Overcoming Convergence Difficulties (p. 957)

Diagnostic Tool: Contact Results Tracker

The structural result tracker (p. 1747) for Contact enables you to view contact information "live" as
the solution processes. This enables you to observe trends that can help you diagnose problems.
For example, a decreasing number of contact points indicate a trend towards a loss of contact.

Making Use of Partial Solutions

When a Solution fails to converge, you can review the results at the converged substeps, which
can be invaluable for diagnosing problems. Checking the contact result Status (p. 1535) is a useful
first step. It can help you understand the global contact behavior of the model and enable you to
find problem areas. An example is shown below.

Contact Results Tool: Penetration

It is important to ensure that the contact penetration is small relative to local displacements. The
reason is that any contact penetration is technically impossible, since bodies do not move into each
other. A good check is to add the contact result Penetration (p. 1535) to the local displacement and
compute a back-of-the-envelope strain calculation. This helps determine if the penetration is signi-
ficantly affecting the stress calculations. An example is shown below. Ways to reduce penetration
include:

• Increasing the Stiffness (p. 919).

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 Contact

• Reducing the Penetration Tolerance (p. 916).

• Selecting the Normal Lagrange formulation (p. 913).

Diagnostic Tool: NR Residuals

For a failed solution, requesting Newton-Raphson residuals helps to identify areas where attention
is needed. It is especially useful for models with many nonlinear contacts, and the pair which caused
the convergence difficulty is not known. An example is shown below.

Checklist for Overcoming Convergence Difficulties

Here are a few steps to follow when convergence difficulties are encountered.

1. Identify the problematic contact region(s) using:

• Contact Tracking (p. 1747).

• Contact Results (p. 1535) (especially Status and Penetration).

• Force Convergence plots (See the Solution Information Object (p. 1735) Help section).

• NR residuals.

2. Once identified, possible remedies:

• Check Mesh Quality (using Mesh Controls)

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• Make sure the model's units of measure are on an appropriate scale

• Check for proper Initial Conditions (p. 233)/pinball

• Adjust the contact Stiffness (p. 919).

• Use "nodal detection" if the problem is at a corner.

• Reduce the time step (p. 1110) size before and during the onset of the divergence.

• If a large friction coefficient is defined (>0.25) consider using an unsymmetric solver.

• If the problem manifests immediately based on poor initial contact conditions (not well engaged
or rigid body motion) try using aggressive contact stiffness update.

• Last resort: Add stabilization (Contact (p. 922) or global (p. 1529)).

Joints
The following topics are covered in this section:
Joint Characteristics
Joint Types
Joint Properties
Joint Stiffness
Joint Friction
Manual Joint Creation
Example: Assembling Joints
Example: Configuring Joints
Automatic Joint Creation
Joint Stops and Locks
Ease of Use Features
Detecting Overconstrained Conditions

Joint Characteristics
A joint typically serves as a junction where bodies are joined together. Joint types are characterized
as fixed or free depending on their rotational and translational degrees of freedom. If you specify a
Joint as a Remote Attachment it is classified as a remote boundary condition. Refer to the Remote
Boundary Conditions (p. 1416) section for a listing of all remote boundary conditions and their charac-
teristics.

Joints are supported in the following structural analyses:

• Explicit Dynamics (p. 256)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

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 Joints

• Random Vibration (p. 291)

• Response Spectrum (p. 298)

• Rigid Dynamics (p. 340)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Note:

• A joint cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

• Each multibody part made of rigid bodies is treated as a single, rigid part. Consequently, joints
must not be created within a multibody part.

Similarly, functionalities such as configure, assemble, model topology, or redundancy

analysis always consider each multibody part as a single part, regardless stiffness beha-
vior. Joints must be defined between independent parts or multibody parts to use these
functionalities.

• The Samcef Solver interface supports all joint types except for the fixed joint, slot joint, and
the imperfect joints. Only supported joint types are active in the Mechanical interface.

To maintain consistency with the characteristics of Samcef joints, you must insert a
Comment (p. 1974) object with the correct name under the joint object. The comment
permits you to capture joint properties which are not available in the Properties view
in Mechanical. The comment functions similarly to a commands object: the content of
the comment is appended to the description of the joint in the solver input file. The
necessary name for the comment object is listed for each joint type.

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Nature of Joint Degrees of Freedom

• For all joints that have both translational degrees of freedom and rotational degrees of freedom, the kin-
ematics of the joint are defined such that the moving coordinate system translates in the reference co-
ordinate system. For example, if a joint is a slot (p. 965), the translation along X is expressed in the reference
coordinate system.

Once the translation has been applied, the center of the rotation is the location of the moving co-
ordinate system.

• For the Mechanical APDL solver, the relative angular positions for the spherical (p. 966), general (p. 973),
and bushing (p. 967) joints are characterized by the Cardan (or Bryant) angles. This requires that the rotations
about the local Y axis be restricted between -π/2 to +π/2. Thus, the local Y axis should not be used to
simulate the axis of rotation if the expected rotation is large.

Joint Abstraction
Joints are considered as point-to-point in the solution though the user interface shows the actual
geometry. Due to this abstraction to a point-to-point joint, geometry interference and overlap between
the two parts linked by the joint can be seen during an animation.

When using the ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver the contact algorithm will be active for the mesh by
default. This means that free DOF’s may be restrained by contact forces.

Joint Initial Conditions

The degrees of freedom are determined depending on the selected solver. For the ANSYS Rigid Dy-
namics solver, the degrees of freedom are the relative motion between the parts. For the ANSYS
Mechanical solver and the ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver, the degrees of freedom are the location
and orientation of the center of mass of the bodies.

When initial conditions are applied, there are two means for the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver to ini-
tialize the velocities:

1. A pure kinematic method, only based on the kinematic constraints. It minimizes the position and
velocity increments.

2. A method using the inertia matrix. The position increment, scaled by the inertia matrix, is minimized;
while the velocity increment is calculated in order to minimize the kinetic energy.

Unless otherwise specified using joint conditions, the Mechanical APDL solver, ANSYS Rigid Dynamics
solver, and ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver start with initial velocities equal to zero. This has different
implications for the solvers. For the Mechanical APDL solver and the ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver,
this means that the bodies will be at rest. For the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver, this means that the
relative velocities will be at rest.

Consider, for example, an in-plane double pendulum, with a constant velocity specified for the first
grounded link. The two solvers will treat this scenario as follows:

• Using the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver:

– If the first method is used, the second link has the same rotational velocity as the first, because the rel-
ative velocity is initially equal to zero.

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– If the second method is used, the second link does not start with the same initial velocity as the first
link.

• Using the Mechanical APDL solver or the ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver, the second link starts at rest.

Joint DOF Zero Value Conventions

Joints can be defined using one or two coordinate systems: the Reference Coordinate System and
the Mobile Coordinate System.

The use of two coordinate systems can be beneficial in certain situations, such as when a CAD model
is not imported in an assembled configuration. Using two coordinate systems also enables you to
employ the Configure and Set features (see Manual Joint Creation (p. 1005)), and it gives you the
ability to update a model following a CAD update.

For the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver, the zero value of the degrees of freedom corresponds to the
matching reference coordinate system and moving coordinate system.

If a joint definition includes only the location of the Reference Coordinate System (see Modifying
Joint Coordinate Systems (p. 984)), then the DOF of this joint are initially equal to zero for the geomet-
rical configuration where the joints have been built.

If the Mobile Coordinate System is defined using the Override option, then the initial value of the
degrees of freedom can be a nonzero value.

Consider the example illustrated below. If a Translational (p. 964) joint is defined between the two
parts using two coordinate systems, then the distance along the X axis between the two origins is
the joint initial DOF value. For this example, assume the joint initial DOF value is 65 mm.

Conversely, if the joint is defined using a single coordinate as shown below, then the same geomet-
rical configuration has a joint degree of freedom that is equal to zero.

For the Mechanical APDL solver and the ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver, having one or two coordinate
systems has no affect. The initial configuration corresponds to the zero value of the degrees of freedom.

Joint Condition Considerations

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When applying a Joint Condition, behavior varies depending on the solver selected. The following
tables demonstrate variations in solver behavior, using the right part of the translational joint illustrated
above moving 100 mm towards the other part over a 1 second period. (The distance along the X
axis is 65 mm.)

Solver Displacement Joint Condition

Time Displacement
ANSYS Rigid Dynamics – Two Coordinate 0 65
Systems 1 165
ANSYS Rigid Dynamics – One Coordinate System 0 0
1 100
Mechanical APDL, ANSYS Explicit Dynamics – 0 0
Two Coordinate Systems 1 100
Mechanical APDL, ANSYS Explicit Dynamics – 0 0
One Coordinate System 1 100

You can unify the joint condition input by using a Velocity Joint Condition.

Solver Velocity Joint Condition

Time Velocity
ANSYS Rigid Dynamics – Two Coordinate 0 100
Systems 1 100
ANSYS Rigid Dynamics – One Coordinate 0 100
System 1 100
Mechanical APDL, ANSYS Explicit Dynamics 0 100
– Two Coordinate Systems 1 100
Mechanical APDL, ANSYS Explicit Dynamics 0 100
– One Coordinate System 1 100

Joint Types
You can create the following types of joints in Mechanical:
Fixed Joint
Revolute Joint
Cylindrical Joint
Translational Joint
Slot Joint
Universal Joint
Spherical Joint
Planar Joint
Bushing Joint
Screw Joint

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Constant Velocity Joint (Homokinetic Joint)

Distance Joint
General Joint
Point on Curve Joint
Imperfect Joint Types

This section includes animated joint representations.

Fixed Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
All

Revolute Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY

Example:

Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

REVOLUTE

Cylindrical Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UX, UY, ROTX, ROTY

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Example:

Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

CYLINDRICAL

Translational Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ

Example:

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Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

TRANSLATIONAL

Slot Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UY, UZ

Example:

Universal Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UX, UY, UZ, ROTY

Example:

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Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

UNIVERSAL

Note:

The Ansys Explicit Dynamics solver does not support Universal Joints.

Spherical Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UX, UY, UZ

Example:

Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

SPHERICAL or SPHERICAL FRICTION (depending on the Samcef joint type you wish to use)

Planar Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UZ, ROTX, ROTY

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Example:

Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

PLANAR

Bushing Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
None

Example:

A Bushing has six degrees of freedom, three translations and three rotations, all of which can po-
tentially be characterized by their rotational and translational degrees of freedom as being free or
constrained by stiffness.

For a Bushing, the rotational degrees of freedom are defined as follows:

• The first is a rotation around the reference coordinate system X Axis.

• The second is a rotation around the Y Axis after the first rotation is applied.

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• The third is a rotation around the Z Axis after the first and second rotations are applied.

The three translations and the three rotations form a set of six degrees of freedom. In addition, the
bushing behaves, by design, as an imperfect joint, that is, some forces developed in the joint oppose
the motion.

The three translational degrees of freedom expressed in the reference coordinate system and the
three rotations are expressed as: Ux, Uy, Uz, and Ψ, Θ, φ. The relative velocities in the reference
coordinate system are expressed as: Vx, Vy, and Vz. The three components of the relative rotational
velocity are expressed as: Ωx, Ωy, and Ωz. Note that these values are not the time derivatives of
[Ψ, Θ, φ]. They are a linear combination.

The Bushing Joint includes a Formulation property that enables you to specify a desired element
type. The Formulation property options include MPC (Multi-Point Constraint) and Bushing. The
MPC option uses the MPC184 element and the Bushing option uses the COMBI250 element.

For the MPC Formulation, the degrees of freedom are expressed in the reference coordinate system
as discussed above. The same holds true for the Bushing Formulation, however, it uses an element
coordinate system as specified by an associated property. This Element Coordinate System property
is set to the Global Coordinate System by default. As desired, you can define an element coordinate
system manually.

The forces developed in the Bushing are expressed as:

Where:

[F] is force and [T] is Torque, and [K] and [C] are 6x6 matrices (defined using Stiffness Coefficients
and Dampening Coefficients options). Off diagonal terms in the matrix are coupling terms between
the DOFs.

You can use these joints to introduce flexibility to an over-constrained mechanism. Note that very
high stiffness terms introduce high frequencies into the system and may penalize the solution time
when using the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver. If you want to suppress motion in one direction en-
tirely, it is more efficient to use Joint DOF Zero Value Conventions (p. 961) instead of a very high
stiffness.

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Application
To add a bushing:

1. Select the Connections object in the tree and select Bushing from either the Body-Groundor Body-
Body drop-down menus on the Connections Context Tab (p. 16). By default, the Worksheet displays.

Matrix data for the Stiffness Coefficients and Dampening Coefficients is entered in the
Worksheet.

Note:

For an MPC Formulation, entries are based on a Full Symmetric matrix. For a
Bushing Formulation, only diagonal entries are available to define.

2. As needed, specify a desired element type using the Formulation property.

When you specify the Bushing option, the Element Coordinate System property also displays.
As needed, specify a user-defined coordinate system. The default setting for this property is
Global Coordinate System.

3. Select the Graphics tab. Based on whether your bushing is Body-Ground or Body-Body, scope the
bushing to geometry.

You can scope a bushing to single or multiple faces, single or multiple edges, or to a single
vertex. Body-Body scoping requires Reference and Mobile scoping. The scoping for the Ref-
erence and Mobile sides of the joint cannot be the same.

Body-Ground assumes that the Reference is grounded (fixed). Only the Mobile side requires
scoping.

4. Specified the various additional properties as needed for your analysis, that may include:

• Coordinate System

• Behavior

• Pinball Region

See the Joint Properties (p. 978) section for specific property information.

Non-Linear Force-Deflection Curve

You can use a nonlinear force-deflection curve to simulate a multi-rate bushing with nonlinear
stiffness. In Mechanical, you can accomplish this using a linear piecewise curve. You can use this
calculation when defining Condensed Parts and using the MPC Formulation (only).

Note:

The ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver does not support Tabular Data entry.

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To define a nonlinear Force-Deflection curve:

1. In the Worksheet, select the cell in which you want to define a non-linear force-deflection curve.

2. Right-click the cell and then select Tabular.

3. Enter Displacement and Force (or Angle and Moment) values (minimum of two rows of data) in the
Tabular Data window. The application plots your entries in the Graph window.

Note:

If tabular entries exist in the stiffness matrix, the Mechanical APDL solver does not
account for constant terms and non-diagonal (coupled) terms.

Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959)

BUSHING

Screw Joint
This joint type is only supported by the Rigid Dynamics solver.

Constrained degrees of freedom:

UX, UY, ROTX, ROTY

UZ=pitch*ROTZ / 2*π (radians) = pitch*ROTZ/360 (degrees)

Specific property:
The pitch property in the details view allows you to define the screw pitch (in length unit) per turn.
Negative values define a left-handed screw.

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Example:

Constant Velocity Joint (Homokinetic Joint)

This joint type is only supported by the Rigid Dynamics solver.

The two shaft orientations are given by the y-axes on the reference and the mobile sides.

Constrained degrees of freedom:

UX, UY, UZ

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Example:

Distance Joint
This joint type is only supported by the Rigid Body Dynamics solver.

The length of the joint is specified by the distance between the reference and mobile coordinates
systems. Note that as the length must not be equal to zero, and the override option must be used
so the reference and mobile are not coincident.

Constrained degrees of freedom:

UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ are free. Only the distance between reference and mobile coordinates
systems is constrained.

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Example:

General Joint
Constrained degrees of freedom:
Fix All, Free X, Free Y, Free Z, and Free All.

A general joint has six degrees of freedom, three translations and three rotations, all of which can
potentially be characterized by their rotational and translational degrees of freedom as being free
or constrained by stiffness. All the degrees of freedom are set to fixed by default. You can free the
X translation, free the Y translation, free the Z translation and free all rotations. All the translational
degrees of freedom can be controlled individually to be fixed or free. But there are no individual
controls for rotational degrees of freedom. You can either set all rotations fixed, or just one of them
(X, Y or Z) free or all free.

Also, similar to a bushing, you can enter matrix data for the Stiffness Coefficients and Damping
Coefficients in the Worksheet. Coupled terms (off diagonal terms in the matrix) are only allowed
when all DOFs are free.

Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

GENERAL

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Point on Curve Joint

This joint type is only supported by the Rigid Dynamics solver.

Constrained degrees of freedom:

UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ if rotations are fixed. UY, UZ if rotations are free.

Example:

Samcef Solver Comment Object (p. 959):

CURVE or SLIDER (depending on the Samcef joint type you wish to use)

A point on curve joint has one or four degrees of freedom, depending on whether the rotations
are fixed or free.

If the rotations are fixed, the point on curve joint has only one degree of freedom, which is the
coordinate on the curve. UY and UZ are always equal to zero. ROTX, ROTY, and ROTZ are driven so
that the mobile coordinate system of the joint always follows the reference curve.

For a point on curve joint, the X axis is always tangent to the reference curve, and the Z axis is always
normal to the orientation surface of the joint, pointing outward.

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If the rotations are free, the point on curve joint has four degrees of freedom.

Scoping
You can scope a point on curve joint to a single curve or multiple reference curves. You can have one
or more orientation surfaces. The mobile coordinate system has to be scoped to a vertex, and the joint
coordinate system has to be positioned and oriented such that:

• The origin is on the curve.

• The X axis is tangent to the curve.

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• The Z axis is the outer normal to the surface.

Important:

When a model contains a Point On Curve (p. 974) joint, the Configure and Assemble
options (p. 17) are disabled for all the joints. This is also the case for a redundancy
analysis that includes a Point On Curve joint.

Note:

• The assembly phase may result in minor adjustments to ensure that the mobile coordinate
system is properly positioned.

• If multiple curves are used, it is recommended that the curves have a curvature continuity.
Otherwise, the fixed rotations options will lead to rotational velocity jumps in the point on
curve that may affect other connected joints. In this situation, results may not be fully de-
termined, and they may vary with the model topology.

Imperfect Joint Types

The following joint types are specialized joints dedicated to model clearance in revolute or cylindrical
joints (see Radial Gap Stop (p. 1030)). These joint types are only supported by the Rigid Dynamics
Solver:
In-Plane Radial Gap
Spherical Gap
Radial Gap

In-Plane Radial Gap

Constrained degrees of freedom:
UZ, ROTX, ROTY (similar to planar joint)

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Example:

Spherical Gap
Constrained degrees of freedom:
UX, UY, UZ (similar to spherical joint)

Example:

Radial Gap
Constrained degrees of freedom:
fix or free UZ

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Example:

Joint Properties
This section describes the Details view properties associated with a Joint object.

Category Property Name and Description

Definition Connection Type
The Connection Type property specifies the joint as either a Body-Body scoping
(multiple faces) or a Body-Ground scoping (multiple faces). When defined as
Body-Body, you need to define Reference category and Mobile category
properties. When you specify the Connection Type as body-to-ground, the
application assumes that the reference element of the joint is grounded (fixed).

Type
The Type property provides a drop-down list of joint type options. See the Joint
Types (p. 962) section for descriptions of each type.

Note:

The General (p. 973) joint enables you to specify each degree
of freedom as being either Fixed or Free.

Formulation
You use this property to specify a desired element type for the Bushing Joint. The
options for this property include MPC (Multi-Point Constraint) and Bushing. These
options enable you to specify the underlying element type for the Bushing Joint.
The MPC option uses the MPC184 element and the Bushing option uses the
COMBI250 element. Only Modal and Harmonic Response analysis types support
the Bushing Formulation setting.

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Category Property Name and Description

When you specify the Bushing option, the Element Coordinate System
property also displays. As needed, specify a user-defined coordinate system.
The default setting for this property is Global Coordinate System.

Solver Element Type (MAPDL Solver Only)

The Solver Element Type property enables you to specify the type of element to
use in a fixed joint. Options include:

• Program Controlled (default): When selected, an Mechanical APDL joint element

is used unless a rigid body exists in the model.

• Joint Element: this selection uses the MPC184 element. This option enables
you to use the Joint probe. In addition, this option may allow you to experience
convergence improvements if you are attaching a shell or line body to a node
or vertex.

• Contact/Direct: this selection uses the TARGE170 element for Body-Body joints
and a DOF constraint for Body-Ground joints. This option helps to avoid solver
pivoting as well as MPC overconstraint.

Torsional Stiffness
The Torsional Stiffness property defines the measure of the resistance of a shaft
to a twisting or torsional force. You can add torsional stiffness only for
cylindrical (p. 963) and revolute (p. 963) joints.

Torsional Damping
The Torsional Damping property defines the measure of resistance to the angular
vibration to a shaft or body along its axis of rotation. You can add torsional
damping only for cylindrical (p. 963) and revolute (p. 963) joints.

Suppressed
Includes or excludes the joint object in the analysis.

Element APDL Name

This optional property enables you to manually define an APDL parameter (in the
input file) and assign its value to the element of the Joint. This facilitates easy
programmatic identification of the Joint's element for later use/reference in a
Commands (p. 1823) object.

Reference Scoping Method

This property enables you to choose to scope using a Geometry Selection
(default), Named Selection, or a user-defined Remote Point.

Note:

If you scope a joint to a user-defined Remote Point, it is required

that the remote point be located at the origin (0.0, 0.0, 0.0) of
the Reference Coordinate System of the remote point.

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Category Property Name and Description

Applied By
This property specifies the joint as a Remote Attachment (default) or a Direct
Attachment. The Remote Attachment option uses either a user-defined or a
system-generated Remote Point as a scoping mechanism. Remote Attachment
is the required Applied By property setting if the geometry scoping is to a single
face or multiple faces, a single edge or multiple edges, or multiple vertices. The
Direct Attachment option enables you to scope directly to a single vertex
(Geometry) or a node (using an individually selected node or a node-based Named
Selection) for flexible bodies (only) on your model. Direct Attachment is not
allowed if scoped to solid bodies, as they do not have rotational degrees of
freedom.

Note:

Direct Attachment is not allowed for the Explicit Dynamics solver.

Scope (or Reference Component or Remote Point)

Based on the selected Scoping Method, this property displays as either " Scope
", " Reference Component ", or " Remote Points ".

When Geometry Selection is selected as the Scoping Method, this property

displays with the label " Scope " and enables you to define the geometry
to which the joint is applied. Once a geometry is selected, click in the Scope
field and then click Apply.

When Named Selection is selected as the Scoping Method, this property

provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

When Remote Point is selected as the Scoping Method, this property

displays with the label " Remote Points ". This property provides a
drop-down list of available user-defined Remote Points. This property is not
available when the Applied By property is specified as Direct Attachment.

Body
This read-only property displays the corresponding part/geometry name.

Coordinate System
The scoping of a joint must be accompanied by the definition of a joint coordinate
system. This coordinate system defines the location of the joint. It is imperative
that the joint coordinate system be fully associative (p. 878) with the geometry,
otherwise, the coordinate system could move in unexpected ways when the
Configure tool is used to define the initial position of the joint (see the Applying
Joints (p. 1005) section). A warning message is issued if you attempt to use the
Configure tool with a joint whose coordinate system is not fully associative.

Under the Reference category, the Coordinate System property provides

a default Reference Coordinate System. This coordinate system
accompanies a joint when the joint is added to the tree. This applies for
joints whose Connection Type is either Body-Ground or Body-Body. When
a joint is added, an associated coordinate system is automatically generated
at a location based on the selected geometry (face, edge, or vertex). You

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 Joints

Category Property Name and Description

can modify the Reference Coordinate System’s orientation axis by modifying
the details of the Reference Coordinate System object contained in the
joint object.

Additional information about Modifying Joint Coordinate Systems (p. 984)

is also available, including the following topics:

• Modify Coordinate System Geometry Scoping (p. 984)

• Change Coordinate System Orientation (p. 985)

Scoping a joint directly to a vertex or a node using the Direct Attachment

option fixes the coordinate system to that location. Note that the Reference
Coordinate System property displays automatically and is read-only.

Behavior
For remote attachments, use the Behavior property to specify the scoped geometry
as either Rigid, Deformable, or Beam. If the Scope Method property of the Joint
is set to Remote Point, the Joint will then assume the Behavior defined in the
referenced Remote Point as well as other related properties. Refer to the Geometry
Behaviors (p. 795) section for more information.

Pinball Region
Use the Pinball Region property to define where the joint attaches to face(s) if
the default location is not desirable. By default, the entire face is tied to the joint
element. This may not be desirable, warranting the input of a Pinball Region
setting, for the following reasons:

• If the scoping is to a topology with a large number of nodes, this can lead to
an inefficient solution in terms of memory and speed.

• Overlap between the joint scoped faces and other displacement type boundary
conditions can lead to over constraint and thus solver failures.

Note:

• The Pinball Region and Behavior settings are applicable to

underlying bodies that are flexible.

• If a Joint’s Reference and Mobile category are scoped to separate

Remote Points (p. 789), the Behavior and Pinball Region properties
for each category become read-only and are set to the respective
remote points.

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Category Property Name and Description

Mobile Scoping Method
This property enables you to choose to scope using a Geometry Selection
(default), Named Selection, or a user-defined Remote Point.

Note:

If you scope a joint to a user-defined Remote Point, it is required

that the remote point be located at the origin (0.0, 0.0, 0.0) of
the Reference Coordinate System of the remote point.

Applied By
This property specifies the joint as a Remote Attachment (default) or a Direct
Attachment. The Remote Attachment option uses either a user-defined or a
system-generated Remote Point as a scoping mechanism. Remote Attachment
is the required Applied By property setting if the geometry scoping is to a single
face or multiple faces, a single edge or multiple edges, or a single vertex or multiple
vertices. The Direct Attachment option allows you to scope directly to a single
vertex (Geometry) or a node (using an individually selected node or a node-based
Named Selection) to flexible bodies (only) on your model. Direct Attachment is
not allowed if scoped to solid bodies, as they do not have rotational degrees of
freedom.

Note:

Direct Attachment is not allowed for the Explicit Dynamics solver.

Scope (or Mobile Component or Remote Point)

Based on the selected Scoping Method, this property displays as either " Scope
", " Mobile Component ", or " Remote Points ".

When Geometry Selection is selected as the Scoping Method, this property

displays with the label " Scope " and enables you to define the geometry
to which the joint is applied. Once a geometry is selected, click in the Scope
field and then click Apply.

When Named Selection is selected as the Scoping Method, provides a

drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

When Remote Point is selected as the Scoping Method, this property

displays with the label " Remote Points ". This property provides a
drop-down list of available user-defined Remote Points. This property is not
available when the Applied By property is specified as Direct Attachment.

Body
This property is available under both the Reference and Mobile categories. This
read-only property displays the corresponding part/geometry name.

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Category Property Name and Description

Coordinate System
The Mobile category provides the support for the relative motion between the
parts of a joint. A Mobile Coordinate System is automatically defined but is only
displayed in the tree when the Initial Position property is set to Override.

Scoping a joint directly to a vertex or a node using the Direct Attachment

option fixes the coordinate system to that location. When scoping directly
to a node or vertex using the Direct Attachment option, the default setting
for the Initial Position property is Override even though the Initial Position
property doesn't display in the Details. Rather, the Coordinate System
automatically displays and is read-only.

Note:

For the Mechanical APDL solver, Body-Ground joints use the

Coordinate System defined on the Mobile side if Override is
active, when scoped to a Remote Point, or when using the Direct
Attachment option.

Initial Position
This property applies to remote attachments only (direct attachments fix the
coordinate system). It provides a drop-down list with the options Unchanged and
Override. The Unchanged option indicates the use of the same coordinate system
for the Reference category and the Mobile category and the Override option
causes a Coordinate System property to display in the Mobile category with the
default setting Mobile Coordinate System.

Caution:

If you are scoping a joint to a Remote Point (p. 789), you cannot
scope the Initial Position setting of a Joint's Mobile category
as Unchanged. This is also true when the Direct Attachment
option is used because the Initial Position property is not
available (Override is active).

Behavior
For remote attachments, use the Behavior property to specify the scoped geometry
as either Rigid, Deformable, or Beam. If the Scope Method property of the Joint
is set to Remote Point, the Joint will then assume the Behavior defined in the
referenced Remote Point as well as other related properties. Refer to the Geometry
Behaviors (p. 795) section for more information.

Pinball Region
For remote attachments, use the Pinball Region property to define where the
joint attaches to face(s) if the default location is not desirable. By default, the entire
face is tied to the joint element. This may not be desirable, warranting the input
of a Pinball Region setting, for the following reasons:

• If the scoping is to a topology with a large number of nodes, this can lead to
an inefficient solution in terms of memory and speed.

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Category Property Name and Description

• Overlap between the joint scoped faces and other displacement type boundary
conditions can lead to over constraint and thus solver failures.

Note:

• The Pinball Region and Behavior properties are not visible when
the Applied By method is Direct Attachment.

• The Pinball Region and Behavior settings are applicable to

underlying bodies that are flexible.

• If a Joint’s Reference and Mobile category are scoped to separate

Remote Points (p. 789), the Behavior and Pinball Region properties
for each category become read-only and are set to the respective
remote points.

Stops See the Joint Stops and Locks (p. 1029) section.

Modifying Joint Coordinate Systems

For either Reference or Mobile joint coordinate systems, both the location and the orientation of
the coordinate system can be changed as shown below.

To move a joint coordinate system to a particular face:

1. Highlight the Coordinate System field in the Details view of the Joint object. The origin of the coordinate
system will include a yellow sphere indicating that the movement “mode” is active.

2. Select the face that is to be the destination of the coordinate system. The coordinate system in movement
mode relocates to the centroid of the selected face.

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3. Click the Apply button. The image of the coordinate system changes from movement mode to a per-
manent presence at the new location.

To change the orientation of a joint coordinate system:

1. Highlight the Coordinate System field in the Details view of the Joint object. The origin of the coordinate
system will include a yellow sphere indicating that the movement “mode” is active.

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2. Click on any of the axis arrows you wish to change. Additional “handles” are displayed for each axis.

3. Click on the handle or axis representing the new direction to which you want to reorient the initially
selected axis.

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The axis performs a flip transformation (p. 880).

4. Click the Apply button. The image of the coordinate system changes from movement mode to a per-
manent presence at the new orientation.

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You can change or delete the status of the flip transformation by highlighting the Reference
Coordinate System object or a Mobile Coordinate System object and making the change or
deletion under the Transformations category in the Details view of the child joint coordinate
system.

When selecting either a Reference Coordinate System object or a Mobile Coordinate System object,
various settings are displayed in the Details view. These are the same settings that apply to all co-
ordinate systems, not just those associated with joints. See the following section on coordinate systems:
Initial Creation and Definition (p. 878) for an explanation of these settings.

Joint Stiffness
For Bushing (p. 967), General (p. 973) Joints, and Radial Gaps (RBD only), Mechanical enables you to
solve analyses with linear and nonlinear joint stiffness using the features of the Worksheet. For these
joint types, the Worksheet provides the entry options for Constant and Tabular data.

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Linear or nonlinear stiffness and damping behavior is associated with the free or unrestrained com-
ponents of relative motion of the joint elements. That is, the DOFs are free. For a General Joint, you
must specify the DOFs as Free in order to make entries in the Worksheet matrix.

Joint Stiffness calculations use the joint element MPC184. See its help section in the Mechanical APDL
Element Reference for additional technical information as well as the MPC184 Joint Help section in
the Mechanical APDL Material Reference.

Linear Joint Stiffness

In the case of linear stiffness or linear damping, the values are specified as coefficients of a 6 x 6
elasticity table matrix. Joint Stiffness calculations use the joint element MPC184 and therefore only
the appropriate coefficients of the stiffness or damping matrix are used in the joint element calculations.

Nonlinear Joint Stiffness

For nonlinear joint stiffness, relative displacement (rotation) versus force (moment) values are calculated.
For nonlinear damping behavior, velocity versus force behavior is specified. You specify nonlinear
damping behavior by supplying velocity versus damping force (or moment). The following illustration
represents a nonlinear stiffness or damping curve. Note that the Mechanical APDL solver and the Rigid
Dynamics Solver assume that there is no added stiffness past the extents.

See the Material Behavior of Joint Elements topic of the Connecting Multibody Components with
Joint Elements section in the Mechanical APDL Multibody Analysis Guide for additional details about
how this feature related to the Mechanical APDL.

Worksheet
Using the Worksheet, you can define Stiffness Coefficients in Constant or Tabular format.

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Nonlinear Joint Stiffness is supported by Tabular data entries only and the entries must be made
diagonally. In addition, Damping Coefficients entries only support constant values.

Note:

• The Mechanical APDL solver does not support a mixture of Constant and Tabular data entries
in the Stiffness Coefficients matrix. That is, you cannot mix linear and nonlinear stiffness.

• The ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver does support the combination of Constant and Tabular
data entries.

• The Report Preview (p. 105) feature does not display table entries from the nonlinear joint
stiffness matrix.

• The ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver does not support tabular input (and thus nonlinear stiffness
behavior).

• For the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver, the use of non-symmetric force/displacement (or
torque/rotation) curves is not recommended as it may lead to incorrect results.

Joint Friction
For revolute, cylindrical, translational, and point on curve joints, Mechanical allows you to introduce
frictional behavior in the joint when using the Rigid Dynamics solver. Joint friction is based on the
sliding mode of Coulomb's friction model:
(88)

where:

= the resisting tangential force

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= the friction coefficient

= the normal force
Depending on the joint type, the friction effect leads to a resisting force or torque. Additional geo-
metric information is also required to compute the effect of joint friction in revolute and cylindrical
joints. Computation of the normal force depends on the joint type and is described below.

The friction coefficient is set as a constant in the user interface. However, a command exists that allows
you to introduce a friction coefficient with an expression (p. 1003).

The frictional joints are handled as kinematic joints, meaning that they are constraint equation based.
Two events exist that correspond to the sliding-to-sticking and sticking-to-sliding friction transitions.

When the velocity is lower than a velocity tolerance ( ), the sliding-to-sticking event is active
and the following system is solved:

(89)

where:

M is the inertia matrix and F is the forces vector

and are respectively the normal and tangent constraint equations

and are the Jacobians of the normal and tangent constraints, respectively

During the sliding phase, the traditional sliding Coulomb friction is written as

(90)

When the Forced Frictional Sliding option is not selected, and under the condition , with
and the normal and tangent forces, the sticking-to-sliding event is active.

When the sliding velocity is low, the friction coefficient is ramped between 0 and its nominal value
using the following equation:
(91)

where:

= the friction coefficient used in the force or torque calculation

= the value of the friction coefficient you have specified in Mechanical
= the tangential velocity
= the velocity tolerance
The velocity tolerance is computed internally, and is based on system velocities and a numerical tol-
erance. Since the numerical tolerance is problem-dependent, it is possible to change its value using
a command (p. 1003).

The following joint friction topics are further discussed in this section:
Joint Friction Definitions

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Joint Types
Joint Friction Type
Notes

Joint Friction Definitions

Friction Coefficient
Defines the value of the friction coefficient (unit less, available on the revolute, cylindrical, and trans-
lational joints)

Radius
The value of the radius in the specified length unit. Used to compute resisting torque.

Outer Radius
The value of the outer radius in the specified length unit. Used to compute the axial friction torque
for a revolute joint.

Effective Radius
The value of the effective radius in the specified length unit. Used to compute the torsional friction
torque in a translational joint.

Effective Length
The value of the effective length in the specified length unit. Used to compute the bending force
and/or a bending torque.

The pictures below show the definition of geometric properties for joints in typical situations. The
effect of normal force is shown by a red arrow.

Cylindrical Joint
The typical situation for a cylindrical joint is a pin in a hole. A perfect joint (not gap between the pin
and hole) is considered:

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Tangential friction is due to radial forces (Fx and Fy) acting between the pin and the hole internal
face. The tangential friction force leads to a resisting friction torque along the z-axis of the re-
volute. The friction torque is proportional to the tangential force via the pin radius.

The bending effect (reaction moment Mx and My) leads to two opposed forces. The effective
length allows the program to compute the normal force from the moments Mx and My.

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Note:

The same definitions also apply to Revolute, Translational, and Point on Curve joints.
In the Translational joint, the main axis is x and not z.

Revolute Joint
A revolute joint is also a pin in a hole, but there are two flanges to prevent sliding on the sides. The
axial force (along the revolute z-axis) leads to a resisting torque along the axis. An effective radius is
used to convert the resisting force to the equivalent torque.

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Another way to model a revolute joint is with a single flange on the pin between two side walls:

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The computation of bending effect is similar to the cylindrical joint except that the effective
length is given by the distance between the two walls:

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The axial effect is due to contact between the flange and the wall:

Translational Joint
Translational joints typically have a rectangular cross-section. An equivalent effective radius is used
to simplify the computation of the torsion effect (moment along translational x-axis).

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Point on Curve Joint

Point on Curve joints are similar to translational joints.

For more information, see Material Behavior of Joint Elements.

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Joint Types
Revolute Joint
In order to compute the resisting friction torque, the revolute joint is considered as a cylinder pin
assembly. The cylinder is characterized by its inner radius, outer radius, and an effective length.
These lengths are shown in the following figure:

The joint friction creates a resisting torque along the joint z-axis.

The tangential friction torque along the z-axis is computed as:

(92)

where:

= the normal force

= the friction coefficient
= the cylinder radius
The effect of the joint axial force (along the joint z-axis) is evaluated as:
(93)

where = the outer radius.

The bending moment is computed as:

(94)

where = the effective length.

The resultant friction moment is given by:

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(95)

Note:

The bending torque is computed only if the effective length is greater than 0; the axial
torque is computed only if the outer radius is greater than 0.

Translational and Point on Curve Joints

In the case of the translational and point on curve joints, a resisting force is created along the joint
x-axis. An effective radius and effective length are needed to compute the torsional friction force
and the bending friction force, respectively (see the figure below).

The tangential friction force is computed as:

(96)

where:

= the normal force

= the friction coefficient
The bending friction force is given by:
(97)

where = the effective length.

The torsional friction force is evaluated as:

(98)

where = the effective radius.

The friction force is computed as:

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(99)

Note:

The bending force is computed only if the effective length is greater than 0; the torsional
force is computer only if the effective radius is greater than 0.

The friction in the Point On Curve joint only takes into account the translational effect.
Neither the bending nor the torsional effect are included in the friction. Consequently,
the radius and effective length has no influence on the results.

Cylindrical Joint
For a cylindrical joint, both a resisting force and a resisting torque are created along the joint z-
axis. Similarly to the revolute joint, the joint is considered as a cylinder pin assembly. An effective
length is required for computing the bending friction force and torque:

The friction force and friction torque are computed similarly to the translational and revolute joint,
respectively but without the axial and torsional effects:
(100)
(101)

Note:

The bending force and torque are computed only if the effective length is greater than
0.

Joint Friction Type

This option allows you to choose between performing a classic friction analysis with sliding-to-
sticking and sticking-to-sliding transitions by setting its value to Friction with Sliding/Sticking
Transitions or Program Controlled. You can perform a pure sliding friction analysis by setting its
value to Forced Frictional Sliding. Its default value is Program Controlled.

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Note:

• If friction is added to a Point on Curve joint, the only choice is Forced Frictional Sliding.

• The Forced Frictional Sliding behavior enables a smoother simulation, since there is no need
to search for transition events. This might save simulation time if advanced friction modelling
is not required.

• In the case of a shared system between a Rigid Dynamics analysis and any other analysis,
the only allowed value for this option is Program Controlled.

Notes
Computation of Friction Force and Torque
The forces and moments that are used to evaluate the frictional effects are taken at the beginning
of the time step. The resisting force and torques have a sign that is opposed to that of the velocity
which is also evaluated at the beginning of the time step. In other words, the friction force and
torque, during a given time step, are evaluated with the forces and torques of the previous time
step and have the opposite sign of the velocity evaluated at the previous time step.

Postprocessing Joint Friction

For the translational, revolute, cylindrical, and point on curve joints, the Joint Probe (p. 1601) allows
you to verify the friction force and the friction moment. Friction force is available for translational,
cylindrical and point on curve joints. Friction moment is available for revolute and cylindrical joints.

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Note:

Joint Friction is only supported by the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver.

Setting Joint Friction With a Command

The command SetFrictionVariable(var) replaces the constant value already given to the
friction coefficient with the expression given by var.

For example, to set

Example 6: Setting Variable Joint Friction

Joint = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Var = CS_Variable()
u0 = 0.1
u1 = 0.2
alpha = 0.5
Var.SetFunc('u0+u1*exp(-alpha*time)',0)
Var.AddInputMeasure(Joint.GetVelocityMeasure())
Joint.SetFrictionVariable(Var)

The command has no effect if no value for the friction coefficient has been provided in the UI.

Setting the Friction Tolerance

The command SetFrictionTolerance(tol) sets the friction tolerance.

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Example 7: Setting Friction Tolerance

Joint = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Joint = Joint.SetFrictionTolerance(1e-4)

Setting the Static Friction Coefficient with a Command

The static friction coefficient is by default set to the dynamic friction coefficient. The command
SetStaticFrictionCoefficient(muS) changes its value to muS.

Example 8: Setting the Static Friction Coefficient

Joint = CS_Joint.Find(_jid)
Joint.SetStaticFrictionCoefficient(0.2)

Bending Moment for Translational Joints

When using a non-zero length when defining the friction in a joint, the bending effect is propor-
tional to the constraint moment existing in the joint. This moment is always defined as the moment
expressed at the reference coordinate system of the joint. For joints that have translational degrees
of freedom, such as the translational or cylindrical joint, the reference coordinate system and mobile
coordinate system are not always at the same location, and the constraint force generates a
moment at the reference coordinate system:

In this example, the blue mass slides on a fixed red bar, under vertical gravity.

As the mass moves to the right the reported moment at the reference coordinate system, which
stays at the end of the blue bar, increases linearly.

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If a length has been specified in the translational joint, the friction bending forces will increase with
the position. In this example, this is not the expected effect.

However, if the blue mass is grounded and the red bar is sliding in it, the moment reported in the
reference coordinate system is also increasing and so should the friction bending forces.

You must choose the reference and mobile coordinate systems and effective length properly to
represent the physics, as the "joint" abstraction can be sometimes misleading.

Note:

This does not apply to the point on curve joint, as this joint uses an intermediate coordin-
ate system called a floating reference coordinate system, which is always coincident with
the mobile coordinate system. This floating reference is used to measure the torque,
thus the vector is always zero.

Manual Joint Creation

This section examines the steps to manually create joints. Refer to the Automatic Joint Creation (p. 1028)
section of the Help for a discussion about how to create joints automatically.

To add a joint manually:

1. The Joints object is a child object of the Connections object. The Connections object is typically
generated automatically. As needed, highlight the Model object in the tree and choose the Connections
option from the Model Context Tab (p. 14) once you have imported your model.

2. Highlight the Connections object and open either Body-Ground menu or the Body-Body menu from
the Connections Context Tab (p. 16) and then select your desired Joint Type (p. 962). The new joint object
becomes the active object in the tree.

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3. Once inserted and active, there are a number of joint properties that require definition. For a detailed
description of each of these properties, refer to the Joint Properties (p. 978) Help section.

Tip:

The Body Views option on the Context tab displays the Reference and Mobile bodies
in separate windows with appropriate transparencies applied. You have full body
manipulation capabilities in each of these windows.

Note:

You can pre-select a vertex or node (Body-Ground) or two vertices or nodes (Body-
Body) and then insert a Joint to automatically create a directly attached joint.

4. Once you have defined the desired joint properties, you may wish to use the Configure tool. The
Configure tool is activated by selecting the Configure option on the Context Tab. This feature positions
the Mobile body according to the joint definitions. You can then manipulate the joint interactively (for
example, rotate the joint) directly on the model. The notes section (p. 1006) shown below provides addi-
tional information about the benefits and use of the Configure feature (as well as the Assemble feature).

In addition, refer to the Example: Configuring Joints (p. 1015) Help section for an example of the
use of the Configure tool.

Note:

• The Configure option is not supported for Joints scoped as a Direct Attachment.

• The Set option on the Context tab locks the changed assembly for use in the subsequent
analysis.

• The triad position and orientation may not display correctly until you click the Set option.

• The Revert option on the Context tab restores the assembly to its original configuration
from DesignModeler or the CAD system.

5. It is suggested that you consider the following:

• Renaming the joint objects (p. 1033) based on the type of joint and the names of the joined geometry.

• Display the Joint DOF Checker (p. 1035) and modify joint definitions if necessary.

• Create a redundancy analysis to interactively check the influence of individual joint degrees of freedom
on the redundant constraints.

Configure and Assemble Tools Notes

The Configure and Assemble tools are a good way to exercise the model and joints before starting
to perform a transient analysis. They are also a way to detect locking configurations.

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The Assemble tool performs the assembly of the model, finding the closest part configuration that
satisfies all the joints.

The Configure tool performs the assembly of the model, with a prescribed value of the angle or
translational degree of freedom that you are configuring.

For the Assemble tool, all the joints degrees of freedom values are considered to be free. For the
Configure joint, the selected DOF is considered as prescribed.

In both cases, the solver will apply all constraint equations, solve the nonlinear set of equations, and
finally verify that all of them are satisfied, including those having been considered as being redundant.
The violation of these constraints is compared to the model size. The model size is not the actual size
of the part – as the solver does not use the actual geometry, but rather a wireframe representation
of the bodies. Each body holds some coordinate systems – center of mass, and joint coordinate systems.
For very simple models, where the joints are defined at the center of mass, the size of the parts is
zero. The violation of the constraint equations is then compared to very small reference size, and the
convergence becomes very difficult to reach, leading the Configure tool or the Assemble tool to fail.

Example: Assembling Joints

This section illustrates the details of assembling geometry using an example of a three-part a pendulum
joint model.

The Assemble feature enables you to bring in CAD geometry that may initially be in a state of disas-
sembly. After importing the CAD geometry, you can actively assemble the different parts and Set
them in the assembled configuration for the start of the analysis.

The geometry shown for the example in Figure 22: Initial Geometry (p. 1007) was imported into a Rigid
Dynamics analysis System.

Figure 22: Initial Geometry

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This geometry consists of three bodies. In Figure 22: Initial Geometry (p. 1007) they are (from left to
right) the Basis, the Arm, and the PendulumAxis. These three bodies have been imported completely
disjointed/separate from each other.

The first step to orient and assemble the bodies is to add a Body-Ground Fixed joint to the body
named Basis. To do this:

1. Select the Connections object from the Outline.

2. From the Connections Context tab, open the Body-Ground drop-down menu and select Fixed.

3. Click on a flat external face on the Basis body as seen in Figure 23: Selecting a Face for a Body-Ground
Fixed Connection (p. 1008).

4. In the Details view under Mobile, click in the Scope field and select Apply.

Figure 23: Selecting a Face for a Body-Ground Fixed Connection

Next, you need to join the PendulumAxis to the Basis. Since they are initially disjoint, you need to
set two coordinate systems, one for the Basis and the other for the PendulumAxis. Additionally, to
fully define the relative position and orientations of the two bodies, you must define a fixed joint
between them. To do this:

1. From the Connections Context tab, open the Body-Body drop-down menu and select Fixed.

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2. Highlight the face on the Basis as shown below.

3. In the Details view, click the Scope field under Reference and select Apply.

4. Select the cylindrical face on the PendulumAxis.

5. In the Details view, select the Scope field under Mobile and select Apply.

Figure 24: Creating the Reference Mobile System

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6. Also, change the Initial Position value under Mobile from Unchanged to Override.

Now, the joint has two coordinate systems associated with it: A Reference and a Mobile coordinate
system.

Next, you must associate the Reference and the Mobile Coordinate Systems to the respective bodies
with the appropriate orientations. To associate the Reference Coordinate System to the respective
bodies:

1. In the Outline, highlight Reference Coordinate System.

2. In the Details view, click the box next to Geometry under Origin.

3. Select the two internal rectangular faces on the Basis as shown in Figure 25: Creating the Reference Co-
ordinate System (p. 1010) and in the Details view, select Apply. This will center The Reference Coordinate
System at the center of the hole on the Basis.

Figure 25: Creating the Reference Coordinate System

To associate the Mobile Coordinate System to the respective bodies:

1. Highlight the Mobile Coordinate System (this coordinate system is associated with the Basis).

2. In the Details view, click in the Geometry field under Origin.

3. Select the cylindrical surface on the PendulumArm.

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4. In the Details view, click Apply.

Figure 26: Creating the Mobile Coordinate System

Next, you will need to orient the PendulumAxis coordinate system so that it is oriented correctly in
the assembly:

1. In the Mobile Coordinate System associated with the PendulumAxis, click in the box next to Geometry
under Principal Axis (set to Z).

2. Select one of the vertical edges on the PendulumAxis such that the Z axis is parallel to it as shown in
Figure 27: Orienting the Pendulum Axis (p. 1012). In the Details view, click Apply.

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Figure 27: Orienting the Pendulum Axis

3. With Mobile Coordinate System highlighted in the Outline, select the x-offset button on the Context tab.

4. In the Details view, enter an Offset X value of 2.5mm to align the faces of the PendulumAxis with the
Basis.

Note:

The transformations available allow you to manipulate the coordinate systems by en-
tering offsets or rotations in each of the 3 axis.

The two coordinate systems that were just defined should look similar to the figure below.

Figure 28: Oriented Coordinate Systems

Next, you will need to define the coordinate systems to join the Arm to the PendulumAxis during
assembly.

1. From the Context tab , select Body-Body > Fixed.

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2. To define the Reference Scope, choose one of the faces of the Arm that will be connected to the Pendu-
lumAxis then select Apply.

3. Now, configure the Mobile Scope by selecting the flat end face of the PendulumAxis as shown in Fig-
ure 29: Scoping the Mobile Coordinate Systems (p. 1013), then select Apply.

Figure 29: Scoping the Mobile Coordinate Systems

4. Set the Initial Position under Mobile from Unchanged to Override.

5. Finally, set the Origin of the Reference Coordinate System to the center of the hole in the Arm using the
same procedure described above for the Basis.

Next, you will need to offset the Coordinate System associated with the Arm so that the faces on the
Arm are aligned with the end face of the PendulumAxis.

1. With Reference Coordinate System highlighted, select the x-offset button on the Context tab.

2. Enter an Offset X value of -5mm.

Note:

The transformations available allow you to manipulate the coordinate systems by en-
tering offsets or rotations in each of the 3 axis.

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3. Next, highlight the Mobile Coordinate System. This coordinate system is associated with the Arm. Click
the box next to Geometry under Origin

4. Select the flat surface on the PendulumArm and click Apply.

Now you will need to orient the PendulumAxis so that its faces are aligned with the faces on the Arm
during the Assemble process.

1. Highlight the Mobile Coordinate System that is assigned to the PendulumAxis.

2. From the Details view, click the in the Geometry field under Principal Axis and select an edge of the
PendulumAxis as shown in the figure.

Figure 30: Choose an Edge to Orient the PendulumAxis Geometry

3. Under Principal Axis In the Details view, select Apply in the Geometry field to orient the PendulumAxis
to this edge.

Now that the three bodies have been oriented and aligned, they are ready to be assembled.

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1. In the Outline, highlight Connections.

2. From the Context tab, select Assemble.

The parts should snap together in place and resemble Figure 31: Assembled Geometry (p. 1015). If the
geometry you're attempting to assemble has not snapped into place as expected, you should retrace
your previous steps to make sure that the coordinate systems are properly oriented. If your assembly
has been successfully performed, then click Set on the Context tab to place the assembly in its as-
sembled position to start the analysis.

Figure 31: Assembled Geometry

Example: Configuring Joints

This section presents an example of some common joint configuration steps for a model of a pendulum
created from two links, as illustrated below.

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To achieve the desired result, two revolute (p. 963) joints were created and configured:

• The first joint is intended to allow rotation of the top link's upper hole referenced to a stationary point
(Body-Ground Revolute Joint).

• The second joint is intended to allow rotation of the bottom link's upper hole referenced to the top link's
lower hole (Body-Ground Revolute Joint).

The following steps illustrate the steps of a common joint configuration:

1. After attaching the model to Mechanical, create the first revolute joint.

• Select the Connections object in the tree and then open the Body-Ground drop-down menu from
the Connections Context Tab (p. 16) and select Revolute. The new joint object becomes the active
object in the tree.

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2. Scope the Mobile side of the first revolute joint to the top link's upper hole.

• Select the inner surface of the upper hole and then under Mobile category in the Details view, select
the Scope field and click the Apply button.

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3. Create the second revolute joint.

• Open the Body-Body drop-down menu from the Connections Context Tab (p. 16) and select Revolute.
The new joint object becomes the active object in the tree.

4. Scope the Reference side of the second joint to the top link's lower hole.

• Select inner surface of hole and the under Reference category in the Details view, select the Scope
field and click the Apply button.

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5. Scope the mobile side of the second joint to the bottom link's upper hole.

• Select inside surface of hole, then under Mobile category in the Details view, select the Scope field
and click the Apply button.

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6. As illustrated here, the two holes intended to form the second joint are not properly aligned to correctly
create the revolute joint.

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To align the holes, you need to indicate that the two holes need to match. To achieve this, first
create a coordinate system for the mobile side of the second joint, and then align the Mobile and
Reference coordinate systems. Create the mobile coordinate system in this step.

• Highlight the second joint, Revolute - Solid To Solid, in the tree and select Override from the drop-
down menu of the Initial Position property. Note that a new Coordinate System property displays.

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7. Scope the new mobile coordinate system to the back edge of the bottom link's upper hole.

• Select the back edge of the bottom link's upper hole, then under Mobile category, select the Coordinate
System field, and then click the Apply button.

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8. Scope the existing Reference Coordinate System to the back edge of the top link's lower hole.

• Select the back edge of the top link's lower hole, and then under Reference category, select the Co-
ordinate System field and then click the Apply button.

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The above steps have correctly assigned the coordinate systems so that the holes can be aligned
and the revolute joint can operate properly.

To verify, highlight the Connections object in the tree and select the Assemble option on the
Context tab.

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9. Establish the initial position of each joint.

• Highlight the body-to-body joint object in the tree and select the Configure option on the Context
tab. The joint is graphically displayed according to your configuration. In addition, a triad appears with
straight lines representing translational degrees of freedom and curved lines representing rotational
degrees of freedom. Among these, any colored lines represent the free degrees of freedom for the
joint type. For the joint that is being configured, the translational displacement degrees of freedom
always follow the Geometry units rather than the current Mechanical units.

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By dragging the mouse cursor on a colored line, the joint will move allowing you to set the
initial position of the joint through the free translational or rotational degrees of freedom.

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For rotations, holding the [Ctrl] key while dragging the mouse cursor will advance the rotation
in 10 degree increments. You can also type the value of the increment into the Delta field on
the Context tab. Selecting the Configure option again cancels the joining and positioning of
the joint.

10. Create the joints.

• After configuring a joint's initial position, click the Set option to create the joint.

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At this point, you also have the option of returning the configuration to the state it was in before
joint creation and upon attaching to Mechanical by selecting the Revert option.

Automatic Joint Creation

This section discusses the automatic joint creation in Mechanical. You can also create joints manually
as discussed in Manual Joint Creation (p. 1005) section.

Creating Joints Automatically

You can direct Mechanical to analyze your assembly and automatically create fixed joints (p. 963)
and/or revolute joints (p. 963).

To create joints automatically:

1. Insert a Connection Group object under the Connections folder using the Context tab option or using
the Insert option from the context menu (right mouse click) for this folder.

2. From the Details view of the Connection Group object, choose Joint from the Connection Type drop-
down menu.

3. Select some bodies in the model based on the Scoping Method. The default is Geometry Selection
scoped to All Bodies.

4. Configure the types of joints (fixed and/or revolute) you want Mechanical to create automatically
through the appropriate Yes or No settings in the Details view. These properties will be applied only

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to scoped geometries for this connection group. You can set defaults for these settings using the Options
dialog box (p. 138) under Connections (p. 140).

Note:

When both the Fixed Joints and Revolute Joints properties are set to Yes, the revolute
joints have priority; the search for revolute joints will be processed first followed by
the search for fixed joints.

5. Choose Create Automatic Connections from the context menu (right mouse click) for the Connection
Group. Appropriate joint types are created and appear in the tree as objects under the Joints folder.
Each joint also includes a reference coordinate system that is represented as a child object to the joint
object.

Note:

For automatic joint detection, the Search Across property only supports options Parts,
Assemblies, and Anywhere. The Assemblies and Anywhere options are only available
with model assembly.

6. Display the Joint DOF Checker (p. 1035) or the redundancy analysis and modify joint definitions if ne-
cessary.

Joint Stops and Locks

Stops and Locks are optional constraints that may be applied to restrict the motion of the free relative
degree(s) of freedom (DOF) of most types of joints. Any analysis that includes a valid joint type can
involve Stops and/or Locks. For the applicable joint types, you can define a minimum and maximum
(min, max) range inside of which the degrees of freedom must remain.

A Stop is a computationally efficient abstraction of a real contact, which simplifies geometry calcula-
tions. For Stops, a shock occurs when a joint reaches the limit of the relative motion. A Lock is the
same as a Stop except that when the Lock reaches the specified limit for a degree of freedom the
Lock becomes fixed in place.

Warning:

When using a structural system with the MAPDL solver, use Joint Stops sparingly. The solver
treats the stop constraint internally as a "must be imposed" or "hard" constraint and no contact
logic is used. As a result, during the given iteration of a substep, the stop constraints activate
immediately if the application detects a violation of a stop limit. Depending upon the nature
of the problem, the stop constraint implementation may cause the solution to trend towards
an equilibrated state that may not be readily apparent to you. In addition, do not use stops
to simulate zero-displacement boundary conditions. You should also avoid specifying stops
on multiple joints. Finally, do not use joint stops as a substitute for contact modeling.
Whenever possible, you need to use node-to-node or node-to-surface contact modeling to
simulate limit conditions.

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For joints with free relative DOFs, the Details view displays a group of options labeled Stops. This
grouping displays the applicable free DOFs (UX, UY, UZ, ROTX. etc.) for the joint type from which you
specify the constraint as a Stop or a Lock (as shown below). By default, no Stop or Lock is specified,
as indicated by the default option, None. You can select any combination of options. For stops and
locks, the minimum and maximum values you enter are relative to the joint’s coordinate system.

Radial Gap Stop

To model clearance in revolute or cylindrical joints, a special type of stop called a radial gap stop can
be used. A radial gap stop limits the relative rotation of either the X or Y rotation, limiting the Z axis
tilt of the joint's mobile coordinate system with respect to the Z axis of the reference coordinate
system. This stop idealizes a revolute joint with a gap between the inner and the outer cylinder that
allows the shaft to translate and tilt in the outer cylinder, as shown on the following figure:

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Where:

d is the inner diameter.

D is the outer diameter.
H is the height of the joint.

Important Notes:

• The Outer Diameter is considered to be on the reference side of the joint, so you might have to flip
reference and mobile on the joint to properly define a radial gap.

• The shaft is considered to be infinitely long.

• If the joint allows relative translations, the center of the shaft will shift with these translations. The
radial gap accounts for this center shift.

• The principal axis of the radial gap is Z, meaning that the tilt occurs along the X and Y rotations of
the gap.

• Radial gap stops do not support tilt angles greater than 1 rad.

• Radial gap is always included on imperfect joint types (spherical gap, in-plane radial gap, and radial
gap)

Stops and Locks are applied to the following Joint Types.

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Joint Type Stop/Lock ANSYS Rigid Stop/Lock Stop/Lock ANSYS

Dynamics Mechanical APDL Explicit Dynamics
Revolute Yes Yes Yes
Cylindrical Yes Yes Yes
Translational Yes Yes Yes
Slot Translational Translational Translational
Universal Yes Yes No
Spherical No (Radial Gap is now available No No
through Spherical Gap joint)
Planar Yes Yes Yes
General Translational, Radial Gap Translational Translational
Bushing Translational, Radial Gap Translational Not supported
Spherical Gap Radial Gap stop is always defined Not supported Not supported
In-Plane Radial Radial Gap stop is always defined Not supported Not supported
Gap
Radial Gap Radial Gap stop is always defined, Not supported Not supported
translation along Z if free

Note:

• When using the Mechanical APDL solver, Stops and Locks are active only when Large Deflection
(p. 1122) is set to On (under Analysis Settings (p. 1949)). This is because Stops and Locks make
sense only in the context of finite deformation/rotation. If Large Deflection is Off, all calculations
are carried out in the original configuration and the configuration is never updated, preventing
the activation of the Stops and Locks.

• It is important to apply sensible Stop and Lock values to ensure that the initial geometry con-
figuration does not violate the applied stop/lock limits. Also, applying conflicting boundary
conditions (for example, applying Acceleration on a joint that has a Stop, or applying Velocity
on a joint that has a Stop) on the same DOF leads to non-physical results and therefore is not
supported.

Solver Implications
Stops and Locks are available for the ANSYS Explicit Dynamics, ANSYS Rigid Dynamics, and Mechan-
ical APDL solvers, but are handled differently in certain circumstances by the three independent
solvers.

• For the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver the shock is considered as an event with no duration, during which
the forces and accelerations are not known or available for postprocessing, but generate a relative velocity
"jump".

• For the Mechanical APDL solver the stop and lock constraints are implemented via the Lagrange Multiplier
method. The constraint forces due to stop and lock conditions are available when stop is established

• For the ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solver the stop/lock event is checked during the timestep. If it is active
the timestep is split up such that the free motion is still considered for the first part. The second part of

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the timestep is computed using either the reversed velocity (while taking into account the restitution
factor) or the new fixed DOF. If other stop/locks events are active also, they will be addressed during the
next cycle in the solver. Due to the small timesteps in an explicit analysis, this approximation is typically
negligible.

Coefficient of Restitution
For the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics and ANSYS Explicit Dynamics solvers, Stops require you to set a
coefficient of restitution value. This value represents the energy lost during the shock and is defined
as the ratio between the joint’s relative velocity prior to the shock and the velocity following the
shock. This value can be between 0 and 1. For a restitution value of zero, a Stop is released when the
force in the joint is a traction force, while a Lock does not release. A restitution factor equal to 1 in-
dicates that no energy is lost during the shock, that is, the rebounding velocity equals the impact
velocity (a perfectly elastic collision).

The coefficient of restitution is not applicable to the stops on the joints when using the Mechanical
APDL solver.

Ease of Use Features

The following ease of use features are available when defining joints:

• Renaming Joint Objects Based on Definition (p. 1033)

• Joint Legend (p. 1034)

• Disable/Enable Transparency (p. 1034)

• Hide All Other Bodies (p. 1035)

• Flip Reference/Mobile (p. 1035)

• Joint DOF Checker (p. 1035)

• Redundancy Analysis (p. 1035)

• Model Topology (p. 1036)

Renaming Joint Objects Based on Definition

When joints are created, Mechanical automatically names each of the joint objects with a name that
includes the type of joint followed by the names of the joined parts included as child objects under
the Geometry object folder. For example, if a revolute joint connects a part named ARM to a part
named ARM_HOUSING, then the object name becomes Revolute - ARM To ARM_HOUSING.

The automatic naming based on the joint type and geometry definition is by default. You can however
change the default from the automatic naming to a generic naming of Joint, Joint 2, Joint 3, and
so on by opening the Options dialog and setting Auto Rename Connections to No under the
Connections (p. 140) group.

If you then want to rename any joint object based on the definition, click the right mouse button on
the object and choose Rename Based on Definition from the context menu. You can rename all
joints by clicking the right mouse button on the Joints folder then choosing Rename Based on

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Definition. The behavior of this feature is very similar to renaming manually created contact regions.
See Renaming Contact Regions Based on Geometry Names (p. 938) for further details including an
animated demonstration.

Joint Legend
When you highlight a joint object, the accompanying display in the Geometry window includes a
legend that depicts the free degrees of freedom characteristic of the type of joint (p. 962). A color
scheme is used to associate the free degrees of freedom with each of the axis of the joint's coordinate
system shown in the graphic. An example legend is shown below for a slot joint (p. 965).

You can display or remove the joint legend using View> Legend from the main menu.

Disable/Enable Transparency
The Enable Transparency feature enables you to graphically highlight a particular joint that is within
a group of other joints, by rendering the other joints as transparent. The following example shows
the same joint group presented in the Joint Legend (p. 1034) section above but with transparency en-
abled. Note that the slot joint alone is highlighted.

To enable transparency for a joint object, click the right mouse button on the object and choose
Enable Transparency from the context menu. Conversely, to disable transparency, click the right
mouse button on the object and choose Disable Transparency from the context menu. The behavior

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of this feature is very similar to using transparency for highlighting contact regions. See Controlling
Transparency for Contact Regions (p. 936) for further details including an animated demonstration.

Hide All Other Bodies

You can hide all bodies except those associated with a particular joint.

To use this feature, click the right mouse button on the object and choose Hide All Other Bodies
from the context menu. Conversely, to show all bodies that may have been hidden, click the right
mouse button on the object and choose Show All Bodies from the context menu.

Flip Reference/Mobile
For body-to-body joint scoping, you can reverse the scoping between the Reference and Mobile
sides in one action. To use this feature, click the right mouse button on the object and choose Flip
Reference/Mobile from the context menu. The change is reflected in the Details view of the joint
object as well as in the color coding of the scoped entity on the joint graphic. The behavior of this
feature is very similar to the Flip Contact/Target feature used for contact regions. See Flipping
Contact and Target Scope Settings (p. 939) for further details including an animated demonstration.

Joint DOF Checker

Once joints are created, fully defined, and applied to the model, a Joint DOF Checker calculates the
total number of free degrees of freedom. The number of free degrees of freedom should be greater
than zero in order to produce an expected result. If this number is less than 1, a warning message is
displayed stating that the model may possibly be overconstrained, along with a suggestion to check
the model closely and remove any redundant joint constraints.

To display the Joint DOF Checker information, highlight the Connections object and click the
Worksheet button. The Joint DOF Checker information is located just above the Joint Information
heading in the worksheet.

Redundancy Analysis
This feature enables you to analyze an assembly held together by joints. This analysis will also help
you to solve over constrained assemblies. Each body in an assembly has a limited degree of freedom
set. The joint constraints must be consistent to the motion of each body, otherwise the assembly can
be locked, or the bodies may move in unwanted directions. The redundancy analysis checks the joints
you define and indicates the joints that over constrain the assembly. To analyze an assembly for joint
redundancies:

1. Right-click the Connections object, and then select Redundancy Analysis to open a worksheet with
a list of joints.

2. Click Analyze to perform a redundancy analysis. All the over constrained joints are indicated as redund-
ant.

3. Click the Redundant label, and then select Fixed or Free to resolve the conflict manually.

or

Click Convert Redundancies to Free to remove all over constrained degrees of freedom.

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4. Click Set to update the joint definitions.

Note:

Click Export to save the worksheet to an Excel/text file.

Important:

When a model contains a Point On Curve (p. 974) joint, the Configure and Assemble
options (p. 17) are disabled for all the joints. This is also the case for a redundancy analysis
that includes a Point On Curve joint.

Model Topology
The Model Topology worksheet provides a summary of the joint connections between bodies in the
model. This feature is a convenient way of verifying and troubleshooting a complex model that has
many parts and joints. The Model Topology worksheet displays the connections each body has to
other bodies, and the joint through which these bodies are connected. Additional information for
the joints is provided, including the joint type and the joint representation for the rigid body solver
(i.e. whether the joint is based on degrees of freedom or constraint equations).

To display the model topology, right-click the Connections object, and then select Model Topology.
The Model Topology worksheet displays in the Data View. The content of the worksheet can be
exported as a text file using the Export button.

Joints based on degrees of freedom are labeled either Direct or Revert in the Joint Direction column
of the Model Topology table. Direct joints have their reference coordinate system on the ground side
of the topology tree. Revert joints have their mobile coordinate system on the ground side. This in-
formation is useful for all post-processing based on python scripting, where internal data can be re-
trieved. For reverted joints, some of the joint internal results need to be multiplied by -1.

Refer to the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Theory Manual for more information on model topology and se-
lecting degrees of freedom.

Detecting Overconstrained Conditions

Overconstrained conditions can occur when more constraints than are necessary are applied to a
joint's degrees of freedom. These conditions may arise when rigid bodies are joined together using
multiple joints. The overconstraints could be due to redundant joints performing the same function,
or contradictory motion resulting from improper use of joints connecting different bodies.

• For the Transient Structural analysis type, when a model is overconstrained, nonconvergence of the
solution most often occurs, and in some cases, overconstrained models can yield incorrect results.

• For the Rigid Dynamics analysis type, when a model is overconstrained, force calculation cannot be done
properly.

The following features exist within Mechanical that can assist you in detecting possible overconstrained
conditions:

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• Use the Joint DOF Checker (p. 1035) for detecting overconstrained conditions before solving (highlight the
Connections object and select the Worksheet option on the Context tab). In the following example, the
original display of the Joint DOF Checker warns that the model may be overconstrained.

After modifying the joint definitions, display the Joint DOF Checker again, which shows that the
overconstrained condition has been resolved.

• After solution, you can highlight the Solution Information object, then scroll to the end of its content
to view any information that may have been detected on model redundancies that caused overconstrained
conditions. An example is presented below.

Springs
A spring is an elastic element that is used to store mechanical energy and which retains its original
shape after a force is removed. Springs are typically defined in a stress free or “unloaded” state. This
means that no longitudinal loading conditions exist unless preloading is specified (see below). In
Mechanical, the Configure (p. 1015) feature is used to modify a Joint. If you configure a joint that has
an attached spring, the spring must be redrawn in the Geometry window. In effect, the spring before
the Configure action is replaced by a new spring in a new unloaded state.

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Springs are defined as longitudinal and they connect two bodies together or connect a body to ground.
Longitudinal springs generate a force that depends on linear displacement. Longitudinal springs can
be used as a damping force, which is a function of velocity or angular velocity, respectively. Springs
can also be defined directly on a Revolute Joint (p. 963) or a Cylindrical Joint (p. 963).

Note:

A spring cannot be applied to a vertex that is scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

The following topics are discussed in this section:

• Applying Springs (p. 1038)

• Spring Behavior (p. 1039)

• Nonlinear Spring Stiffness (p. 1041)

• Preloading (p. 1041)

• Scoping (p. 1042)

• Spring Length (p. 1042)

• Advanced Features (p. 1042)

• Output (p. 1043)

• Example: Longitudinal Spring with Damping (p. 1043)

• Spring Incompatibility (p. 1045)

Applying Springs
To apply a spring:

1. After importing the model, highlight the Model object in the tree and choose the Connections option
from the Context tab.

2. Highlight the new Connections object, open the Spring drop-down menu and select either Body-Ground
or Body-Body from the Context tab.

Note:

You can pre-select a vertex or node (Body-Ground) or two vertices or nodes (Body-
Body) and then insert a Spring to automatically create a directly attached spring. See
the Scoping (p. 1042) subsection below.

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3. Highlight the new Spring object and enter information in the Details view. Note that Longitudinal
Damping is applicable only to transient analyses.

Note:

• The length of the spring connection must be greater than 0.0 with a tolerance of 1e-8 mm.

• The Body Views display is the default display.

Spring Behavior
The Spring Behavior property is modifiable for a Rigid Dynamics (p. 340) and Explicit Dynamics analyses
only. For all other analysis types, this field is read-only and displays as Both.

You can define a longitudinal spring to support only tension loads or only compression loads using the
Spring Behavior property. You can set this property to Both, Compression Only or Tension Only.
The tension only spring does not provide any restoring force against compression loads. The compression
only spring does not provide resistance against tensile loads. The stiffness of a compression only or
tension only spring without any preloads is shown below.

Stiffness Behavior of a Tension Only Spring:

Stiffness Behavior of a Compression Only Spring:

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Force Deflection Curve for a Tension Only Spring:

Force Deflection Curve for a Compression Only Spring:

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Nonlinear Spring Stiffness

A nonlinear force-deflection curve can be used to simulate multi-rate springs with nonlinear spring
stiffness. A linear piecewise curve is used for this purpose.

Note that spring deflection is computed using the distance between the two ends of the spring, minus
the initial length. The distance between the two points is never negative, but the deflection can be
negative. If you determine that a spring exists with an incorrectly defined nonlinear stiffness, the force-
deflection curve may be incorrectly defined as a result of the tabular input for nonlinear stiffness for
one or more spring objects. See the details in COMBIN39 element description for more information.

Note:

Support Requirements

• Tabular Data requires at least two rows of data.

• The properties Longitudinal Damping and Preload are not applicable for Springs with nonlinear
stiffness.

• For the Mechanical APDL solver, the number of data points used to define the force-deflection
curve cannot exceed 20.

Points to consider for Rigid Dynamics or Explicit Dynamics analyses only:

• If a nonlinear stiffness curve is defined with the Tension Only option, all points with a negative displace-
ment are ignored.

• If a nonlinear stiffness curve is defined with the Compression Only option, all points with a positive
displacement are ignored.

To define a nonlinear force-deflection curve:

1. In the Spring object Details view settings, click in the Longitudinal Stiffness property.

2. Click the arrow in the Longitudinal Stiffness property then select Tabular.

3. Enter displacement and force values in the Tabular Data window. A graph showing force vs. displacement
is displayed.

Preloading
(Not supported for Explicit Dynamics analyses.)

Mechanical also provides you with the option to preload a spring and create an initial “loaded” state.
The Preload property in the Details view allows you to define a preload as a length using Free Length
or to specify a specific Load. The actual length is calculated using spring end points from the Reference
and Mobile scoping. For rigid dynamics analyses, the spring will be under tension or compression de-
pending upon whether you specified the free length as smaller or greater than the spring length, re-
spectively. If preload is specified in terms of Load, a positive value creates tension and a negative value
creates compression. When the spring is linear (defined by a constant stiffness) the Rigid Dynamics
solver deduces the spring free length by subtracting the value L=F/K (where F is the preload and K is

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Setting Connections

the stiffness) from the actual spring length. Note that this offset is also applied to the elongation results.
When the spring is non-linear (defined by a force/displacement table), this offset is not taken into account.

Spring Length
The read-only property Spring Length displays the actual length of the spring which is calculated using
the end points from the Reference and Mobile scoping.

Scoping
You select the Scope of springs as body-to-body or body-to-ground using the property of the Scope
category and you define a spring’s end points using the properties of the Reference and Mobile cat-
egories. For body-to-ground property specification, the Reference is assumed to be grounded (fixed);
scoping is only available on the Mobile side. Since this is a unidirectional spring, these two locations
determine the spring’s line of action and as such the spring’s reference and mobile locations cannot
be the same as this would result in a spring with zero length.

In addition, the Reference and Mobile categories provide the scoping property Applied By. This
property enables you to specify the connection as either a Direct Attachment or a Remote Attachment.
The Remote Attachment option (default) uses a Remote Point (p. 789) as a scoping mechanism. The
Direct Attachment option enables you to scope directly to a single vertex or a node of the model.

Note:

If specified as a Remote Attachment, springs are classified as remote boundary conditions.

Refer to the Remote Boundary Conditions (p. 1416) section for a listing of all remote boundary
conditions and their characteristics.

You can scope of a spring to a:

• Single face or to multiple faces (applied as a Remote Attachment only).

• Single edge or multiple edges (applied as a Remote Attachment only).

• Single vertex (can be applied as either a Remote Attachment or as a Direct Attachment) or multiple vertices
(applied as a Remote Attachment only).

Note:

A spring cannot be applied to a vertex that is scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

• Single node (applied as a Direct Attachment only).

See the Spring Object Reference (p. 2218) page of the Help for additional information about the available
categories and properties.

Advanced Features
If specified as a Remote Attachment, the Reference and Mobile groups for Springs each include the
following advanced properties:

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 Springs

• Behavior: This property enables you to specify the scoped geometry as either Rigid, Deformable, or Beam.
Refer to the Geometry Behaviors (p. 795) section for more information.

• Pinball Region: The Pinball Region is a radius value (length unit) that defines a region for selecting elements
to be used by the solver for the Spring's Reference (Body-Body only) and Mobile scoping.

• Material: Select your material from the fly-out menu. Your material must include a constant damping
coefficient to account for viscous damping or structural damping of the Spring in the analysis. The default
setting is None.

Note:

• The Behavior setting is applicable to underlying bodies that are flexible.

• If the Scope Method property of the Spring is set to Remote Point, the Spring will then assume
the Behavior defined in the referenced Remote Point as well as other related properties.

• When you specify a Material for the spring that includes a constant damping coefficient, based
on the analysis type, the application applies damping as structural damping for damped Modal
and Full Harmonic Response systems and as viscous damping for MSUP systems.

Output
Several outputs are available via a spring probe (p. 1576).

Example: Longitudinal Spring with Damping

This example shows the effect of a longitudinal spring connecting a rectangular bar to ground to rep-
resent a damper. A Transient Structural analysis was performed in the environment shown:

The following are the Details view settings of the Spring object:

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Setting Connections

Presented below is the Total Deformation result:

The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. View online if you are reading the PDF version of the
help. Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released
product.

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 Beam Connections

Spring Incompatibility
(applicable only to rigid dynamics analyses)

If the preload for a longitudinal spring is a tensile load, then the spring cannot be defined as compression
only. Alternatively, if the preload is a compressive load, then the spring cannot be defined as tension
only. Should this case occur, the spring will be marked as underdefined and if you attempt to solve
such a case, the following error message is displayed: “The preload for a spring is incompatible with its
behavior being tension only spring or compression only spring.”

Beam Connections
Beam connections use structural beam elements that can carry a bending (flexure) load. The Beam (p. 1953)
option enables you to specify body-to-body or a body-to-ground connection. This feature supports all
structural analyses.

Important:

When you create a beam connection, the application automatically creates internal Remote
Points at each end of the beam. The application uses these Remote Points to connect the
beam to the scoped body/bodies. If you change the position of a body after creating the
beam connections, the positions of the internally created Remote Points do not change.
They remain in their original position. As a result, the beam’s orientation and the new position
of the bodies do not align.

To add a Beam object:

1. Select the Connections folder in the object tree. As needed, add a Connections folder by selecting the
Model object and clicking the Connections option on the Model Context Tab (p. 14).

2. On the Connections Context Tab (p. 16), open the Beam drop-down menu and select either Body-Ground
or Body-Body to add a circular beam under Connections.

3. In the Details View, under Definition, click the Material fly-out menu, and then select a material for the
beam.

4. Enter a beam radius in the Radius field.

5. If necessary, modify the Scope setting.

The Scope property of the Scope category enables you to change the scoping from Body-Body to
Body-Ground. Similar to Springs (p. 1042), this property defines the beam’s end points in coordination
with the properties of the Reference and Mobile categories. For body-to-ground property specific-
ation, the Reference is assumed to be grounded (fixed) and as a result scoping is required on the
Mobile side only. Because beams define a span, the reference and mobile locations determine a
distance and as such the reference and mobile locations cannot be the same.

In addition, the Reference and Mobile categories provide the scoping property Applied By. This
property enables you to specify the connection as either a Direct Attachment or a Remote Attach-
ment. The Remote Attachment option (default) uses a Remote Point as a scoping mechanism.
The Direct Attachment option enables you to scope directly to a single vertex or a node of the

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Setting Connections

model. Direct Attachment is not allowed if scoped to solid bodies, as they do not have rotational
degrees of freedom.

6. Under the Reference category, for Body-Body connections only:

Specify the Scoping Method property as either Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote
Point. Based on the selection made in this step, select a:

• geometry (faces, edges, or vertices) and click Apply in the Scope property field.

or...

• single node (Direct Attachment Only) and click Apply in the Scope property. In order to select an
individual node, you need to first generate a mesh on the model, and then select the Node filter
on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

or...

• user-defined node-based named selection (Direct Attachment Only) or a user-defined geometry-

based named selection (Remote Attachment Only) from the drop-down list of the Named Selection
property.

or...

• user-defined remote point (Remote Attachment Only) from the drop-down list of the Remote Point
property.

Note:

You can pre-select a vertex or node (Body-Ground) or two vertices or nodes (Body-
Body) and then insert a Beam to automatically create a directly attached beam.

7. Specify the following properties as needed. These properties are available under the Reference Category
(Body-Body or Body-Ground connections) when the Applied By property is set to Remote Attachment:

• Coordinate System: select a different coordinate system if desired.

• Reference X Coordinate: enter a value as needed.

• Reference Y Coordinate: enter a value as needed.

8. Under Mobile Category (Body-Body or Body-Ground connections):

a. • geometry (faces, edges, or vertices) and click Apply in the Scope property field.

or...

• single node (Direct Attachment Only) and click Apply in the Scope property. In order to select an in-
dividual node, you need to first generate a mesh on the model, and then select the Node filter on
the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

or...

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 Spot Welds

• user-defined node-based named selection (Direct Attachment Only) or a user-defined geometry-based

named selection (Remote Attachment Only) from the drop-down list of the Named Selection property.

or...

• user-defined remote point (Remote Attachment Only) from the drop-down list of the Remote Point
property.

b. Specify the following properties as needed. These properties are available under the Mobile Category
(Body-Body or Body-Ground connections) when the Applied By property is set to Remote Attachment:

• Coordinate System: select a different coordinate system if desired.

• Mobile X Coordinate: enter a location value.

• Mobile Y Coordinate: enter a location value.

• Behavior: specify this property as either Rigid, Deformable, or Beam. Refer to the Geometry Beha-
viors and Support Specifications (p. 795) section for more information.

• Pinball Radius: enter a dimension value.

See the Beam Object Reference (p. 1953) page of the Help for additional information about the available
categories and properties.

Note:

• For Body-Ground beam connections, the reference side is fixed. For Body-Body beam connec-
tions, you must define the reference point for each body.

• The length of the beam connection must be greater than 0.0 with a tolerance of 1e-8 mm.

• The Body Views display is the default display.

• Beam connections support structural analyses only. In thermal stress analyses, beam connections
are assigned the environment temperature in the structural analysis. You can include a beam in
a thermal analysis by creating a line body and as a result providing for temperature transference.

The Beam Probe (p. 1605) results provide you the forces and moments in the beam from your analysis.

Spot Welds
You use the spot weld feature to connect individual solid and surface body parts together to form solid
or surface body model assemblies. Structural loads are transferred from one specific body part to another
via spot weld connection points. This enables you to simulate of solid and surface body model assemblies.

Spot Weld Details

Spot welds are usually defined in the CAD system and automatically generated upon import, although
you can define them manually in Mechanical after the model is imported. Spot welds become hard
points in the geometric model. Hard points are vertices in the geometry that are linked together using
Beam Elements during the meshing process.

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Setting Connections

Spot weld objects are located in a Connection Group (p. 889) folder. When selected in the tree, they
appear in the Geometry window highlighted by a black square around a white dot on the underlying
vertices and include an annotation.

If a model contains spot weld features in the CAD system and the Auto Detect Contact On Attach is
turned on in the Workbench option, Tools > Options>Mechanical, then Spot Weld objects are generated
when the model is read into the Mechanical. Spot weld objects will also get generated during geometry
refresh if the Generate Automatic Connection On Refresh is set to Yes in the Details view of the
Connections folder. This is similar to the way in which Mechanical automatically constructs contacts
when reading in assembly models and refreshing the geometry.

You can manually generate spot welds as you would insert any new object into the Outline. Either insert
a spot weld object from the context menu and then pick two appropriate vertices in the model, or pick
two appropriate vertices and then insert the spot weld object.

You can define spot welds for CAD models that do not have a spot weld feature in the CAD system, as
long as the model contains vertices at the desired locations. You must define spot welds manually in
these cases.

Spot Weld Application

Spot welds do not act to prevent penetration of the connected bodies in areas other than at the spot
weld location. Penetration of the joined bodies is possible in areas where spot welds do not exist.

Spot welds transfer structural loads and thermal loads as well as structural effects between solid, surface,
and line body parts. Therefore they are appropriate for displacement, stress, elastic strain, thermal, and
frequency solutions.

The DesignModeler and SpaceClaim applications can be used to generate spot welds. The only CAD
system whose spot welds can be fully realized in ANSYS Workbench at this time is NX. The APIs of the
remaining CAD systems either do not handle spot welds, or ANSYS Workbench does not read spot
welds from these other CAD systems.

End Releases
For line body models, the End Release feature enables you to free the degrees of freedom (translation
and rotation) at a vertex that is shared by two or more edges. You can free the constraint of multiple
edges at the vertex’s location, however, you must always keep at least one edge from being released.

Deformation results for a pin-jointed beam-based truss are shown in the following illustrations. The
loading is standard earth gravity. These examples illustrate some basic scoping scenarios.

Here is the Deformation with no End Release applied to the truss.

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 End Releases

This illustration depicts the Deformation of the truss with an End Release applied to the vertex and one
edge.

Here is the Deformation with an End Release applied to two independent edges.

Here is the Deformation with an End Release applied to the same two edges except that they are not
independent.

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Setting Connections

To add an End Release:

1. Add a Connections folder if one is not already in the tree, by highlighting the Model object and selecting
Connections from the Model Context Tab (p. 14) or by choosing Insert >Connections from the context
menu (right-click).

2. Add an End Release object by highlighting the Connections folder and selecting End Release from the
Connections Context Tab (p. 16) or by choosing Insert >End Release from the context menu (right-click).

3. Specify the Scoping Method as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.

4. Specify the Vertex Geometry and the Edge Geometry, respectively. The vertex must be one of the end
points of the selected edge or edges.

5. If you specified more than one edge for the Edge Geometry property, use the Independent Edges
property to specify whether the edges are independent of one another (Yes - default) or fixed together
(No).

6. Specify the Coordinate System as the Global Coordinate System, a local user-defined coordinate system,
or an Beam Coordinate System.

Note:

When you select the Beam Coordinate System option of the Coordinate System
property, Mechanical automatically creates an internal coordinate system (not visible in
the tree) that orients the End Release such that the x-axis is parallel to the edge(s) scoped
in the Edge Geometry property. This ease-of-use option enables quick definition of the
End Release when the specified Edge Geometry is not aligned with the Global Coordin-
ate System.

7. Specify the translational and/or rotational degrees of freedoms in X, Y and Z directions by changing axial
properties from Fixed to Free.

8. Based upon the configuration of your model, specify the connection Behavior property as either Coupled
(default) or Joint. This property uses coupling or a general joint, respectively.

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 Bearings

Notes
• The end release feature is only applicable in structural analyses that use the ANSYS solver. If you select a
different solver End Release objects are present, the environment folder becomes underdefined.

• An End Release object requires that the specified vertex must be contained on a line body and that the
vertex is connected to more than one edge.

• A vertex cannot be scoped to more than one end release object.

• You cannot apply the following boundary conditions to a vertex or an edge that is scoped to an end release.
If so, the object becomes underdefined and an error message is generated.

– Fixed Support

– Displacement

– Simply Supported

– Fixed Rotation

– Velocity

• You cannot apply the following remote boundary conditions to a vertex that is scoped to an end release. If
so, the object becomes underdefined and an error message is generated.

– Remote Displacement

– Remote Force

– Moment

– Point Mass

– Thermal Point Mass

– Spring

– Joint

Bearings
A bearing is a two-dimensional elastic element used to confine relative motion and rotation of a rotating
machinery part. Bearings are a critical support for Rotordynamics analyses and as such, a good bearing
design is essential to ensure stability of machinery parts under high speed rotations.

Similar to a spring, a bearing has the structural characteristics of longitudinal stiffness and damping. In
addition to these characteristics, bearings are enhanced with coupling stiffness and damping that serve
as resistive forces to movement of the machinery part in a rotation plane.

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Setting Connections

Bearings are supported by all Mechanical analysis types that use the Mechanical APDL solver.

Note:

• The damping characteristics are not applicable to Static Structural, Eigenvalue Buckling, undamped
Modal, and Response Spectrum analysis systems.

• While negative stiffness and/or damping characteristics are allowed in all the supported analysis
systems, users are cautioned to ensure its proper use, and check the results carefully.

• This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an End Release (p. 1048).

Scoping Requirements
Bearing scoping is limited to a single face, single edge, single vertex, or an external remote point. Sim-
ilar to a spring, there is a Mobile side and Reference side for the bearing connection. Based on the
Mobile and Reference side selections, a bearing can be made as a bearing connection between Body
to Ground or Body to Body.

Body to Ground Bearing

When specifying the Connection Type property as Body-Ground, the reference side is assumed to be
grounded (or fixed) and the mobile side is set to the scoped entity. Unlike Body-Ground springs, the location
of the reference side is set to that of the mobile side because they can be coincident during a linear ana-
lysis.

Body to Body Bearing

When specifying the Connection Type property as Body-Body, both the reference and mobile sides can
be set to the scoped geometric entities. Scoped entities of Mobile and Reference should be on two different
bodies and the Reference and Mobile locations should be in a selected rotation plane.

For more information about the use of a spring-damper bearing, see COMBI214 - 2D Spring-Damper
Bearing in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

Apply Bearing
To add a Bearing:

1. Add a Connections folder if one is not already in the tree, by highlighting the Model object and choosing
Connections from the Model Context Tab (p. 14) or by choosing Insert>Connections from the context
menu (right-click).

2. Add a Bearing object by selecting the Connections folder and then opening the Bearing drop-down
menu and then selecting the Body-Ground or the Body-Body option. You can also right-clicking on the
Connections folder and selecting Insert > Bearing from the context menu. This method specifies the
Connection Type property as Body-Ground by default.

3. Under the Definition category, specify the Rotation Plane property for your model. Selections include:

• None (default)

• X-Y Plane

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 Bearings

• Y-Z Plane

• X-Z Plane

4. As required, define the stiffness coefficients (K11, K22, K12, K21) and the damping coefficients (C11, C12,
C21, C22). These may be entered as Constant values or using Tabular Data entries.

If you are defining your stiffness and damping coefficients as Tabular Data, they are dependent
upon Rotational Velocity (as provided in the first column of the Tabular Data window).

In addition, when Rotational Velocity-dependent bearings are used for Modal and Full Harmonic
Response analyses, the Coriolis Effect property (Analysis Settings>Rotordynamics) must be set
to On.

The application uses interpolated bearing properties for each Rotational Velocity defined in Modal
or Full Harmonic Response analyses. When there is no Rotational Velocity defined in the system,
the first entry of Bearing properties is used.

See COMBI214 - 2D Spring-Damper Bearing in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for additional
information as well as the example shown below.

5. Specify the following properties under the Reference and Mobile categories of the Body-Body Bearing
and Mobile group of Body-Ground bearing.

• Specify a Coordinate System. This property provides a drop-down list of available coordinate systems.
Global Coordinate System is the default.

• Define the Scoping Method as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection. The Scoping
Method may also be specified to a user-defined Remote Point, if available.

• Specify the Connection Behavior as either Rigid (default), Deformable, or Beam. If the Scope Method
property of the Bearing is set to Remote Point, the Bearing will then assume the Behavior defined in
the referenced Remote Point as well as other related properties. The Behavior formulation Coupled is
not supported for Bearings.

• As needed, specify a Pinball Region. Use the Pinball Region to define where the bearing attaches to
face(s) or edge(s) if the default location is not desirable. By default, the entire face/edge is tied to the
bearing element. In the event that this is not desirable, you can choose to enter a Pinball Region value.
For example, your topology could have a large number of nodes leading to solution processing ineffi-
ciencies. Or, if there is overlap between the bearing's scoped faces and another displacement boundary
condition, you could experience over-constraint and possible solver failure.

Note:

• The Pinball Region and Behavior settings are applicable to underlying bodies that are flexible.

• The Pinball Region and Behavior settings are not applicable to a Bearing scoped to the vertex
of line body.

• A Bearing is classified as a remote boundary condition. Refer to the Remote Boundary Condi-
tions (p. 1416) section for a listing of all remote boundary conditions and their characteristics.

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Setting Connections

The following examples illustrates Bearings for Body-Ground or Body-Body with customized Details
settings.

Body-Ground

Body-Body

The stiffness characteristics K11, K22, K12, and K21, and damping characteristics C11, C22, C12, and C21
are used to model four spring-damper sets in a plane of a rotating shaft in this example. For more in-
formation about the spring-damper orientation, see COMBI214 - 2D Spring-Damper Bearing in the
Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

The bearing is created on a face of the shaft that is perpendicular to the Z-axis. As the Z-axis is the ro-
tating axis of the shaft, the X-Y Plane is selected for the Rotation Plane option. While the bearing in this
example is defined using Global Coordinate System, it can also be defined with a user-defined local
coordinate system. When changing from one coordinate system to another, the Bearing needs the
scoping to be updated to desired location for the new coordinate system.

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 Bearings

For a bearing to be modeled properly, the location of the reference side and the mobile side must lie
in the selected rotation plane.

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Working with Substructures
Substructuring is currently supported for Harmonic Response (p. 266) (MSUP only), Modal (p. 283), Random
Vibration (p. 291), Response Spectrum (p. 298), and Rigid Dynamics (p. 340) analyses with the help of the
Condensed Part feature. Each Condensed Part enables you to treat a set of bodies as a single supere-
lement consisting of matrices and load vectors with far fewer degrees of freedom than the full finite
element mesh. By summarizing the mechanical behavior of the bodies, they can be assembled together
to synthesize the response of a more complex structure, or to model flexible bodies in the Rigid Dynamics
solver.

Mechanical provides the facilities to generate superelements (Condensed Parts (p. 1984)), to use them,
and to expand their solutions (Expansion Settings (p. 2019)).

Condensed Parts
Condensed Parts are defined by three key pieces of information:

• a group of bodies whose elements are to be reduced to a superelement.

• a set of interfaces defining the master nodes that should be retained in the generated superelement.

• a list of solution settings that control the reduction process.

The workflow of Condensed Geometry involves the following operations:

1. Generation: The preliminary computation, the "Generation Pass," reduces the Condensed Part bodies
into a single superelement and its master nodes, located on the defined interfaces. The remaining
interior nodes become hidden from the analyses that use the Condensed Part.

2. Use: Once your Condensed Parts are properly defined and generated, they can be used in the solution
(the "Use Pass"). By hiding the interior nodes, flexible bodies can be included in a Rigid Dynamics
analysis when they are included in a Condensed Part. They can also be assembled together in Modal
analyses to compose the overall vibration properties of a more complex structure.

3. Expansion: Following the Use Pass, you can obtain results within the interior of a Condensed Geometry
using an "Expansion Pass."

For a Rigid Dynamics analysis, additional results can be produced by the Generation Pass to allow a
faster expansion, which doesn't need to go back to the finite element model to compute stresses and
deformation on a condensed part (see Expansion (p. 1063)).

Note:

The solver ignores any Material Dependent Damping (Damping Ratio and Constant Struc-
tural Damping Coefficient material properties) specified in the material assigned to the
bodies included in Condensed Part(s). Material dependent damping is defined in Engineering
Data.

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Working with Substructures

Analysis File Management

To improve solution processing times and memory usage when solving the Use Pass and Expansion
Pass, the Mechanical APDL Solver (required) refers to the prerequisite files generated by the upstream
condensed parts using the entire path to their location. See the SEOPT and MODDIR commands in the
Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more information.

The following sections examine, in greater detail, the use of the substructuring/Condensed Part features.
Condensed Part Overview
Condensed Part Application
Condensed Part Worksheet
Expansion
Limitations
Best Practices

Condensed Part Overview

The feature is applied at the Model-level of the tree. To properly define a Condensed Part (p. 1984) object,
you need to configure the following:

• A group of bodies

• A set of interfaces

• Solution settings

Condensed Part Bodies and Interconnections

You create a Condensed Part from one or more interconnected bodies.

Important:

Because the resulting superelement is linear, any nonlinearities in the Condensed Part
elements, materials, and interior connections are ignored.

When defining a Condensed Part using multiple bodies, the following connections may be included
within:

• Beam Connections (p. 1953)

• Bonded (p. 907) Contact

• Distributed Mass (p. 2010)

• Fixed Joint (p. 2104)

• Point Mass (p. 2166)

• Spring (p. 2218)

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 Condensed Part Overview

• Shared topology

General Restrictions for Part Bodies and Interior Connections

• Cyclic Symmetry is not supported.

• Rigid bodies may be used, but it is best for at least one body to be flexible.

• Elements cannot use Lagrange multipliers. For example, interior contact regions cannot use the
Normal Lagrange Formulation (p. 913).

Part Bodies and Interconnection Solver Restrictions (ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver)

• Multi-body parts must be fully contained in a single Condensed Part, i.e., partial selections are in-
valid. You may however use several multi-body parts in a single Condensed Part.

• The single connected component must produce six rigid modes. An insufficient number of modes
will cause the Use Pass not to converge. An excess of modes can usually be remedied by breaking
the Condensed Part into smaller rigidly connected components.

Interfaces
An interface defines the master nodes for the resulting superelement and therefore suggests how a
Condensed Part could connect to the rest of the model. In Mechanical, an interface table lists each of
these connections, detailing their Type, Side, and Name. Supported interface types are based on:

• Geometry: Geometry interfaces directly expose all nodes on a particular topology, e.g., on a vertex,
face or edge. These master nodes are thus suitable for the application of boundary conditions such as
contacts and supports.

• Remote Points. These entries expose remote points as master nodes, while hiding interior nodes on
the underlying topology that attach to them. Common examples include the Mobile or Reference side
of Joints and Springs and the scoping of Point Masses and Remote Points. This is the only type of interface
supported for the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver.

• Named Selections: Named Selections can be used to expose any node as a master node, with the help
of criterion-based Named Selection. For example, selected internal nodes within a condensed part
volume could be relegated to the interface in order to produce a higher resolution of the structure's
inertial or flexibility behavior

• Connections: Contact Region, Joint, etc.

Note:

For a Contact Region interface of a Condensed Part, when the Trim Contact (p. 910)
property is set to On, the generation of the Condensed Part trims the contact nodes
on the interface and uses the trimmed nodes as the Master Degrees of Freedom for
the generation pass. The reduction of the number of nodes can significantly improve
the performance of the generation pass. When you select the Condensed Part object
after the generation pass, the application displays the trimmed nodes in the Geometry
window for the Contact Region Interface instead of the actual Contact Region
scoping.

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Working with Substructures

• Loads and Supports: Fixed Supports, Displacements, etc.

• Point Masses

General interfaces each contribute the number of nodes on their topology and remote interfaces each
contribute a single node.

Important:

When a Condensed Part Interface includes overlapping faces, edges, vertices, or nodes, where
constraint equations are applied (such as remote points or MPC-based contact (p. 913)), the
solver may disqualify master node DOFs in the generation pass. This may interfere with the
use pass solve as well as postprocessing later on.

Note:

When duplicate DOFs are disqualified and eliminated during the Generation Pass, the Rigid
Dynamics solver issues an error and aborts the Use Pass.

Interface Solver Restrictions (ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver)

Only interfaces that are based on Remote Points are presently recognized by the Rigid Dynamics solver
(Joints, Springs, Point Masses, and Remote Points). In addition, a Remote Point must have all six DOFs with
an interface treatment of either Rigid or Deformable.

Condensed Part Application

This section describes the steps to define Condensed Geometry objects (p. 1983). You should review all
of the associated documentation so that you understand the application-driven actions that take place
as well as the inherent limitations of the feature.

The operation of condensing parts in Mechanical is largely automated. For example, Mechanical provides
facilities that analyze the connectivity of the bodies in the model and group them into Condensed Parts.
Connections are classified as interior or exterior (interfaces).

Application
To create a Condensed Part:

1. From the Workbench Project Schematic, create an analysis system. This feature is available for Har-
monic Response (p. 266) (MSUP only), Modal (p. 283), Random Vibration (p. 291), Response Spec-
trum (p. 298), and Rigid Dynamics (p. 340) analyses.

2. For your system, select a geometry and open Mechanical

3. Create and define the applicable boundary conditions and connections, that is Joints, Springs, Point
Mass, Remote Points, Supports and/or Contacts. For Modal analyses, you may also define Supports.
In Rigid Dynamics analyses, open the Geometry folder and specify the desired connected parts as
Flexible. These parts will be converted to Condensed Parts following the completion of the steps
below.

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 Condensed Part Application

4. Select the Model to insert a Condensed Geometry object in the tree.

Note:

The application automatically inserts the Expansion Settings object under the
Solution folder when a Condensed Geometry object is created.

5. From the Condensed Geometry object, you can create your condensed parts using Create Automatic
Condensed Parts, following the object's context menu or you can insert individual Condensed Part
objects in the tree.

The application provides two automatic methods for defining interfaces for a Condensed Part
using the context menu (right-click) options:

• Create Automatic Condensed Part: this option selects the bodies and detects the interfaces
and defines new Condensed Part objects. For example, in Rigid Dynamics analyses, flexible
bodies may be grouped into condensed parts and linked to other bodies through joints at
the interfaces.

• Detect Condensed Part Interface: this option automatically suggests interfaces. This is es-
pecially useful should you manually select bodies for your Condensed Parts for greater
granularity.

Note:

The Condensed Part object displays the number of superelement master nodes
resulting from interfaces in the Details view.

See the object reference pages for Condensed Geometry (p. 1983) and Condensed Part (p. 1984)
for descriptions of all associated Details view properties.

6. Insert desired results. This feature supports Deformation, Stress, and Strain results.

7. Solve the analysis.

8. As desired, you can obtain results in the original elements within the Condensed Part by selecting
the Expansion Settings object and displaying the Worksheet. Select desired Condensed Part(s).

It is possible to add or remove interfaces directly on the Interfaces Worksheet using its context
menus. This is especially useful for specifying new remote interfaces not already automatically
detected. Mechanical attempts to verify all interface selections during the Generation and Use
Passes and issues a warning should any be missing. Mechanical also tracks operations that re-
move and suppress upstream objects affecting the interface and reacts accordingly.

Note:

To delete a Condensed Geometry object, it is necessary to clean and remove any generated
Condensed Parts. Similarly, to delete an Expansion Settings object, it is necessary to clean
any generated data.

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Working with Substructures

Condensed Part Worksheet

The Worksheet for the Condensed Part object is illustrated below. The Worksheet populates when
you generate interfaces.

Column Description
Name This column displays the Name of the tree object.
Scope This column displays the scoping method used for the interface: Geometry Selection, Named
Method Selection (geometry- or node-based), Worksheet, Remote Point, and Free Standing.
Environment This column displays analysis system associated with the interface.
Name
Source This column displays how the interface is added. The field is set to Automatic when the
interface is inserted using the Condensed Part object option, Detect Condensed Part In-
terface or when you manually enter an interface using the Add option.
Type This column identifies the interface as either a General interface or a Remote interface. The
Remote option is assigned for remote boundary conditions (p. 1416). In addition, the Remote
option is the only option available for the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Solver.
Condition This column displays the contact condition for the interface. Whether it is a Contact Region
or a loading condition, Named Selection, Point Mass, etc.
Side This column displays the topology with which the interface connects with. As such, the
options include Contact, Target, Reference, Mobile, Master Geometry, or Slave Geometry.
See the Connections folder (p. 1988) section for more information.

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 Expansion

Once populated, the Worksheet provides the context (right-click) menu options illustrated below.

These common Worksheet options include:

• Go To Selected items: This option automatically selects and displays the corresponding object in the
tree Outline based on the Name of the selected row in the table. You can select multiple rows using
either the Ctrl or Shift keys to select and display multiple objects in the tree. Selected Outline objects
are also highlighted in the Geometry window by annotations, if you switch to that view.

• Add: This option adds a row to the Worksheet that you can then manually define.

• Delete: This option deletes the selected row. You can select multiple rows for deletion using either the
Ctrl or Shift keys. The Delete key can also be used to delete table rows.

Expansion
The solution of an analysis containing a Condensed Part immediately produces the results at the
Condensed Part interface, i.e., at the master nodes. In order to obtain results on the original bodies in
the Condensed Part an optional calculation called an "Expansion Pass" is necessary. Mechanical furnishes
an Expansion Settings object (p. 2019) for this purpose.

When you expand results on selected Condensed Parts in the Expansion Settings Worksheet, the
application uses the settings of the Distribute Solution and the Max number of utilized cores options
defined in the Advanced Settings of the Solve Process Settings (p. 1716) dialog.

Note:

• You cannot currently run expansions for Random Vibration (p. 291) and Response Spectrum (p. 298)
analyses.

• For a Rigid Dynamics analysis, additional results can be produced by the Generation Pass to allow
a faster expansion. To enable this faster expansion, set the Condensed Part Expansion field in
the Details panel of the Expansion Settings object to On Demand. Then insert Stress or Displace-
ment results under the Solution object and evaluate them.

Using the Worksheet on the Expansion Settings object you can request that results be expanded
within each Condensed Part separately and incrementally. Keep in mind that any unexpanded Condensed
Parts will not display in results or animations. Once an expansion is requested, it will be automatically
performed upon evaluating an affected result. It is possible to run expansions by themselves, which

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Working with Substructures

will obsolete any affected results. It is possible to run expansions separately using Run Expansions
Only, and to clean their generated data, both of which will obsolete any affected results.

Note:

Do not use the Worksheet if you set the Condensed Part Expansion field in the details
panel of the Expansion Settings object to On Demand in a Rigid Dynamics analysis. Making
any selections in the Worksheet will cancel the on demand expansion.

The Expansion Settings object is automatically inserted when the Condensed Geometry object is in-
serted into the Outline.

Note:

• Unless you do an expansion, you may not detect the minimum or maximum results since they
may reside within the condensed part. Review results carefully.

• Commands object Snippets targeting the Mechanical APDL solver are not supported.

• Velocity and Acceleration results are not presently supported for flexible bodies.

Limitations

General
Note the following general limitations associated with the definition of Condensed Parts:

• The application always performs the Generation Pass, Use Pass, and Expansion Pass processes on your
local machine.

• You cannot scope result Probes to objects which are fully contained inside any Condensed Part. Joints
and Springs can be fully contained inside a condensed part if the topologies of both the reference and
the mobile scoping are on bodies that belong to the Geometry Selection scoping of the same Condensed
Part.

• When you have active Expansion Settings (p. 2019) is the Worksheet and you set the Scoping Method
property for a result to Result File Item (p. 1507), the only supported option for the Item Type property
is Component Name. In addition, for this specification, Material IDs and Element Name IDs are not
available for the Material and Element Type Information selection on the Solution Quantities and
Result Summary (p. 1473) page of the Worksheet.

• Contact and Target contact may get flipped internally to meet Condensed Part requirements.

• The edge-edge contact between a shell body and beam body is not supported when the Target side
of the contact pair is on the shell body that belongs to a Condensed Part.

• Elements cannot use Lagrange multipliers, such as interior contact regions cannot using the Normal
Lagrange Formulation.

• The following are not supported:

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 Limitations

– ANSYS Remote Solve Manager (RSM)

– Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes (Expansion Pass only)

– Joints internal to a Condensed Part

– Pipe Idealization

– Spot Weld connections

– Cyclic Symmetry

– The Detect Condensed Part Interface option does not detect imported loads or connections,
however, they can be added manually.

• The Rotational Velocity and Thermal Condition loads are only supported on a non-condensed part.

• Once you have scoped and generated Condensed Parts, any mesh modifications made to the parts (p. 2154)
of the model that do not belong to the generated Condensed Parts, do not require you to regenerate
the Condensed Parts. That is, Condensed Parts maintain an up-to-date status following mesh changes
to other model parts. However, there are a few exceptions. If you have imported your model using ex-
ternal systems, External Model and/or Mechanical Model systems, any geometry modifications to
geometries not specified as a Condensed Part, do cause the Condensed Parts to become obsolete and
require regeneration. In addition, the use of features such as Mesh Edit, Element Orientation, or Mesh
Numbering objects cause up-to-date Condensed Parts to become obsolete and require regeneration.

• Condensed Parts require regeneration if you make any geometry modifications in the CAD application.
This applies even if you have the Smart CAD Update option (SpaceClaim only) of the Advanced
Geometry Options in Geometry cell properties of the Project Schematic. See the Geometry Preferences
section in the CAD Integration documentation for more information.

• When importing mechdat files, the Solution is displayed in an unsolved state.

Note:

For additional restriction information, see the MATRIX50 Element Description in the Mechan-
ical APDL Element Reference as well as the Assumptions and Restrictions (within Superelement)
topic in the Substructuring Analysis section of the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

Rigid Dynamics Analyses

Note the following Rigid Dynamics specific limitations associated with the definition of Condensed
Parts:

• You can apply loading conditions only to the interfaces of Condensed Parts. Remote Displacements
and Remote Forces applied to the Condensed Parts using geometry selection, must match the scoping
of an interface of the Condensed Part, or be applied directly via Remote Point selection. Inertial loads
are automatically applied on all Condensed Parts by the RBD solver.

• Contact cannot be used to connect Condensed Parts with the rest of the model.

• For On Demand Expansion, the supported results are Total Deformation, Directional Deformation, and
all Stress and Strain results except the vector Principal. The limitations on these supported results are:

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Working with Substructures

– Only global CS evaluation is supported.

– For the stress and strain results, only the averaged results display is supported.

Modal Analyses
Note the following Modal Analysis specific limitations associated with the definition of Condensed Parts:

• Rigid bodies are supported but it is best that at least one body be Flexible.

• Rotational Velocity and Thermal Condition loads cannot be scoped to a Condensed Part.

• Fracture Analysis is not supported when Condensed Parts are defined in the model.

Random Vibration and Response Spectrum Analyses

You cannot currently run expansions for Random Vibration (p. 291) and Response Spectrum (p. 298)
analyses.

Best Practices

General
You should use the same setting for the number of cores for the generation process for all condensed
parts as well as your solution as defined by the Distribute Solution option in the Advanced Settings
of the Solve Process Settings (p. 1716) dialog.

Important:

The application does not currently support the use of the Remote Solve Manager (RSM) when
solving analyses with substructures.

Rigid Dynamics Analyses

Review the following recommendations when you are defining Condensed Parts.

Analysis Settings
For the Solver Controls (p. 1117) property, Time Integration Type, of the Analysis Settings, the default
option is Program Controlled. This option automatically uses the Implicit Generalized Alpha setting.
ANSYS recommends the use of generalized implicit time integration. The Runge-Kutta explicit time integ-
ration options may lead to small time steps and consequently significant computation effort during the
Use Pass. Older models (prior to R17.0) may be specified to use a Runge-Kutta option by default. If so, the
processing requirements will be significant during the Use pass. It is also recommended to set Energy

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 Best Practices

Accuracy Tolerance property to Program Controlled for better performance during implicit time integ-
ration.

Note:

For additional information, see the Analysis Settings Help for the Nonlinear Controls
for Rigid Dynamics Analyses (p. 1150).

The number of stored results points has a direct effect on the computational efforts required by
Expansion Pass. It is therefore recommended that you specify the Store Results At property of the
Output Controls (p. 1151), in the Analysis Settings, as Equally Spaced Points and set the Value
property accordingly to limit the number of result time points and to reduce the processing require-
ments of the expansion.

Analyses Using the Mechanical APDL Solver

You should use the same setting for the number of cores for the generation process for all condensed
parts as well as your solution and expansion(s) as defined by the Distribute Solution option in the
Advanced Settings of the Solve Process Settings (p. 1716) dialog.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis
Fracture analysis deals with the computation of fracture parameters that help you design within the
limits of catastrophic failure of a structure. Fracture analysis assumes the presence of a crack in the
structure. The fracture parameters computed are Stress Intensity Factors (SIFS), J-Integral (JINT), Energy
Release Rates, Material Force, T-Stress and C*-Integral.

When a crack is associated with a SMART Crack Growth (p. 1095) you can also compute Equivalent SIFS
Range fracture results and time history results (Fracture Probes (p. 1606)) on any crack front node.

A Fracture analysis requires that you define a crack using an available crack definition. Since fracture
parameter calculation requires knowledge of the mesh characteristics around the crack, the mesh must
be generated before solving for fracture parameters. Fracture parameter computation is only applicable
to Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses.

The following sections further describe the aspects of a Fracture Analysis as well as additional features
available in the Fracture object of the application.
Fracture Analysis Workflows
Limitations of Fracture Analysis
Fracture Meshing
Cracks
SMART Crack Growth
Interface Delamination and Contact Debonding
Multi-Point Constraint (MPC) Contact for Fracture

Additional topics include:

Solving a Fracture Analysis (p. 1820)

Fracture Results (p. 1554)
Fracture Probes (p. 1606) (Supported when a crack is associated with a SMART Crack Growth.)

See the Fracture Analysis Guide for additional information about fracture analyses. You may also wish
to review the Fracture Analysis Benchmarks section of the Fracture Analysis Guide. This section provides
a set of benchmark examples that you can use to evaluate fracture-analysis capabilities. The benchmark
results are compared with results from reference calculations, handbook solutions, and experimental
testing.

Fracture Analysis Workflows

A Fracture analysis can be performed in two stages:

1. Defining a crack and computing fracture parameters.

Fracture parameters help to design engineering structures within limits of catastrophic failure. You
can define a crack and compute the needed fracture parameters in below three ways:

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

• Define Crack Location using the Semi-Elliptical Crack Object.

• Define an Arbitrary Crack using a Surface Body.

• Imported Crack Mesh (Pre-Meshed Crack).

2. Analyze/study the crack growth.

Crack growth can be studied using SMART Crack Growth (p. 1095) object which provides two crack
growth options:

• Fatigue: Use to model structures subjected to cyclic loading. Fatigue crack growth model used is
Paris’ law.

• Static: Crack growth modeling is based on selected fracture parameters (SIFS or J-Integral) and
criteria.
For additional technical information, refer to the Understanding Crack-Growth Mechanics section in
the Mechanical APDL Fracture Analysis Guide.

This section describes the typical workflow for computing fracture parameters in the static structural
analysis that contains cracks. The typical workflows are shown below:

Note:

For all workflows, the static structural analysis supports imported thermal loads from both
steady-state thermal or transient thermal analysis by linking the set up cell of the static
structural analysis to the upstream steady-state thermal or transient thermal analysis.

Define Crack Location using the Semi-Elliptical Crack Object

The steps shown below describe setting up the fracture analysis when using the Semi-Elliptical
Crack (p. 2203) object.

Note:

You can also use these steps to compute fracture parameters in a Transient Structural ana-
lysis that contains cracks.

1. In ANSYS Workbench, insert a Static Structural analysis in the project schematic.

2. Input geometry.

3. Launch Mechanical.

4. Locate a coordinate system with a graphic pick point, coordinates, or topology. The coordinate system
must be located on the surface.

5. Align the axes of the coordinate system of the crack. The specified coordinate system's y-axis must be
pointing in the direction normal to the crack surface. For cracks lying on curved surfaces, ensure that the
coordinate system's x-axis is pointing normal to the surface of the body at the coordinate system location.
See Creating a Coordinate System Based on a Surface Normal (p. 881) for details on how to orient such a
coordinate system on a curved surface.

6. Insert a Fracture folder in the Tree Outline.

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 Fracture Analysis Workflows

7. Insert a Semi-Elliptical Crack object under the Fracture folder.

8. Specify the Semi-Elliptical Crack object details.

9. Generate the mesh by right-clicking the Fracture folder and selecting Generate All Crack Meshes.

10. Apply loads and boundary conditions. As needed, apply pressure on the crack face using a Nodal Pres-
sure (p. 1406). Nodal pressure can be scoped using the automatically generated crack face Named Selection
created under the crack object.

11. Ensure the Fracture setting under Fracture Controls (p. 1131) in the Analysis Settings is turned On.

12. Solve.

13. Add the Fracture Tool (p. 2030) and desired fracture results.

14. Post process the fracture results.

15. Export to Excel or copy/paste from the chart if necessary.

Define an Arbitrary Crack using a Surface Body

The steps shown below describe how to set up a fracture analysis using the Arbitrary Crack object
during a Static Structural analysis. You can follow same steps to set up fracture analysis for a Transient
Structural Analysis.

1. From ANSYS Workbench, insert a Static Structural analysis into the Project Schematic.

2. Input the geometry, which has a surface body (and will represent crack surface). The crack surface must
intersect with at least one face of a solid body and must not be embedded inside of the solid body.

3. Launch Mechanical.

4. Create a Coordinate System. The Y axis must be directed towards the normal of the crack's top face and
the X axis helps to determine the crack extension direction.

5. Insert a Fracture folder in to the tree Outline.

6. Using the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18) or the context menu (right-click the folder), insert an Arbitrary
Crack object into the Fracture folder.

7. Specify the properties of the Arbitrary Crack object (p. 1951).

8. Right-click the Fracture folder and select Generate All Crack Meshes to generate the mesh.

9. Apply loads and boundary conditions. As needed, apply pressure on the crack face using the Nodal
Pressure (p. 1406) boundary condition. You can scope this boundary condition using the automatically
generated crack-face Named Selection created under the object.

10. Make sure that the Fracture property under the Fracture Controls (p. 1131) of the Analysis Settings is
turned to On.

11. Solve.

12. Add the Fracture Tool (p. 2030) and scope it to the Arbitrary Crack object and add desired fracture results.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

13. Post process the fracture result.

14. Export to Excel or copy/paste from the chart if necessary.

Supplementary Steps to Define Arbitrary Crack on Imported Base Mesh

Use the following steps to configure your simulation on the Project Schematic in order to specify an
Arbitrary Crack on a mesh imported from External Model.

1. From ANSYS Workbench, insert an External Model system into the Project Schematic.

2. Open the External Model tab and select the desired .cdb-based mesh that contains a solid body (that
may also contain a surface body to define the crack shape) with tetrahedron mesh. Return to the Project
page and update the system.

Note:

If the imported .cdb- based mesh file contains a surface body that can be used to define
the crack shape, you can jump to Step 6.

3. Insert a Mechanical Model system.

Note:

If the imported .cdb-based mesh doesn't contain a surface body, then the Mechanical
Model system is required to import the surface body (including its mesh) individually
for later use when defining the Arbitrary Crack surface.

4. Using the Geometry cell of the Mechanical Model system, specify a surface body. This surface body rep-
resents crack surface. The crack surface must intersect with at least one face of the solid body specified
in the External Model system and must not be embedded inside of the solid body.

5. Update the Mechanical Model system

6. Insert a Static Structural analysis.

7. Connect the fully-defined External Model and Mechanical Model (if defined above) upstream systems to
the downstream Static Structural analysis.

Note:

Review Assembling External Models and Mechanical Models (p. 721) section for additional
information.

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 Fracture Analysis Workflows

8. Launch Mechanical from the Static Structural system and then follow the steps from the above Define
an Arbitrary Crack using a Surface Body topic, beginning with Step 4.

Important:

Arbitrary Crack mesh generated on an imported base mesh could affect the existing
mesh (nodal and element) based Named Selection objects.

Imported Crack Mesh (Pre-Meshed Crack)

This workflow describes using the Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 2171) object for the computation of fracture
parameters in 2D and 3D analysis using imported crack mesh. You can follow same steps to set up a
Fracture analysis for a Transient Structural Analysis.

1. From ANSYS Workbench, insert an External Model system into the Project Schematic.

2. Open the External Model tab and select the desired .cdb-based mesh that contains the crack mesh and
its definition. Return to the Project page and update the system.

3. Insert a Static Structural analysis in the Project Schematic.

4. Connect the Setup cell of the External Model system to Model cell of the Static Structural system.

5. Launch Mechanical.

6. Create a Coordinate System with a Y axis perpendicular to the crack faces.

7. Insert a Fracture folder in the Outline.

8. Insert a Pre-Meshed Crack object under the Fracture folder.

9. Specify the Pre-Meshed Crack object details.

10. Associate the Pre-Meshed Crack object with the newly created Coordinate System.

11. Apply load and boundary conditions.

Note:

You cannot apply Pressure loads to the crack face. You can only apply Nodal Pres-
sures (p. 1406) on a structured mesh via node-based Named Selections for the nodes de-
fining the crack face.

12. Ensure the Fracture setting under Fracture Controls (p. 1131) in the Analysis Settings is turned On.

13. Solve.

14. Add the Fracture Tool (p. 2030) and desired fracture results.

15. Post process the fracture results.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

16. Export to Excel or copy/paste from the chart if necessary.

Note:

In 2D, you can draw the crack in the same model using DesignModeler and generate the
crack mesh using the mesh connection feature.

Limitations of Fracture Analysis

This section describes the limitations for the generation of a crack mesh using a Semi-Elliptical Crack
object (p. 2203) or an Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951) object. It also describes the limitations in the computation
of fracture parameters using the Semi-Elliptical Crack object, Arbitrary Crack, and Pre-Meshed Crack
object (p. 2171).

1. A Fracture analysis does not support adaptive mesh refinement.

2. For Semi-Elliptical Crack and Arbitrary Crack objects, crack meshing is supported only when the base mesh
is quadratic tetrahedron mesh. Linear elements may exist farther away from the buffer zone on the same
body to which the Semi-Elliptical Crack and Arbitrary Crack is scoped.

3. Only 3D analyses support Semi-Elliptical and Arbitrary cracks.

4. You can scope a Semi-Elliptical crack to one body only and the crack cannot span more than one face. The
base mesh on that body must be quadratic tetrahedron mesh.

5. The stiffness behavior of the scoped geometry selection of the Semi-Elliptical Crack/Arbitrary Crack
object must be flexible.

6. You can scope a geometry selection of an Arbitrary Crack to one solid body only. And, you can scope a
Crack Surface to single surface body only, and the surface body cannot be embedded inside of the solid
body.

7. The scoped crack front nodal selection of the Pre-Meshed Crack object must exist in geometries with a
flexible stiffness behavior definition.

8. Arbitrary Cracks can only be meshed with the Tetrahedrons Mesh Method (Mesh Method set to Tetrahed-
rons).

9. Fracture parameter computations based on the VCCT technique are only supported for lower order crack
mesh. Hence, VCCT based fracture parameter computations are only supported for Pre-Meshed Crack
object.

10. Solution Restarts are not supported with the computation of fracture parameters. Solution Restarts can be
used for solving an analysis of cracks without computing the fracture parameters by setting the Fracture
property setting under Fracture Controls (p. 1131) of the Analysis Settings to Off.

11. The Semi-Elliptical/Arbitrary crack top and bottom face nodes are not connected through any constraint
equation. So the nodes of the top face can penetrate the bottom face or vice versa based on the applied
loads and constraints. In these scenarios, you may need to create a constraint equation between crack
faces during solution using the Commands object.

12. The graphical view of the Semi-Elliptical crack may differ from the generated mesh. For more information,
see the section on Cracks (p. 1081).

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 Fracture Meshing

13. The Semi-Elliptical Crack and Arbitrary Crack objects are not supported for Cyclic Symmetry Region and
Structural Linear Periodic Symmetry Region objects.

14. Interpolated displacements for the facets in a surface construction object may fail to demonstrate the
proper deformation of a Semi-Elliptical crack. For more information, see Surface Displays and Fracture (p. 1462).

15. The Fracture Tool (p. 2030) cannot be used to extract fracture results if the result files are loaded using the
Read Result Files option.

Fracture Meshing
The Meshing application supports fracture meshing capabilities enabling you to insert multiple surface
cracks into a mesh. These fracture meshes can then be used to analyze crack fronts in static structural
and transient structural analyses. Fracture meshing uses a Fracture (p. 2029) object that can contain
multiple Semi-Elliptical Crack (p. 2203) and/or Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951) objects.

For Semi-Elliptical cracks, the Mesh Method property specifies that the mesh be Hex Dominant (default)
or Tetrahedrons.

The following figure illustrates many of the components of fracture meshing that are discussed
throughout this section. This figure is a sliced top view of a semi-elliptical crack.

Overview of Fracture Meshing Components

1. Body to which the semi-elliptical crack is scoped.

2. Base mesh, which always consists of quadratic tetrahedron elements. For the generation of fracture mesh,
the base mesh inside and surrounding the region of the buffer zone (3) must be a quadratic tetrahedron
mesh. However, non-tetrahedron/linear mesh may exist farther away from the buffer zone on the same
body to which the semi-elliptical crack is scoped.

3. Buffer zone, which is always filled with quadratic tetrahedron elements.

4. Interface between the buffer zone (3) and the fracture affected zone (5), illustrated by the green line.
Contact pair 1 is defined at the interface between the elements in the buffer zone and the elements in the
fracture affected zone.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

5. Fracture affected zone, which is filled with quadratic elements (hex and wedge).

6. Crack front, located along the crack shape and illustrated by the red line. The crack shape is semi-elliptical.

7. Discontinuity planes, illustrated by the light blue shading. Consist of two planes at the same location (the
crack front plane).

Note:

When you specify the Mesh Method property as Tetrahedrons to mesh a Semi-Ellipt-
ical Crack, the application does not create the Fracture Affected Zone (Step 5) and as
a result the Interface (Step 4) does not exist. All other components remain the same.

Characteristics and Limitations of Fracture Meshing

Remember the following information when using fracture meshing:

• Fracture meshing is a post mesh process in that it occurs in a separate step after the base mesh is generated.
If you do not generate a base mesh before you invoke Generate All Crack Meshes, the base mesh is gen-
erated first and the crack meshing occurs in a separate step after base meshing is complete.

• For the base mesh inside and surrounding the region of the buffer zone, fracture meshing supports quad-
ratic tetrahedron elements only. Linear elements may exist farther away from the buffer zone on the same
body to which the Semi-Elliptical Crack or Arbitrary Crack is scoped.

• Fracture meshing is a part-based meshing operation. It is supported for all part/body-based tetrahedron
mesh methods. It is not supported for assembly meshing algorithms.

• Fracture meshing does not support insertion of a crack that spans multiple bodies.

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 Fracture Meshing

• The fracture mesh overrides the settings of the base mesh. You can insert a semi-elliptical crack and/or ar-
bitrary crack on topology to which a sizing control, match control, or mapped Face Meshing control is already
applied. However, fracture meshing does not respect sizing controls. It will also eliminate or disable a match
or mapped Face Meshing control. For example and as illustrated below, fracture meshing has overwritten
a mapped Face Meshing control.

• Fracture meshing supports semi-elliptical crack insertion on planar surfaces and curved surfaces. For curved
surfaces, you can insert semi-elliptical cracks on convex or concave surfaces. If you try to insert a single crack
that extends across a surface that has both types of curves, crack insertion may fail.

• Fracture meshing does not support semi-elliptical crack insertion at a corner.

• Fracture meshing does not support mesh refinement.

• Fracture meshing is supported for static structural and transient structural analyses only.

• Crack insertion does not alter the geometry/topology of a model.

• For Error Limits, fracture meshing supports the Standard Mechanical option only.

• Once inserted, the Fracture (p. 2029) object cannot be suppressed or deleted, even if it is empty.

• Semi-Elliptical Crack (p. 2203) and Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951) objects can be suppressed, deleted, or duplicated.
When a crack definition changes after meshing, only the Fracture (p. 2029) object in the tree Outline is inval-
idated.

• The semi-elliptical crack plane always lies in the X-Z plane of the specified coordinate system.

• The major radius of the semi-elliptical crack grows in the Z direction, and the minor radius grows in the
positive X direction of the specified coordinate system.

• The specified coordinate system should lie on the surface of the body to which the semi-elliptical crack is
scoped. If it does not, and the Project to Nearest Surface property is set to Yes, the software projects the
coordinate system onto the body’s surface and modifies the center of the ellipse, as shown below.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

In this case, you will need to define the Hit Point Normal and orient the primary axis. The center of
the ellipse is moved in the X direction so the major radius of the semi-elliptical crack grows in the Z
direction, and the minor radius grows in the positive X direction of the specified coordinate system.
The offset projects back to the surface of the body, making the offset close to 0. The illustration below
shows the resultant mesh. For more information on creating a coordinate system aligned with a hit
point, see the Creating a Coordinate System Based on a Surface Normal (p. 881) section of the help.

• You can use the Annotation Preferences dialog box to toggle the visibility of annotations on Semi-Elliptical
Crack (p. 2203) objects. For details, refer to the Probe, Maximum, and Minimum (p. 31) section of the help.

• As illustrated by the figure below, the mesh generated for the mesh contours (black lines) will not necessarily
match the preview of the mesh contours (white lines).

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 Fracture Meshing

• When cracks are inserted in curved surfaces, the projection of the crack template on the surface may be
slightly distorted on the template, as shown in the following figure.

• Illustrated below is the graphics preview of a semi-elliptical crack that uses the Tetrahedrons Mesh Method.
The graphics preview always shows the structured hex dominant shape irrespective of the mesh method
selection. It does not accurately represent the generated crack mesh as compared to the generated crack
mesh image. However, you can use the preview to examine the effect of the mesh parameters on the gen-
erated crack mesh.

Graphics Preview Generated Crack Mesh - Tetrahedrons

Mesh Method

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

• When the Mesh Method property is set to Tetrahedrons, then meshing a Semi-Elliptical crack and/or Arbitrary
crack does not generate contact pairs in the interface region of the crack mesh and base mesh.

• Arbitrary crack supports both planar and non-planar crack.

• Arbitrary cracks support surface cracks. An Arbitrary crack does not support embedded cracks.

• The Arbitrary crack surface must be located on the surface of a solid body.

• Fracture meshing of Arbitrary cracks automatically detects proper intersection points between the crack
surface body and its scoped geometry selection to extract the crack front. The image shown below shows
that even if the crack surface is extended beyond the surface of the scoped geometry selection, the crack
front nodes only include the intersection points and the points that are located inside of the surface.

• When generating the mesh for an Arbitrary crack, it is required that the coordinate system is selected such
that the crack surface is located on both sides of the Z axis and that the crack top face is located in the
positive Y axis.

• Arbitrary cracks only support crack mesh generation using Tetrahedrons as the Mesh Method.

• You can define a Semi-Elliptical crack and an Arbitrary crack on the same body as long as their buffer zones
do not intersect.

• The Arbitrary Crack mesh illustrated below displays the tetrahedrons as the mesh method used to generate
non-planar crack mesh. The crack front nodes of the generated crack mesh are extracted from the intersection
points of the crack surface to the cylinder body.

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 Cracks

• For Semi-Elliptical cracks with a Tetrahedron mesh, the Largest Contour Radius and Mesh Contours
properties affect the crack mesh only when the Front Element Size property is set to Default. These
properties do not have an effect on the crack mesh when the Front Element Size property is user defined.
For Arbitrary cracks the Largest Contour Radius and Mesh Contour properties do not have an effect on
the crack mesh.

Cracks
The following sections describe the crack definitions available for the Fracture feature.
Crack Overview
Defining a Semi-Elliptical Crack
Defining an Arbitrary Crack
Special Handling of Named Selections for Crack Objects
Defining a Pre-Meshed Crack

Crack Overview
A crack is characterized by its shape, crack front/tip, crack discontinuity plane, crack normal, and crack
direction. A crack front in three dimensional analyses represents the line of separation of the discon-
tinuous crack surface. The same is represented by a crack tip in two dimensional analyses. A crack
inside ANSYS Mechanical is defined using a Semi-Elliptical Crack object, an Arbitrary Crack object,
or a Pre-Meshed Crack object. These objects can be inserted under the Fracture folder.

Arbitrary Crack objects use a surface body selection to define an arbitrary crack shape in three di-
mensional analyses. The exterior edges of the surface body define the crack front and the surface itself
defines the discontinuous crack plane. Semi-Elliptical Crack objects uses the geometric parameters
to define the semi-elliptical crack shape and crack front in three dimensional analyses. These geometric
inputs along with additional input parameters on the arbitrary crack and semi-elliptical crack object
defines the region and shape of the generated crack mesh. Internally, the crack mesh generation is
performed after the creation of the base mesh. By default, the crack mesh generation automatically

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

creates a node-based named selection for the crack front under the Semi-Elliptical
Crack (p. 1083)/Arbitrary Crack (p. 1088) objects.

A Pre-Meshed Crack definition assumes that the crack meshes, representing the discontinuity or
flaw in the structure, have already been generated. In other words, the pre-meshed crack does not
internally generate the crack mesh using Fracture Meshing (p. 1075), as other crack objects do, but instead
assumes that the crack mesh has been generated beforehand. A Pre-Meshed Crack object uses a
node-based named selection to analyze crack front; this nodal named selection is required for the
computation of fracture parameters. If a geometric edge represents a crack front, you must first
convert it to a node-based named selection using the Worksheet criteria before it can be used by the
Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 1093) object. See the next section, Defining a Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 1093), for
more information on the Pre-Meshed Crack.

The orientation of the crack plays a vital role in the fracture parameter calculations. Semi-Elliptical
Crack and Pre-Meshed Crack objects supports planar cracks where the crack normal can be defined
using a single coordinate system. The orientation of a Semi-Elliptical Crack object is reflected by its
Crack Coordinate System, while the orientation of a Pre-Meshed Crack object is reflected by its
Coordinate System property setting. The orientation must be defined such that the y-axis is normal
to the crack surface while the x-axis helps align the crack extension direction. Arbitrary Cracks on
the other hand supports both planar and non-planar cracks. The orientation of an Arbitrary Crack
object is reflected by its Coordinate System property setting. A single coordinate system cannot
define the crack normal for non-planar cracks which is varying along the crack front. Hence, the Y
axis of the Coordinate System property setting is directed towards the crack top face normal and X
axis helps align the crack extension direction.

Tip:

To achieve coordinate system alignment to the face normal, create your coordinate system
as described in Creating a Coordinate System Based on a Surface Normal (p. 881) and assign
the created coordinate system to the Semi-Elliptical Crack object. You can also set the
Align with Face Normal property to Yes to generate a crack mesh whose coordinate
system is aligned to the face normal and that is reflected by the SECrack Coordinate
System object that is added under the Semi-Elliptical Crack object. Otherwise, the Semi-
Elliptical Crack object's coordinate system can be at an inclination to the face normal
direction. For the Pre-Meshed Crack and Arbitrary Crack objects, the origin of the co-
ordinate system must be located on the open side of the crack.

Note: The graphical view of the semi-elliptical crack may differ from the mesh generated. Possible
reasons include:

• A crack definition unsuitable for valid mesh creation may result in some layers being “peeled off” to
create a valid mesh.

• The crack contour may be shrunk to fit into the mesh domain.

• The crack coordinate system may be changed to align it to surface normal.

• The center of the crack may be changed to create the crack on the surface.

• The crack is meshed with gradation from the contour center to the outside results in difficulty distrib-
uting the crack mesh.

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 Cracks

• The offset of the crack is not suitable for the crack contour, resulting in a contour that must be reduced
to ensure all element contours fit into the template.

Defining a Semi-Elliptical Crack

The steps for defining a semi-elliptical crack are presented here.

1. Select the Model object in the Tree Outline.

2. Insert a Fracture (p. 2029) object into the tree by right-clicking on the Model object and selecting Insert
> Fracture from the context menu. Alternatively, select the Fracture option from the Define group on
the Model Context Tab (p. 14).

Note:

Only one Fracture object is valid per Model.

3. Insert a Semi-Elliptical Crack (p. 2203) object into the Tree by right-clicking on the Fracture object and
selecting Insert > Semi-Elliptical Crack from the context menu. Alternatively, click the Semi-Elliptical
Crack from the Crack group of the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18).

4. A semi-elliptical crack definition must always be scoped to a single solid body. Use the Body selection
filter to pick a body in the Geometry window, click the Geometry field in the Details View, and then
click Apply.

5. To further define the semi-elliptical crack, use the following controls. These controls appear in the Details
View of the Semi-Elliptical Crack object. As you specify values for the controls, the image in the Geometry
window previews the entered data.

The following figure shows an example of a semi-elliptical crack definition and its corresponding
image. The semi-elliptical curve defines the shape of the crack front, as shown by the red line.

This figure provides a more detailed illustration of the fracture affected zone defined above. Notice
that the values shown in the image below correspond to the Details View settings above.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

This figure shows the detail of a crack for which Mesh Contours is set to 8.

• Coordinate System: This property specifies the coordinate system that defines (along with the Align
with Face Normal and Project to Nearest Surface properties) the position and orientation of the
crack. The Y axis of the specified coordinate system defines the crack plane normal. The coordinate
system that you create must be a Cartesian coordinate system (Type property) and its origin cannot
lie outside the bounding box of the body scoped to the crack.

• Align with Face Normal: This property defines the orientation of the SECrack Coordinate System
object by aligning the primary axis of the coordinate system specified in the Coordinate System
property to the normal of the nearest surface. The default setting is Yes. Setting this property to No
excludes the capability of this property.

• Project to Nearest Surface: This property defines the origin of the SECrack Coordinate System by
projecting the origin of the coordinate system specified in the Coordinate System property to the
nearest surface. The default setting is Yes. Setting this property to No excludes the capability of this
property.

Note:

The meshing process automatically creates the SECrack Coordinate System object
as a child of the Semi-Elliptical Crack object from the inputs of the Coordinate
System, the Align with Face Normal, and the Project to Nearest Face properties.

• Crack Shape: Read-only and set to Semi-Elliptical.

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 Cracks

• Major Radius: Specifies the major radius, which defines the size of the crack shape along the Z axis
(that is, the width of the crack). Enter a value greater than 0.

• Minor Radius: Specifies the minor radius, which defines the size of the crack shape along the X axis
(that is, the depth of the crack). Enter a value greater than 0.

• Mesh Method: This property enables you to select the mesh method to be used to mesh the semi-
elliptical crack. Options include Hex Dominant (default) and Tetrahedrons.

• Largest Contour Radius: Specifies the largest contour radius for the crack shape. Enter a value
greater than 0.

• Growth Rate (Mesh Method set to Tetrahedrons only): Specifies the factor with which the mesh
layers will grow along the radius of the crack. Specify a value greater than 1. The default value is 1.2.
The recommended value is equal to or greater than 1.1.

• Front Element Size (Mesh Method set to Tetrahedrons only): Specifies the element size for the crack
front. The default value is computed using crack length. Specify a value greater than 0.

• Crack Front Divisions (Mesh Method set to Hex Dominant only): Specifies the number of divisions
for the crack front. Your entry must be equal to or greater than 3. The default is 15.

– The Geometry window can display only a maximum of 999 crack front divisions, but you can specify
a higher value and fracture meshing will respect it.

• Fracture Affected Zone (Mesh Method set to Hex Dominant only): The fracture affected zone is the
region that contains a crack. The Fracture Affected Zone control determines how the fracture affected
zone height is defined:

– Program Controlled: The software calculates the height, and Fracture Affected Zone Height is
read-only. This is the default.

– Manual: You enter the height in the Fracture Affected Zone Height field.

• Fracture Affected Zone Height (Mesh Method set to Hex Dominant only): This value specifies two
things: 1) the height of the Fracture Affected Zone, which is in the Y direction of the crack coordinate
system; and 2) the distance in totality by which the Fracture Affected Zone is extended in the positive
and negative Z direction of the crack coordinate system from the crack front extremities.

The shape of a Fracture Affected Zone is rectangular, regardless of the shape of the crack. Al-
though buffer zones may overlap, care should be taken when defining multiple cracks that the
zones do not overlap, as shown here, or the crack generation will fail.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

• Circumferential Divisions (Mesh Method set to Hex Dominant only): Specifies the number of cir-
cumferential divisions for the crack shape. The value you enter must be a multiple of 8, and must be
8 or greater. The default is 8.

– The Geometry window can display only a maximum of 360 circumferential divisions, but you can
specify a higher value and fracture meshing will respect it.

• Mesh Contours: Specifies the number of mesh contours for the crack shape. The value you enter must
be 1 or greater. The default is 6.

– The Geometry window can display only a maximum of 100 mesh contours, but you can specify a
higher value and fracture meshing will respect it.

• Solution Contours: Specifies the number of mesh contours for which you want to compute the fracture
result parameters. The value you enter must be less than or equal to the value of Mesh Contours, and
cannot be greater than 99. By default, the value is Match Mesh Contours, indicating the number of
Solution Contours is equal to the number of Mesh Contours. Entering 0 resets the value to Match
Mesh Contours.

• Suppressed: Toggles suppression of the Semi-Elliptical Crack object. The default is No.

– The Semi-Elliptical Crack object is suppressed automatically if the scoped body is suppressed.

• Buffer Zone Scale Factors

It controls the size of the buffer zone in the X, Y, and Z directions, relative to the dimensions
of the crack. For each scaling parameter, use the slider to set a value from 2 to 50. The default
is 2. The maximum dimension among the three directions of the crack is multiplied by the
corresponding scale factors to create a buffer zone. When the Mesh Method is Hex-Dominant,
the crack dimensions also include fracture-affected zones.

– X Scale Factor

– Y Scale Factor

– Z Scale Factor

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 Cracks

As illustrated here, buffer zone scale factor annotations are not drawn in the negative X direction.
That is, half of the cuboid is drawn to depict the buffer zone scale factors, but the half of the
cuboid in the negative X direction is not drawn.

The remaining controls pertain to Named Selections that are created automatically when the
fracture mesh is generated, as described in Step 6 below. To ensure associativity to the corres-
ponding Semi-Elliptical Crack object, the following default naming convention is used for these
Named Selections.

The following naming convention is used for Named Selections for crack objects with the name
Semi-Elliptical Crack:

• NS_ SECrack _Front

• NS_ SECrack _TopFace

• NS_ SECrack _BottomFace

• NS_ SECrack _Contact1

• NS_ SECrack _Target1

For example, for a Semi-Elliptical Crack object named Semi-Elliptical Crack 4, the default names
are NS_SECrack 4_Front, NS_SECrack 4_TopFace, NS_SECrack 4_BottomFace, NS_SECrack
4_Contact1, and NS_SECrack 4_Target1.

The Named Selections controls are defined as follows:

• Crack Front Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for the crack front
(NS_SECrack_Front). Contains nodes used for postprocessing of results.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

As shown, the crack front is always perpendicular to the X axis.

• Crack Faces Nodes: Determines whether Named Selections are created automatically for the crack’s
top face and bottom face. These faces are both located in the XZ plane and are discontinuous.

The default is Off. If On, the following additional fields appear:

– Top Face Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for the top face
(NS_SECrack_TopFace). This face is discontinuity plane 1. Contains nodes used for applying a
pressure to the top face.

– Bottom Face Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for the bottom
face (NS_SECrack_BottomFace). This face is discontinuity plane 2. Contains nodes used for applying
a pressure to the bottom face.

• Contact Pairs Nodes (Mesh Method set to Hex Dominant only): Determines whether Named Selections
are created automatically for the contact and target faces of the contact pair. The default is Off. If On,
the additional fields listed below appear. Fracture meshing creates contact pair 1 between the fracture
affected zone and the buffer zone.

– Contact 1 Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for contact face 1
(NS_SECrack_Contact1). Contains nodes located on the contact face. The contact nodes are selected
at the interface from the buffer zone of the base mesh.

– Target 1 Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for target face 1
(NS_SECrack_Target1). Contains nodes located on the target face. The target nodes are selected at
the interface from the fracture affected zone of the hex dominant mesh.

6. Select the Fracture object or Semi-Elliptical Crack object in the Tree Outline, right-click, and select
Generate All Crack Meshes.

• When the fracture mesh is generated, the requested Named Selections are inserted into the Tree
Outline under the Semi-Elliptical Crack object with which they are associated.

• Click Show Mesh on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) to display the fracture mesh.

Defining an Arbitrary Crack

The steps for defining an Arbitrary crack are presented here.

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 Cracks

1. Select the Model object in the Tree Outline.

2. Insert a Fracture (p. 2029) object into the tree Outline by right-clicking on the Model object and selecting
Insert > Fracture from the context menu. Alternatively, select the Fracture option from the Define
group on the Model Context Tab (p. 14).

Note:

Only one Fracture object is valid per Model.

3. Insert an Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951) object into the tree by right-clicking on the Fracture object and selecting
Insert > Arbitrary Crack from the context menu. Alternatively, click the Arbitrary Crack option from
the Crack group of the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18).

4. An Arbitrary Crack definition must always be scoped to a single solid body. Use the Body selection filter
to pick a body in the Geometry window, click the Geometry field in the Details View, and then click
Apply.

5. To further define the Arbitrary crack, use the following controls. These controls appear in the Details
View of the Arbitrary Crack object. As you specify values for the controls, the image in the Geometry
window previews the entered data.

An example of Arbitrary crack definition, including an image of the crack on the model, is illustrated
below. The portion of the curve located inside the cylinder, including the intersection points,
defines the shape of the crack front, as shown by the red line.

• Coordinate System: This property specifies the coordinate system that defines the orientation of the
crack. The Y axis of the specified coordinate system must be directed towards the normal of the crack's
top face.

• Crack Shape: Read-only property set to Arbitrary.

• Crack Surface: You use this to scope the surface body or bodies to be used as the crack surface.

• Mesh Method: Read-only property set to Tetrahedrons.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

• Largest Contour Radius: Specifies the largest contour radius for the crack shape. Enter a value
greater than 0. If you specify a Front Element Size value, this property is not applicable.

• Growth Rate Specifies the factor with which the mesh layers will grow along the radius of the crack.
Specify a value greater than 1. The default value is 1.2. The recommended value is equal to or
greater than 1.1.

• Front Element Size Specifies the element size for the crack front. The default value is computed using
the values of the Largest Contour Radius property and the Growth Rate property.

• Mesh Contours: Specifies the number of mesh contours for the crack shape. Your entry must be equal
to or greater than 1. The default value is 6. If you specify a Front Element Size value, this property is
not applicable.

The Geometry window can display only a maximum of 100 mesh contours, but you can specify
a higher value and fracture meshing will respect it.

Note:

You can use the graphics preview of an arbitrary crack to examine the relative effect
of the mesh parameters on the generated crack mesh. The first mesh contour's radius
shown as a bull's-eye view in graphics window is equal to specified Front Element
Size. The mesh contours grow at the rate of the specified Growth Rate value as
seen in the image. Also, the generated crack mesh is an unstructured tetrahedron
mesh and may not accurately compare to all the mesh parameters seen in the
graphics window.

• Solution Contours: Specifies the number of mesh contours for which you want to compute the fracture
result parameters. The value you enter must be less than or equal to the value of the Mesh Contours
property, and cannot be greater than 99. By default, the value is set to Match Mesh Contours, indic-

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 Cracks

ating that the number of Solution Contours is equal to the number of Mesh Contours. Entering 0
resets the value to Match Mesh Contours.

• Suppressed: Toggles suppression of the Arbitrary Crack object. The default is No.

The Arbitrary Crack object is suppressed automatically if both the scoped body and scoped
crack surface are suppressed.

• Buffer Zone Scale Factors: Control the size of the buffer zone in the X, Y, and Z directions, relative to
the crack surface geometry dimensions. For each scaling parameter, use the slider to set a value from
2 to 50. The default value is 2. The maximum dimension among the three dimensions of the crack
surface geometry is multiplied by the corresponding scale factors to create a buffer zone:

– X Scale Factor

– Y Scale Factor

– Z Scale Factor

As illustrated here, buffer zone scale factor annotations are not drawn in the negative X direction.
That is, half of the cuboid is drawn to depict the buffer zone scale factors, but the half of the
cuboid in the negative X direction is not drawn.

The remaining properties pertain to Named Selections that are created automatically when the
fracture mesh is generated, as described in Step 6 below. To ensure associativity to the corres-
ponding Arbitrary Crack object, the following default naming convention is used for these Named
Selections.

The following naming convention is used for Named Selections for crack objects with the name
Arbitrary Crack:

• NS_ ArbCrack _Front

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

• NS_ ArbCrack _TopFace

• NS_ ArbCrack _BottomFace

For example, for an Arbitrary Crack object named Arbitrary Crack 4, the default names are
NS_ArbCrack 4_Front, NS_ArbCrack 4_TopFace, and NS_ArbCrack 4_BottomFace.

The Named Selections controls are defined as follows:

• Crack Front Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for the crack front
(NS_ArbCrack_Front). Contains nodes used for postprocessing of fracture parameter results.

As shown, the X axis helps determine the extension direction of the crack front node.

• Crack Faces Nodes: Determines whether Named Selections are created automatically for the crack’s
top face and bottom face. These faces are both located in the XZ plane and are discontinuous.

The default is Off. If On, the following additional fields appear:

– Top Face Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for the top face
(NS_ArbCrack_TopFace). This face is discontinuity plane 1. Contains nodes used for applying a
pressure to the top face.

– Bottom Face Nodes: Identifies the Named Selection that is created automatically for the bottom
face (NS_ArbCrack_BottomFace). This face is discontinuity plane 2. Contains nodes used for applying
a pressure to the bottom face.

6. Select the Fracture object or Arbitrary Crack object in the tree Outline, right-click, and select Generate
All Crack Meshes.

• When the fracture mesh is generated, the requested Named Selections are inserted into the tree
Outline under the Arbitrary Crack object with which they are associated.

• Click Show Mesh on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) to display the fracture mesh.

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 Cracks

Special Handling of Named Selections for Crack Objects

Crack objects dynamically generate Named Selections during crack mesh generation. The Named
Selections generated for Semi-Elliptical Crack or Arbitrary Crack objects are a special type of Named
Selection and have the following distinct properties:

• Named Selections for Semi-Elliptical Crack or Arbitrary Crack objects are not inserted into the Named
Selections branch of the Tree Outline. They appear in the Tree Outline under the Semi-Elliptical Crack
or Arbitrary Crack objects with which they are associated.

• You may rename a Named Selection by editing its name in the Details View of the Semi-Elliptical Crack
or Arbitrary Crack objects or by right-clicking the Named Selection in the tree Outline and selecting Re-
name. Use caution when renaming the Named Selection associated with the crack front
(NS_SECrack_Front). If the name is not unique when compared to other Named Selections, the crack
definition sent to the solver may contain the wrong set of crack front nodes.

• You cannot insert, duplicate, copy, delete, or merge these Named Selections.

• You may scope nodal-based loads to these Named Selections.

• By default, nodal Named Selections show nodes attached to them in the Geometry window. To plot ele-
ments attached to these nodal Named Selections, refer to Specifying Annotation Preferences (p. 208) section
of the help.

• If you delete a Semi-Elliptical Crack or Arbitrary Crack objects, all associated Named Selections are de-
leted.

• If you suppress a Semi-Elliptical Crack or Arbitrary Crack objects, the nodal selection of each associated
Named Selection is cleared and the state of each Named Selections becomes suppressed.

• All Named Selections for Semi-Elliptical Crack or Arbitrary Crack objects are sent to the solver. Send
to Solver is always set to Yes and is read-only.

• If Named Selections for Crack Faces Nodes and/or Contact Pairs Nodes have been created and you
subsequently set the fields to Off, the corresponding Named Selections are deleted when a new crack
mesh is generated.

• See the Specifying Named Selections (p. 761) section of the Help for additional information.

Note:

For information about common fracture meshing problems and troubleshooting, see
Fracture Meshing Problems (p. 2274).

Defining a Pre-Meshed Crack

A Pre-Meshed Crack is based on a previously-generated mesh and uses a node-based named selection
to analyze crack fronts. In addition to cracks modeled in CAD and meshed manually in the Mechanical
Application, this feature is also useful when you have a pre-existing mesh generated from an external
source and imported to the existing database. The referenced named selection must contain references
only to nodes.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

Selecting the named selection is done through the Details view of the Pre-Meshed Crack object by
selecting from the list of valid named selections in the Crack Front (Named Selection) property. Named
selections that contain only nodes are offered as choices.

Important:

To properly define a Pre-Meshed Crack object, you need to create the necessary
node-based Named Selections and generate all crack meshes in advance. For more
information on named selections, see Specifying Named Selections (p. 761). As an al-
ternative, a geometric based named selection can be converted into a node-based
based named selection using the Worksheet. For more information, see Specifying
Named Selections using Worksheet Criteria (p. 764).

To define a pre-meshed crack:

1. Select the Model object in the Tree Outline.

2. Insert a Fracture object into the Tree by right-clicking the Model object and selecting Insert > Fracture.

Note:

Only one Fracture object is valid per Model.

3. Insert a Pre-Meshed Crack object into the Tree by right-clicking the Fracture object and selecting Insert
> Pre-Meshed Crack. You can also select the Pre-Meshed Crack option from the Crack group of the
Fracture Context Tab.

4. In the Details View:

For 2D Analysis
Specify the node-based named selection for the Crack Tip (Named Selection) property. This
property defines the nodes to which the crack definition will be scoped.

For 3D Analysis

• Specify the node-based named selection for the Crack Front (Named Selection) property. This
property defines the nodes to which the crack definition will be scoped.

• As desired, set the Crack Faces Nodes property to On. This property enables you to specify a crack
top face and bottom face using node-based Named Selections. The default setting is Off. When
set to On, the following additional properties display:

– Top Face Nodes: Specify the top face (nodes) of the crack by selecting a valid node-based
named selection from the drop-down list.

– Bottom Face Nodes: Specify the bottom face (nodes) of the crack by selecting a valid node-
based named selection from the drop-down list.

5. To further define the crack, use the following controls in the Details View.

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 SMART Crack Growth

• Coordinate System: Specifies the coordinate system that defines the position and orientation of the
crack. The Y axis of the specified coordinate system defines the crack surface normal. The origin of
the coordinate system represents the open side of the crack. You can select the default coordinate
system or a local coordinate system that you have defined. The default is the Global Coordinate
System. The valid coordinate system must be of type Cartesian.

• Solution Contours: Specifies the number of contours for which you want to compute the fracture
result parameters.

• Symmetry: Specifies the crack symmetry about a line (in 2D analysis) or about a plane (in 3D analysis).
The default is No.

• Suppressed: Toggles suppression of the Pre-Meshed Crack object. The default is No.

Note:

The Pre-Meshed Crack object is suppressed automatically if the scoped body is

suppressed.

SMART Crack Growth

You use the SMART Crack Growth object to simulate fatigue or static crack growth in engineering
structures. SMART is a remeshing-based method for crack growth simulation. SMART stands for Separ-
ating, Morphing, Adaptive, and Remeshing Technology. SMART automatically uses a combination of
morphing, adaptive, and remeshing methods to update mesh changes to simulate static or fatigue
crack growth during the solution process. The mesh changes occur around the crack-front region only,
leading to a computationally efficient solution of the crack-growth problem. See the following subsections
for more information.
SMART Crack Growth Application
SMART Crack-Growth Assumptions and Limitations

Note:

• For additional technical information on this feature, refer to the SMART Method for Crack-Growth
Simulation section in the Mechanical APDL Fracture Analysis Guide.

• For specific information about the properties of the object, see the SMART Crack Growth (p. 2205)
object reference page.

• For a video example of the feature, see the Fatigue Crack Growth Analysis using SMART Crack
Growth Tutorial.

SMART Crack Growth Application

The following procedure describes the steps to define a SMART Crack Growth object. The procedure
assumes that you have already inserted a Fracture (p. 2029) folder and defined the prerequisite crack.
This crack can be a Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 1093), a Semi-Elliptical Crack (p. 1083), or an Arbitrary Crack (p. 1088).

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

The feature supports the definition of multiple SMART Crack Growth objects when your model
contains multiple cracks.

1. Insert a SMART Crack Growth object into the Outline by right-clicking on the Fracture object and
selecting Insert > SMART Crack Growth from the context menu. Alternatively, you can select the
SMART Crack Growth option on the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18) or right-click in the Geometry window
and select Insert > SMART Crack Growth.

2. Select the new SMART Crack Growth object in the Outline. The Initial Crack and Material properties
highlight. First, select the crack that you have already created for the Initial Crack property. An example
is illustrated below using a Pre-Meshed Crack. Once selected, the application automatically selects the
default Material of scoped crack body (specified by the Initial Crack property), in this case, Structural
Steel.

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 SMART Crack Growth

3. Specify the Crack Growth Option property. The setting of this property is based on the desired type
of crack growth propagation. Select Fatigue (default) or Static.

Fatigue
If you set the Crack Growth Option property to Fatigue, your structure is subject to constant
amplitude cyclic load.

The following other properties are available in the category:

• Failure Criteria Option: This is a read-only property that is set to Material Data Table.

• Material: The application automatically selects the default material that is assigned to the
crack specified that is specified in the Initial Crack property. You can change the material
using the property's fly-out menu. Any material that you select must include the material
property Paris’ Law.

• Crack Growth Law: This is a read-only property that displays the given Crack Growth Law:
Paris' Law.

• Crack Growth Methodology: Fatigue crack growth can be modeled using either Life Cycle
Prediction (default) or Cycle By Cycle methodologies. If you specify Cycle By Cycle, the
property Incremental Number of Cycles displays. Use this property to specify the incre-
mental number of cycles during a substep. The default setting is 10.

The following additional properties are also available:

– Min Increment of Crack Extension: This property specifies the minimum crack
extension increment value. The options include Program Controlled (default) and
Manual. The Program Controlled option uses the default minimum increment
value. If you set the property to Manual, The Min Increment Value property displays
and enables you to specify a value. The default value is 0.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

– Max Increment of Crack Extension: This property specifies the maximum crack
extension increment value. The options include Program Controlled (default) and
Manual. The Program Controlled option uses the default maximum increment
value. If you set the property to Manual, The Max Increment Value property displays
and enables you to specify a value. The default value is 0.

– Stress Ratio: You use this property to specify the stress ratio. The default value is
0. The entry range is less than 1.

Static
If you set the Crack Growth Option property to Static, crack growth modeling is based on selected
fracture parameters and criteria.

Using the Failure Criteria Option property, you can specify the failure criteria as either Stress
Intensity Factor (default) or J-Integral. Each option requires you to specify a value in the
dependent property Critical Rate. The default value for the Critical Rate property is 0 for
either option. The unit system of the Critical Rate property varies based on your selection.
The property can be parameterized.

Note:

Either the Stress Intensity Factor or J-Integral fracture parameter can be

computed in one solution. Additionally, you can compute Equivalent SIFS
Range fracture result and related time history results on any crack front node
(Fracture Probes (p. 1606)).

Furthermore, when you set the Crack Growth Option property to Static, an additional cat-
egory displays for the object: Step Controls for Crack Growth. The properties for this category
include:

• Auto Time Stepping: Property options include Program Controlled (default) or Manual.
Setting the property to Manual enables you to modify the following time step properties,
otherwise they are read-only.

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 SMART Crack Growth

• Initial Time Step: Defines the initial time step to initiate crack growth.

• Minimum Time Step: Minimum time step for subsequent crack growth.

• Maximum Time Step: Maximum time step for subsequent crack growth.

4. As needed, specify the Stop At Max Crack Extension property.

Use this property to add a stop value to the crack's propagation (that is, to specify the maximum
distance for crack propagation). Options include None (default) and Specify. When you set the
property to Specify, an associated --Stop Value field displays and requires you to enter a max-
imum distance for the crack propagation. Once the maximum crack extension limit is reached,
the application stops the solution process. In this instance, the solution is incomplete and the
Solution folder will not be in solved state because the solution is not complete for all time points.
If the maximum crack extension limit is not reached during solution, then the solution process
completes normally.

5. Repeat the steps above to define additional SMART Crack Growth objects when multiple cracks exist
in the model.

SMART Crack-Growth Assumptions and Limitations

General Assumptions and Limitations

Review the following for the use of the SMART Crack Growth feature:

• Only supports Static Structural analyses.

• SMART supports 3-D crack growth only.

• SMART supports Mode I crack growth only.

• SMART can be used with higher order tetrahedron (entire domain of the model) mesh only.

• Material behavior is assumed to be linear elastic isotropic.

• Fatigue crack growth is based on Paris' Law.

• Plasticity effects, nonlinear geometry effects, load-compression effects, and crack-tip-closure effects
are not considered.

• Only bonded contact(s) with MPC formulation are supported.

• Function based loads and tabular loads with time as independent variable are not supported for fatigue
crack growth analysis.

• Does not currently support Point Mass.

• Only supports the following Imported Loads (p. 1417):

– Imported Pressure

– Imported Force

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

– Imported Displacement

– Imported Body Temperature

• Does not currently support Hydrostatic Pressure.

• Either SIFS or J-Integral fracture parameter can be computed in one solution.

• Restarting the analysis is currently not supported.

• When the crack grows to the point of breaking the structural component apart, all solution results
are set to zero and no crack-front information is reported.

• Loads applied in the region of crack growth propagation where re-meshing occurs, will not be ap-
plied/mapped properly due to re-meshing.

• SMART Crack Growth does not support contact elements in the re-meshing domain.

• Graphics Limitation: During your analysis, if your SMART crack grows from one body to another
body, you need to scope the corresponding bodies to a Material Assignment object (p. 753) and assign
them with the same material using Material Name property. This in turn facilitates the proper display
of the crack front contour result in the graphics window.

Multiple SMART Crack Growth Requirements

Make sure of the following setting when you have specified multiple SMART Crack Growth objects:

• Each crack specified on the model must be associated with an unique SMART Crack Growth object
(1:1 ratio).

• The Crack Growth Option property must be set to the same option (Fatigue or Static) for all SMART
Crack Growth objects.

• The Failure Criteria Option property must be set to the same option (SIFS or J-Integral) when the
Crack Growth Option property is set to Static for all SMART Crack Growth objects.

• The Crack Growth Methodology property must be set to the same option (Life Cycle Prediction
or Cycle By Cycle) when the Crack Growth Option property is set to Fatigue for all SMART Crack
Growth objects.

Note:

The SMART Crack Growth feature uses local re-meshing and adaptation techniques and
therefore has restrictions for the crack extension size.

For example, the feature might modify your entries in the Min Increment of Crack Exten-
sion or Max Increment of Crack Extension properties for either Crack Growth Method-
ology, either Life Cycle Prediction or Cycle By Cycle.

When the Crack Growth Methodology property is set to Life Cycle Prediction and the
Max Increment of Crack Extension manual entry is larger than 1.5 times of the element
size at the crack front, the Max Increment of Crack Extension value is modified to 1.5
times of the element size. Similarly, if the manual entry for the Min Increment of Crack

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 Interface Delamination and Contact Debonding

Extension is smaller than 0.25 times of the element size at the crack tip, the Min Increment
of Crack Extension value is modified to 0.25 times of the element size.

When the Crack Growth Methodology property is set to Cycle By Cycle, and you enter
a number of cycles that is too large or too small, then the algorithm automatically re-
defines the number of cycles according to the crack front element size. However, the Min
Increment of Crack Extension, the Max Increment of Crack Extension, and the Increment
Number of Cycles property values may not yes be satisfied during the solution to ensure
a robust mesh change.

Interface Delamination and Contact Debonding

Adhesives are commonly used to bond structural components into assemblies or to bond layers of
material into composite laminates. Simulations often assume the bonding layer to be of infinite strength,
but you may want to model the progressive separation of the adhesive as it reaches some known cri-
teria, such as a stress limit. Of the existing theories that define these failure criteria, Mechanical supports
the Cohesive-Zone Model (CZM) method and the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) method. (See
the Cohesive Zone Material (CZM) Model in the Theory Reference and VCCT-Based Crack-Growth Simulation
in the Fracture Analysis Guide for more information about these methods.) In either case, the separation
occurs along a predefined interface and cannot propagate in an arbitrary direction

Mechanical supports the following features for modeling interface delamination and debonding:

• Interface Delamination – utilizes Mechanical APDL interface elements (INTER202 through INTER205) and
supports the CZM and VCCT methods. Neither method supports interfaces with lower order triangle faces.
Specifically, a prism with a triangle face on the interface or a tetrahedral element with a face on the interface.
And, the VCCT does not support higher order elements.

• Contact Debonding utilizes Mechanical APDL contact elements (CONTA171 through CONTA177) and supports
the CZM method.

For additional technical information about Interface Delamination, see Modeling Interface Delamination
with Interface Elements in the Fracture Analysis Guide. For more information about Contact Debonding,
see Modeling Interface Delamination with Contact Elements (Debonding) in the Fracture Analysis Guide.

See the Interface Delamination Application (p. 1102) and Contact Debonding Application (p. 1105) sections
for the steps to specify and configure these features. In addition, if you are using the ANSYS Composite
PrepPost (ACP) application in combination with the Interface Delamination feature, see the steps in the
Interface Delamination and ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP) (p. 1105) section.

Analysis Type Requirements

Interface Delamination is supported by Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses only.

Any analysis type may contain a Contact Debonding object, but only the Static Structural and Transient
Structural analyses support the progressive separation of an interface. Contact Debonding also supports
linear perturbation, which allows you to simulate the vibration (Pre-stressed Modal) or stability (Eigenvalue
Buckling) characteristics of a partially delaminated structure. You can also use the modes extracted in
the Pre-stressed model to perform Mode Superposition analyses such as Harmonic Response, Response
Spectrum, and Random Vibration.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

Interface Delamination Application

The Interface Delamination feature employs either the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT)
method or the Cohesive-Zone Model (CZM) method for defining failure criteria. The VCCT method is
a fracture mechanics based method and therefore requires an initial crack (in the form of a Pre-Meshed
Crack (p. 2171)) in the geometry. The CZM method uses relationships between the separations and
tractions along the interface. Note that the CZM method is sensitive to mesh size and material para-
meters. The convergence of CZM models can generate issues, such as loading step size and stabilization.

To correctly insert the structural interface elements (INTER202 through INTER205) into the mesh, the
Interface Delamination feature requires that the sides of the interface have identical element patterns.

Both the VCCT and CZM methods provide the option to use either the Matched Meshing or the
Node Matching generation method. Matched Meshing requires that you create a Mesh Match
Control at the delamination interface.

A Match Control requires that both faces referenced by the Match Control belong to the same part,
so it is necessary that you create a multi-body part without shared topology. This can be accomplished
in a CAD application, such as DesignModeler. Matched Meshing is the recommended Generation
Method because it quickly obtains the matching node pairs from the mesh.

Caution:

The application will not respect mesh matching controls when one or more mesh Refine-
ment controls exist. This may result in mismatched node pairs and element faces.

If using a Match Control is not an option and it is necessary to use the Node Matching method, you
must ensure that node pairs and element faces match. Because it is necessary for Mechanical to search
the scoped geometry for matching node pairs within the specified Distance Tolerance, this method
can be slower and less robust than the Matched Meshing method.

Note:

The Interface Delamination feature does not support adaptive mesh refinement.

Also see the Interface Delamination Object Reference (p. 2102) page for information about the properties
of this feature.

Apply Interface Delamination

To specify Interface Delamination:

1. Insert a Fracture folder in the Tree Outline. The Fracture object becomes active by default.

2. On the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18): click Interface Delamination. Or, right-click:

• the Fracture tree object and select Insert>Interface Delamination.

Or...

• in the Geometry window and select Insert>Interface Delamination.

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 Interface Delamination and Contact Debonding

3. Select the desired Method: either VCCT (p. 1103) (default) or CZM (p. 1104). The properties vary based on
your selection.

VCCT Method

1. Specify the Failure Criteria Option property: either Energy-Release Rate (default) or Material Data
Table.

2. Based on the selected Failure Criteria Option:

• If specified as Energy-Release Rate: enter a Critical Rate value. This value determines the energy
release rate in one direction.

• If specified as Material Data Table: specify a Material. This property defines the energy release
rate in all three fracture modes. This property is defined in Engineering Data. See the Static Struc-
tural & Transient Structural section of the Engineering Data Help for additional information about
the Cohesive Zone properties used by this feature.

3. Based on the Generation Method selected, either Matched Meshing (default) or Node Matching,
perform one of the following:

Matched Meshing
If Matched Meshing, specify a Match Control by selecting a pre-defined Match Control. The
Match Control that is referenced by the property requires that the delamination occurs between
two independent parts that have the same element/node pattern.

Node Matching
If Node Matching, specify:

a. Scoping Method

b. Source

c. Target

Note:

This option assumes that the existing mesh is already matched.

4. Define the Initial Crack by selecting a user-defined Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 2171).

5. Specify the Auto Time Stepping property as either Program Controlled (default) or Manual. The
following properties can be modified if Manual is selected, otherwise they are read-only.

a. Initial Time Step

b. Minimum Time Step

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

c. Maximum Time Step

Note:

• The Auto Time Stepping property must be set to On in the Step Controls (p. 1110) cat-
egory of the Analysis Setting object.

• Time stepping values take effect when crack growth is detected.

6. If Node Matching is selected as the Generation Type, the Node Matching Tolerance category
displays.

Specify the Tolerance Type property as either Program Controlled (default) or Manual. The
Distance Tolerance property can be modified if Manual is selected, otherwise it is read-only.

CZM Method

1. Specify a Material. This property is defined in Engineering Data. See the Static Structural & Transient
Structural section of the Engineering Data Help for additional information about the Cohesive Zone
properties used by this feature.

2. Define the Generation Method property as either Matched Meshing (default) or Node Matching.

3. Based on the Generation Method selected, either Matched Meshing or Node Matching, perform
one of the following:

Matched Meshing
For the Matched MeshingGeneration Method, select a pre-defined Match Control. The Match
Control that is referenced by the property requires that the delamination occurs between two
independent parts that have the same element/node pattern.

Node Matching
If Node Matching is the Generation Method, then specify:

a. Scoping Method

b. Source

c. Target

Note:

This option assumes that the existing mesh is already matched.

4. If Node Matching is selected as the Generation Type, the Node Matching Tolerance category
displays.

Specify the Tolerance Type property as either Program Controlled (default) or Manual. The
Distance Tolerance property can be modified if Manual is selected, otherwise it is read-only.

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 Interface Delamination and Contact Debonding

Contact Debonding Application

Debonding simulations begin by defining contact regions along an interface that will separate. The
properties for the contact elements require that the contact Type (p. 907) be Bonded or No Separation
contact and that the Formulation (p. 913) is specified as the Augmented Lagrange method or the
Pure Penalty method.

The Contact Debonding object specifies the pre-existing contact region (defined using the Connec-
tions (p. 885) feature) that you intend to separate and it also references the material properties defined
in Engineering Data. You must select the material properties from the Cohesive Zone category with
type Separation-Distance based Debonding or Fracture-Energies based Debonding. See the
Static Structural & Transient Structural section of the Engineering Data Help for additional information
about the Cohesive Zone properties used by this feature.

Apply Contact Debonding

To specify Contact Debonding:

1. Insert a Fracture folder in the Tree Outline. The Fracture object becomes active by default.

2. On the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18): click Contact Debonding. Or, right-click:

• the Fracture tree object and select Insert>Contact Debonding.

Or...

• in the Geometry window and select Insert>Contact Debonding.

3. Select a Material.

4. Select a Contact Region.

Tip:

To automatically generate a Contact Debonding object, select a Contact Region and

drag and drop it onto the Fracture (p. 2029) folder.

Also see the Contact Debonding Object Reference (p. 1993) Help page for information about the
properties of this feature.

Interface Delamination and ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP)

Mechanical allows you to import interface layer(s) from the ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP) applic-
ation. You can define interface layers in ACP, import them into Mechanical, and use them to define
Interface Delamination objects. You can automatically insert Interface Delamination objects into the
Fracture folder when importing composite section data into Mechanical by setting the Create
Delamination Objects property (see Specifying Options (p. 138)) to Yes. Alternatively, you can generate
Interface Delamination objects automatically after you have imported Composite Section data by
selecting the Generate All Interface Delaminations option in the context menu of the Fracture object.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

Unexpected Penetration during Nonlinear Analysis

If you experience penetration at the interface layers during separation, you may wish to create a
Contact condition (p. 934) for the interface where the penetration is taking place. A Contact Re-
gion (p. 1994) can be applied (p. 903) to a Pre-Generated Interface provided by ACP. Although all
contact Type (p. 907) settings are supported for Pre-Generated Interfaces, the Frictionless setting
is recommended for this case when specifying the contact condition. Other contact properties can
be set to the default, Program Controlled, settings.

Apply Interface Delamination via ACP

To specify Interface Delamination using the ACP application:

Note:

The following steps assume that you have properly defined your interface layer in the ACP
application.

VCCT Method (Default)

1. From the Workbench Project page, link your Static Structural or Transient Structural analysis to the
ACP (Pre) system and then launch Mechanical.

A Fracture folder is automatically created and includes an Interface Delamination object.

2. Select the new Interface Delamination object.

3. Specify the Failure Criteria Option property: either Energy-Release Rate (default) or Material Data
Table.

4. Based on the selected Failure Criteria Option:

• If specified as Energy-Release Rate: enter a Critical Rate value. This value determines the energy
release rate in one direction.

• If specified as Material Data Table: specify a Material. This property defines the energy release
rate in all three fracture modes. This property is defined in ACP.

5. The automatic setting for the Generation Method property is Pre-Generated Interface. Accept this
setting.

6. As necessary, select the appropriate Interface Layer from the Interface property drop-down menu.

7. Define the Initial Crack by selecting the Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 2171) created by ACP.

8. Specify the Auto Time Stepping property as either Program Controlled (default) or Manual. The
following properties can be modified if Manual is selected, otherwise they are read-only.

a. Initial Time Step

b. Minimum Time Step

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 Multi-Point Constraint (MPC) Contact for Fracture

c. Maximum Time Step

Note:

• The Auto Time Stepping property must be set to On in the Step Controls (p. 1110) cat-
egory of the Analysis Setting object.

• Time stepping values take effect when crack growth is detected.

CZM Method

1. From the Workbench Project page, link your Static Structural or Transient Structural analysis to the
ACP (Pre) system and then launch Mechanical.

A Fracture folder is automatically created and includes an Interface Delamination object.

2. Select the new Interface Delamination object.

3. Specify the Material property. This property provides a fly-out menu to make a material selection
that was defined in the ACP (Pre) system.

4. The automatic setting for the Generation Method property is Pre-Generated Interface. Accept this
setting.

5. As necessary, select the appropriate Interface Layer from the Interface property drop-down menu.

Multi-Point Constraint (MPC) Contact for Fracture

The internally generated crack mesh is created after an initial base mesh is generated. Since the crack
mesh is defined based on the crack object, while the base mesh is created based on the geometry and
mesh parameters, the two meshes may not perfectly match at the boundaries of the fracture affected
zone. For more information on the fracture affected zone, see the Performing a Fracture Analysis (p. 1069)
section in the Meshing User's Guide.

Note:

• The application does not create a contact pair when you set the Mesh Method to Tetrahedrons
when meshing Semi-Elliptical Crack.

• The application does not create a contact pair for Arbitrary crack meshing.

When a solution is performed on an analysis which contains an internally generated crack mesh, a
contact region using Multi-Point Constraint (MPC) formulation is automatically created between the
crack mesh and the base mesh at the boundaries of the fracture-affected zone. This contact is applicable
to static structural analysis, transient structural analysis, modal analysis, steady-state thermal analysis,
and transient thermal analysis. For more information about the MPC contact formulation, see Contact
Formulation Theory (p. 899). This contact is only created for a Semi-Elliptical Crack object when the
Mesh Method property is set to Hex Dominant and is not applicable to the Pre-Meshed Crack object.

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Performing a Fracture Analysis

The characteristics/settings of the MPC contact are shown below. For more information about the dif-
ferent contact settings, see Advanced Settings (p. 912).

• Bonded surface-to-surface contact is defined between the crack mesh and the base mesh at the
boundary of the fracture-affected zone. The contact element CONTA174 is created on the faces of the
base mesh, and the target element TARGE170 is created on the faces of the crack mesh.

• The contact is asymmetric in nature. The contact can be made auto asymmetric by setting the use
auto symmetric variable to 1 in the Variable Manager (p. 158).

• Nodal contact detection, normal from the contact surface, will be defined.

• The initial gap and penetration are ignored.

• For steady-state thermal and transient thermal analysis, the temperature degree of freedom is selected.

For more information about contact settings, refer to the CONTA174 documentation in the Element
Reference. For more information about the MPC constraint, see Multipoint Constraints and Assemblies
in the Contact Technology Guide.

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Configuring Analysis Settings
The following topics are covered in this section.
Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types
Steps and Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses

Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

When you define an analysis type (p. 217), an Analysis Settings object (p. 1949) is automatically inserted
in the Mechanical application tree. With this object selected, you can define various solution options
in the Details view that are customized to the specific analysis type, such as enabling large deflection
for a stress analysis.

The available control groups as well as the control settings within each group vary depending on the
analysis type you have chosen. The sections that follow outline the availability of the control settings
for each of these groups and describe the controls available in each group.
Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses
Step Controls for Harmonic Analysis Types
Additive Manufacturing Controls
Solver Controls
Restart Analysis
Restart Controls
Nonlinear Adaptivity Remeshing Controls
Creep Controls
Fracture Controls
Cyclic Controls
Radiosity Controls
Options for Analyses
Scattering Controls
Advanced
Damping Controls
Nonlinear Controls
Output Controls
Analysis Data Management
Rotordynamics Controls
Visibility

Explicit Dynamics settings are examined in a separate document.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses

Step Controls play an important role in static and transient dynamic analyses. Step controls are used
to perform two distinct functions:

1. Define Steps.

2. Specify the Analysis Settings for each step.

Defining Steps
See the procedure, Specifying Analysis Settings for Multiple Steps located in the Establish Analysis Set-
tings (p. 230) section.

Specifying Analysis Settings for Each Step

The following items can be changed on a per step basis:

• Step Controls

• Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)

• Output Controls (p. 1151)

Step Controls
The Step Controls category of the Analysis Settings object includes the properties described below.
The display of certain properties can depend upon the selections that you make, the type of analysis
you are performing, as well as the use of a particular feature.

Number of Steps
You use this property to specify the number of steps for your analysis.

Current Step Number

If you specify more than one step for your analysis, this property displays the current step number (i.e.,
1, 2, etc.). The default value is 1. The settings of the Step Controls, Nonlinear Controls, and Output
Controls apply to this setting. By default, the Graph and Tabular Data windows display when you are
working with Step Controls. When you change the value of the Current Step Number, your entry is
reflected in these windows. An example is illustrated below for a Current Step Number value of 2. You
can select multiple steps in the Graph window using the [Shift] and [Ctrl] keys. When you select multiple
steps, the Current Step Number property displays the value Multi Step. For this type of selection, any
changes affect all of the selected steps.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Note:

The selection of Multi Steps is not supported for an Explicit Dynamics or a Rigid Body
Dynamics analysis. If multiple steps are highlighted in the Graph window and changes
made to the Analysis Settings, the changes will affect the last selected step only.

Step End Time

This property displays the end time of the Current Step Number. When multiple steps are selected this
property displays the value Multi Step.

Auto Time Stepping

Automatic time stepping is available for static and transient analyses, and is especially useful for nonlinear
solutions. This property is also described in detail in the Automatic Time Stepping (p. 1167) section.

This property provides a drop-menu with the following options:

• Program Controlled (default): The Mechanical application automatically switches time stepping
on and off as needed. A check is performed on non-convergent patterns. The physics of the
simulation is also taken into account. The Program Controlled settings are presented in the
following table:

Auto Time Stepping Program Controlled Settings

Analysis Type Initial Minimum Maximum
Substeps Substeps Substeps
Linear Static Structural 1 1 1
Nonlinear Static Structural 1 1 10
Linear Steady-State Thermal 1 1 10
Nonlinear Steady-State 1 1 10
Thermal
Transient Thermal 100 10 1000

• On: You control time stepping by completing the following fields that only appear if you choose
this option. No checks are performed on non-convergent patterns and the physics of the simu-
lation is not taken into account.

– Initial Substeps: specifies the size of the first substep. The default is 1.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

– Minimum Substeps: specifies the minimum number of substeps to be taken (that is, the
maximum time step size). The default is 1.

– Maximum Substeps: specifies the maximum number of substeps to be taken (that is, the
minimum time step size). The default is 10.

• Off: no time stepping is enabled. You are prompted to enter the Number Of Substeps. The
default is 1.

Define By
This property displays when you set the Auto Time Stepping property to On or Off. Its drop-down
menu contains the options Time and Substep. The default setting for this property depends upon the
analysis type. It enables you to set the limits on load increment in one of two ways. You can specify the
Initial Time Step, Minimum Time Step and Maximum Time Step number of substeps for a step or
equivalently specify the Time Substeps, Minimum Substeps and Maximum Substeps time step size.

Carry Over Time Step

This property is available when you specify multiple steps. This is useful when you do not want any abrupt
changes in the load increments between steps. When this is set the Initial time step size of a step will
be equal to the last time step size of the previous step.

Time Step
This property displays a time value for the current step.

Time Integration
This property is only available for Coupled Field Transient, Transient Structural, or Transient Thermal
analyses. This field indicates whether a step should include transient effects, such as structural inertia
or thermal capacitance, or whether it is a static (steady-state) step. This field can be used to set up the
Initial Conditions (p. 233) for a transient analysis.

• On: Default setting for Transient analyses.

• Off: This option does not include structural inertia or thermal capacitance in solving this step.

For a Coupled Field Transient analysis when the Time Integration property is set to Yes, the
following additional properties display and enable you to specify whether to turn a physics field
on or off:

• Structural Only: Options include No (default) and Yes.

• Thermal Only: Options include No and Yes (default) .

Note:

With Time Integration set to Off in Transient Structural analyses, Workbench does
not compute velocity results. Therefore spring damping forces, which are derived from
velocity will equal zero. This is not the case for Rigid Dynamics analyses.

Activation/Deactivation of Loads
You can activate (include) or deactivate (delete) a load from being used in the analysis within the
time span of a step. For most loads (for example, pressure or force) deleting the load is the same as

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

setting the load value to zero. But for certain loads, such as a specified displacement, this is not the
case. The capability to activate and/or deactivate loads is not available for the Samcef solver.

Note:

• Changing the method of how a multiple-step load value is specified (such as Tabular to
Constant), the Activation/Deactivation state of all steps resets to the default, Active.

• The activate/deactivate option is only available when the Independent Variable property
or the X-Axis property is set to Time.

To activate or deactivate a load in a stepped analysis:

1. Highlight the load within a step in the Graph or a specific step in the Tabular Data window.

2. Click the right mouse button and choose Activate/Deactivate at this step!.

Note:

For displacements and remote displacements, it is possible to deactivate only one degree
of freedom within a step.

For Imported loads and Temperature, Thermal Condition, Heat Generation, Voltage, and Current loads,
the following rules apply when multiple load objects of the same type exist on common geometry
selections:

• A load can assume any one of the following states during each load step:

– Active: Load is active and data specified during the first step.

– Reactivated: Load is active and data specified during the current step, but was deactivated during the
previous step. A change in step status exists.

– Deactivated: Load is deactivated at the current step, but was active and data applied during the previous
step. A change in step status exists.

– Unchanged: No change in step status exists.

• During the first step, an active load will overwrite other active loads that exist higher (previously added)
in the tree.

• During any other subsequent step, commands are sent to the solver only if a change in step status exists
for a load. Hence, any unchanged loads will get overwritten by other reactivated or deactivated loads ir-
respective of their location in the tree. A reactivated/deactivated load will overwrite other reactivated and
deactivated loads that exist higher (previously added) in the tree.

Note:

Review the following:

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Configuring Analysis Settings

• For each load step, if both Imported Loads and user-specified loads are applied on common
geometry or mesh selections, the Imported Loads take precedence. See respective Imported
Load (p. 1417) for more details.

• Deactivated Imported Loads do not overwrite other reactivated loads or Imported Loads
on common geometry or mesh selections even if they exist higher (were previously added)
in the Outline tree.

• For imported loads specified as tables, with the exception of imported displacement and
temperature loads, a value of zero is applied in the table where the load is deactivated,
and commands are sent to the solver only at the first active load step. Hence these react-
ivated/deactivated imported loads with tabular loading do not overwrite other unchanged
or reactivated/deactivated loads that exist higher (previously added) in the tree.

• For imported loads specified as tables, the data is available outside the range of specified
analysis times/frequencies. If the solve time/frequency for a step/sub-step falls outside
the specified Analysis Time/Frequency, then the load value at the nearest specified
analysis time is used.

The tabular data view provides the equation for the calculation of values through
piecewise linear interpolation at steps where data is not specified.

Some scenarios where load deactivation is useful include:

• Springback of a cantilever beam after a plasticity analysis (see example below).

• Bolt pretension sequence (p. 1226) (Deactivation is possible by setting Define By to Open for the load step
of interest).

• Specifying different initial velocities for different parts in a transient analysis.

Example: Springback of a cantilever beam after a plasticity analysis

In this case a Y displacement of -2.00 inch is applied in the first Step. In the second step this load is
deactivated (deleted). Deactivated portions of a load are shown in gray in the Graph and also have
a red stop bars indicating the deactivation. The corresponding cells in the data grid are also shown
in gray.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

In this example the second step has a displacement value of -1.5. However since the load is deactivated
this will not have any effect until the third step. In the third step a displacement of -1.5 will be step
applied from the sprung-back location.

Step Controls for Harmonic Analysis Types

This category enables you to define step controls for Harmonic Response (p. 266) and Harmonic
Acoustics (p. 313) analyses that include 1) multiple load steps and 2) loads that vary with rotational
velocity in the form of revolutions per minute (RPMs). You use the properties of this category to define
the number of steps and their settings, such as associated RPM values, frequency spacing, minimum
frequencies, maximum frequencies, etc.

Property Description
Multiple This property activates the ability to define load steps when the analysis includes
RPMs multiple RPMs. Options include Yes and No (default). When activated, all associated
properties display. When you activate this property, the Worksheet window
automatically displays. Entries can be made using the Worksheet, as described below.
Number Of You use this property to set the number of RPM load steps for your analysis.
RPMs
Current RPM You use this property to make changes to the load step specified (1, 2, etc.). All
Number subsequent property entries apply only to the load step specified. The default value
is 1. Any changes to the properties for the load step are reflected in the corresponding
column in the Worksheet.
RPM Value You use this property to specify a RPM value, in radians per second, for the Current
RPM number.
RPM Fre- You use this property to define how the application performs frequency spacing type
quency Spa- for the Current RPM number. Options include Linear (default) and Logarithmic.
cing Using the Linear option, harmonic results are reported at uniform frequency intervals
for the specified frequency range. The Logarithmic option defines the frequency
spacing by setting an appropriate LogOpt key for the HARFRQ command.
RPM Fre- You use this property to set the desired minimum frequency for the frequency range
quency Range for the Current RPM number.
Minimum
RPM Fre- You use this property to set the desired maximum frequency for the frequency range
quency Range for the Current RPM number.
Maximum
RPM Solution You use this property to specify the solution intervals for the Current RPM number.
Intervals The default value is 10.

As illustrated below, when you active this category, the Worksheet window displays and enables
you to modify or view the RPM-based settings. For Mode Superposition You can change the setting
of the Cluster Results under the Options category (p. 1133) of the Analysis Settings.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Additive Manufacturing Controls

This category is available when you insert the AM Process object when performing an additive man-
ufacturing process simulation.

The properties for this category include:

• Cooldown Time: This property is available in the Analysis Settings for the Transient Thermal system
when you are defining an AM Process object and its associated child objects. Options include Program
Controlled (default) and User Specified. When you select User Specified, the additional property
Time displays. Use the Time property to specify the desired value.

• Reference Temperature: This property is available in the Analysis Settings for the Static Structural
system when you are defining an AM Process object and its associated child objects. Options include
Melting Temperature (default) and User Specified. When you select User Specified, the additional
property Reference Temperature displays. Use the Reference Temperature property to specify the
desired temperature.

• Relaxation Temperature: This property is available in the Analysis Settings for the Static Structural
system when you add a Heat Treatment Step in the AM Process Sequencer. Options include None
(default) and User Specified. When you select User Specified, the additional property Value displays.
Use the Value property to specify the desired relaxation temperature. Note: Using relaxation temper-
ature as the mechanism for stress relaxation is a simplified approach. A more rigorous approach is
to use a creep model.

• Layers to Build: Use this property to limit the number of layers to build in an AM Process Simulation,
that is, to simulate only a partial build process. This may be useful if you suspect there will be cracks
where the part or supports connect to the baseplate or possible blade interference in the lower
portions of the build. Enter an integer value up to the total number of layers in the build. The number
specified for the Static Structural system must not be greater than the number of layers to build in
the Transient Thermal system. The default setting is All. (Enter 0 to reset the number back to All once
it has been changed, if desired.)

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Solver Controls
The properties provided by the Solver Controls category vary based on the specified Analysis Type.
This table denotes which Details view properties are supported for each analysis type. The remainder
of the section describes the functions and features of the properties.

Analysis Type
Steady
Coupled
Details Coupled Field StaticStatic Transient
Rigid Modal Eigenvalue
- Transient
Thermal
Topology
Field Modal (p. 283) Magnetostatic
Electric (p. 253)(p. 335)
View Transient (p. 246)Structural
Acoustics (p.
(p. 434)
325)Structural
Dynamics
Acoustics
(p.
(p.(p.
507)
340)
304)Buckling
State
Thermal
Electric
Optimization
(p.
(p.257)
(p.
521)
443)(p. 447)
Static (p. 244)
Properties Thermal (p. 439)
Damped
Solv-
er
Type
Mode
Re-
use
Store
Com-
plex
Solu-
tion
Weak
Springs
Solv-
er
Pivot
Check-
ing
Large
De-
flec-
tion
Ap-
plic-
a-
tion
(App.)
Based
Set-
tings
In-
er-
tia
Re-
lief

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Analysis Type
Steady
Coupled
Details Coupled Field StaticStatic Transient
Rigid Modal Eigenvalue
- Transient
Thermal
Topology
Field Modal (p. 283) Magnetostatic
Electric (p. 253)(p. 335)
View Transient (p. 246)Structural
Acoustics (p.
(p. 434)
325)Structural
Dynamics
Acoustics
(p.
(p.(p.
507)
340)
304)Buckling
State
Thermal
Electric
Optimization
(p.
(p.257)
(p.
521)
443)(p. 447)
Static (p. 244)
Properties Thermal (p. 439)
In-
clude
Neg-
at-
ive
Load
Mul-
ti-
pli-
er
Time
In-
teg-
ra-
tion
and
Con-
straint
Sta-
bil-
iz-
a-
tion

Damped
The Damped property options include Yes and No (default). Set the property to Yes to enable a
damped system where the natural frequencies and mode shapes become complex.

Solver Type
The options of the Solver Type property can vary based upon the type of analysis you are performing.
In general, the Solver Type options include:

• Program Controlled (default): this setting enables the application to select the optimal solver.

• Direct: this setting uses the Sparse solver.

• Iterative: this setting uses the PCG or ICCG (for Electric and Electromagnetic analyses) solver.

Note:

• See the EQSLV command in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more information
about solver selection.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• See the Linear Equation Solver Memory Requirements section of the Mechanical APDL
Performance Guide for recommendations about how to manage memory in order to
maximize performance.

Based on the analysis type, additional Solver Type property options are described below.

Modal Analysis
For a Modal Analysis (p. 283) when the Damped property is set to No, Solver Type options include
the common settings, Program Controlled (default), Direct, and Iterative as well as the following:

• Unsymmetric

• Supernode

• Subspace

The Direct, Iterative, Unsymmetric, Supernode, and Subspace types are used to solve a
modal system that does not include any damping effects (the Damped property is set to
No). Except for the Unsymmetric option, the solver types are intended to solve Eigen solutions
with symmetric mass and stiffness. For a large model, the Iterative solver is preferred over
the Direct solver for its efficiency in terms of solution time and memory usage.

During a Modal analysis the:

• Direct solver uses the Block Lanczos extraction method that employs an automated shift
strategy, combined with a Sturm sequence check, to extract the number of eigenvalues
requested. The Sturm sequence check ensures that the requested number of eigen frequen-
cies beyond the user supplied shift frequency (FREQB on the MODOPT command) is found
without missing any modes. See the Block Lanczos help in the Eigenvalue and Eigenvector
Extraction section of the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

• Supernode solver is recommended for extracting a large number of modes. Selecting

Supernode as the Solver Type automatically sets the Limit Search to Range property to
Yes in the Options (p. 1133) category. This selection also displays the Range Minimum and
Range Maximum properties and requires a Range Maximum frequency entry. Alternatively,
you may reset the Limit Search to Range property to No to find all of the possible modes
without any restrictions on the frequency range.

• Subspace solver (unlike the Direct solver) does not perform Sturm sequence check by
default (STRMCK is OFF by default in SUBOPT command), making it relatively faster than
Direct solver and also has reasonable accuracy. In addition, the Subspace solver supports
DANSYS allowing you to take advantage of a distributed architecture to perform faster
computations.

• Unsymmetric solver (for modal systems with unsymmetric mass and/or stiffness) is required
for solving the Eigen solutions. See the Help for the MODOPT command in the Mechanical
APDL Command Reference for more information about solver selection.

If the Damped property is set to Yes, the Solver Type property options include:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Full Damped

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Configuring Analysis Settings

• Reduced Damped

The Reduced Damped solver is preferred over the Full Damped solver for its efficiency in
terms of solution time. However, the Reduced Damped solver is not recommended when
high damping effects are present because it can become inaccurate.

Modal Acoustics Analysis

If the Damped property is set to Yes, Full Damped is the only supported option for this analysis.

For a Modal Acoustics Analysis when the Damped property is set to No, Solver Type property
options include:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Direct

• Subspace

• Unsymmetric

Note:

When you have Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290) object defined in your model or the
Element Type property is set to Coupled in the Acoustic FSI Definition of a
Physics Region object, you must select Unsymmetric or Damped solver type to
proceed with the solution.

Based on your configuration, select your solver type based on the following:

Element Symmetric FSI Required Solver Type

Type Formulation Load
Setting
Coupled Off No Unsymmetric/Damped
Coupled On No Direct/Subspace/Damped
Uncoupled Off No Direct/Subspace/Damped
Uncoupled On No Direct/Subspace/Damped
Coupled Off Yes Unsymmetric/Damped
Coupled On Yes Direct/Subspace/Damped
Uncoupled Off Yes Unsymmetric/Damped
Uncoupled On Yes Direct/Subspace/Damped

Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis

For an Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis (p. 257), the Solver Type options include:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Direct

• Subspace

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

The Program Controlled option uses the Direct solver. Refer to the BUCOPT command for
additional information about buckling analysis solver selection.

Topology Optimization
The Topology Optimization (p. 447) analysis Solver Type options include:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Sequential Convex Programming

• Optimality Criteria

Mode Reuse (Modal Analyses Only)

The Mode Reuse property is only available for Modal analyses when you specify the Solver Type as
Reduced Damped. This property allows the solver to compute complex eigensolutions efficiently
during subsequent solve points by reusing the undamped eigensolution that is calculated at the first
solve point. The default setting is Program Controlled. Set this property to Yes to enable it or No
to disable the property.

Store Complex Solution (Modal Analyses Only)

This property is only available for a Modal Analysis and only when the Damped property is set to
Yes and the Solver Type is set to Reduced Damped. It allows you to solve and store a damped
modal system as an undamped modal system.

Weak Springs
For stress simulations, such as thermal-stress or press fit modeling, the addition of weak springs can
facilitate a solution by preventing numerical instability, while not having an effect on real world en-
gineering loads. The following Weak Springs settings are available in the Details view:

• Program Controlled: Mechanical determines if weak springs will facilitate the solution, then adds a
standard weak spring stiffness value accordingly.

• On: Mechanical always adds a weak spring stiffness. Choosing On causes a Spring Stiffness option to
appear that allows you to control the amount of weak spring stiffness. Your choices are to use the standard
stiffness mentioned above for the Program Controlled setting of Weak Springs or to enter a customized
value. The following situations may prompt you to choose a customized stiffness value:

a. The standard weak spring stiffness value may produce springs that are too weak such that the solution
does not occur, or that too much rigid body motion occurs.

b. You may judge that the standard weak spring stiffness value is too high (rare case).

c. You may want to vary the weak spring stiffness value to determine the impact on the simulation.

The following Spring Stiffness settings are available:

– Program Controlled (default setting): Adds a standard weak spring stiffness (same as the value added
for the Program Controlled setting of Weak Springs).

– Factor: Adds a customized weak spring stiffness whose value equals the Program Controlled standard
value times the value you enter in the Spring Stiffness Factor field (appears only if you choose Factor).

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Configuring Analysis Settings

For example, setting Spring Stiffness Factor equal to 20 means that the weak springs will be 20 times
stronger than the Program Controlled standard value.

– Manual: Adds a customized weak spring stiffness whose value you enter (in units of force/length) in
the Spring Stiffness Value field (appears only if you choose Manual).

• Off (default setting): Weak springs are not added. By default, the application does not include weak springs
for the solution.

The default setting for this property can be modified using the Options dialog box. See the Specifying
Options (p. 138) section of the Help under Analysis Settings and Solution (p. 152).

Solver Pivot Checking

In the case of an underconstrained model or contact related issue, an ill conditioned solver matrix
will produce an error message in the solver and abort the solution. This property instructs the solver
how to handle such an instance. Options include:

• Program Controlled (default): Allows the solver to determine the response.

• Warning: Instructs the solver to continue upon detection of the condition and attempt the solution.

• Error: Instructs the solver to stop upon detection of the condition and issue an error message.

• Off: Pivot checking is not performed.

The default setting for this property can be modified using the Options dialog box. See the Specifying
Options (p. 138) section of the Help under Analysis Settings and Solution (p. 152).

Large Deflection
This property, applicable to Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses, determines whether
the solver should take into account large deformation effects such as large deflection, large rotation,
and large strain. Set Large Deflection to On if you expect large deflections (as in the case of a long,
slender bar under bending) or large strains (as in a metal-forming problem).

Important:

When using hyperelastic material models, you must set the Large Deflection property to
On.

Application (App.) Based Settings

The App. Based Settings property is available for Full Transient Structural analyses only. Based on
the TINTP command, this property provides the options listed below. The selection of these options
depends upon the purpose of your simulation. For a detailed description of each option, see the
Transient Dynamic Analysis Settings Based on Application section of the Mechanical APDL Structural
Analysis Guide.

• Impact

• High Speed Dynamics

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• Moderate Speed Dynamics (default)

• Low Speed Dynamics

• Quasi-Static

For Quasi Static application-based settings, the Backward Euler algorithm is used. In addition,
damping energy and the work done by any external loading condition is taken into account.
This can be seen through transient solution options TRNOPT command.

• User Defined

When you select the User Defined option, the associated property Amplitude Decay Factor displays.
The default value for this property is 0.1.

Inertia Relief (Linear Static Structural Analyses Only)

Calculates accelerations to counterbalance the applied loads. Displacement constraints on the structure
should only be those necessary to prevent rigid-body motions (6 for a 3D structure). The sum of the
reaction forces at the constraint points will be zero. Accelerations are calculated from the element
mass matrices and the applied forces. Data needed to calculate the mass (such as density) must be
input. Both translational and rotational accelerations may be calculated.

Requirements

The use of the Inertial Relief property requires the following:

• This option applies only to the linear static structural analyses. Nonlinearities, elements that operate in
the nodal coordinate system, and axisymmetric or generalized plane strain elements are not allowed.

• Models with both 2D and 3D element types or with symmetry boundary constraints are not recommended.
Loads may be input as usual. Displacements and stresses are calculated as usual.

• Symmetry models are not valid for an inertia relief analysis.

• If the Inertial Relief property is set to On, then any analysis linked to the Static Structural analysis is invalid.
This includes a Static Structural analysis linked to the following analysis types:

– Pre-stressed Modal

– Eigenvalue Buckling

– Pre-stressed FULL Harmonic Response

– Pre-stressed MSUP Harmonic Response

– Pre-stressed MSUP Transient

– Pre-stressed Response Spectrum

– Pre-stressed Random Vibration

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Include Negative Load Multiplier (Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis Only)

For an Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis, this property allows you to select the range of eigenvalues (load
multipliers) to be extracted. The default option Program Controlled and the option Yes will extract
both the negative and positive eigenvalues (load multipliers). The No setting extracts only positive
eigenvalues (load multipliers).

Time Integration Type (Rigid Dynamics Solver Only)

This feature is applicable to a Rigid Dynamics analysis.

The Details view Solver Controls options for the Time Integration Type include:

• Time Integration Type field. Available time integration algorithms include:

– Program Controlled (default setting): The application selects the most appropriate method based on
the current model. If the model contains only rigid bodies, 4th order Runge-Kutta is used. If the model
contains flexible bodies (Condensed Parts), the Implicit Generalized Alpha option is selected automat-
ically.

– Runge-Kutta 4: Fourth Order Runge-Kutta.

– Runge-Kutta 5: Fifth Order Runge-Kutta.

– Implicit Generalized Alpha: Implicit time integration based on the Generalized-α method.

– Stabilized Generalized Alpha: Implicit time integration based on the Stabilized Generalized-α method.

– MJ Time Stepping: Moreau-Jean time-stepping integration.

• Use Position Correction: Yes (default) or No.

• Use Velocity Correction: Yes (default) or No.

• Correction Type: Pure Kinematic (default) or With Inertia Matrix.

• Assembly Type: Pure Kinematic (default) or With Inertia Matrix.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• Drop-Off Tolerance

Restart Analysis

Note:

• This group is displayed in the Details view only if restart points (p. 1724) are available. Restart
points can be generated by adjusting the settings in the Restart Controls (p. 1126) group. You
will also need to set Delete Unneeded Files, under the Analysis Data Management (p. 1160)
group to No so that restart point files are retained after a solve.

• The ability to restart a solution is not supported if you switch from a shared memory solution
to a Distributed Solution (p. 1716).

The Restart Analysis group is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Coupled Field Analyses (p. 243)

These control whether to use restart points in subsequent solution restarts. If restart points should
be used, Load Step, Substep and Time help reveal the point's identity in the calculation sequence.

Note:

When using a modal system database from a version prior to the most current version of
Mechanical, it is possible to encounter incompatibility of the file.esav, created by a
linked static structural system. This incompatibility can cause the modal system’s solution
to fail. In the event you experience this issue, use the Clear Generated Data feature and
resolve the static structural system.

The Restart Analysis controls are as follows:

• Restart Type: By default, Mechanical tracks the state of restart points and selects the most appropriate
point when set to Program Controlled. You may choose different restart points by setting this to
Manual, however. To disable solution restarts altogether, set it to Off.

• Current Restart Point: This option lets you choose which restart point to use. This option is displayed
only if Restart Type set to Manual.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

• Load Step: Displays the Load Step of the restart point to use. If no restart points are available (or all are
invalid for a Restart Type of Program Controlled) the display is Initial.

• Substep: Displays the Substep of the restart point to use. If no restart points are available (or all are invalid
for a Restart Type of Program Controlled) the display is Initial.

• Time: Displays the time of the restart point to use.

Restart Controls
These control the creation of Restart Points. Because each Restart Point consists of special files
written by the solver, restart controls can help you manage the compromise between flexibility in
conducting your analyses and disk space usage. See the Solution Restarts (p. 1724) section for more
information about the restart capability and how it relates to Restart Points.

The Restart Controls are as follows:

• Generate Restart Points: Enables the creation of restart points.

– Program Controlled: Instructs the program to select restart point generation settings for you. The
setting is equivalent to Load Step = Last and Substep = Last.

– Manual: Allows you access to the detailed settings for restart point generation.

– Off: Restricts any new restart points from being created.

• Load Step: Specifies what load steps are to create restart points. Set to All to obtain restart points in all
load steps, or to Last to obtain a restart point in the last load step only.

• Substep: Specifies how often the restart points are created within a load step. Set to one of the following:

– Last to write the files for the last substep of the load step only.

– All to write the files for all substeps of the load step.

– Specified Recurrence Rate and enter a number N, in the Value field, to generate restart points for a
specified number of substeps per load step.

– Equally Spaced Points and enter a number N, in the Value field, to generate restart points at equally
spaced time intervals within a load step.

• Maximum Points to Save Per Step: Specifies the maximum number of files to save for the load step.
Choose one of the following options:

– An entry of 0 specifies the option All. The maximum number of files for one run is 999. If this number
is reached before the analysis is complete, the analysis continues but the application no longer writes
any files, except if you are using the Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383) condition. When this condition
is specified, the application begins to overwrite the files, beginning with the oldest restart file, when
this maximum is met.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

– Enter a positive number to specify the maximum number of files to keep for each load step. When the
maximum number has been written for each load step, the first file of that load step will be overwritten
for subsequent substeps.

Note:

If you want to interrupt the solution in a linear transient analysis, by default, the interrupt
will be at load step boundaries only (as opposed to nonlinear analyses where interrupts
occur at substeps). However, if you want to interrupt a solution to a linear transient
analysis on a substep basis, set the following: Generate Restart Controls = Manual,
Load Step = All, Substep = All, and Maximum Points to Save Per Step = 1. These
settings allow you to accomplish the interrupt on a substep basis without filling up your
disk with restart files.

• Retain Files After Full Solve: When restart points are requested, the necessary restart files are always
retained for an incomplete solve due to a convergence failure or user request. However, when the solve
completes successfully, you have the option to request to either keep the restart points by setting this
field to Yes, or to delete them by setting this field to No. You can control this setting here in the Details
view of the Analysis Settings object, or under Tools> Options in the Analysis Settings and Solu-
tion (p. 152) preferences list. The setting in the Details view overrides the preference setting.

Note:

Retain Files After Full Solve has interactions with other controls. Under the Analysis
Data Management (p. 1160) category, setting Future Analysis to Prestressed forces the
restart files to be retained. Similarly, setting Delete Unneeded Files to No implies that
restart files are to be retained.

• Combine Restart Files: This property enables you to select whether the multi-frame restart files will be
automatically combined after the solution. Setting this property to Yes, prior to initiating a solve, enables
you to restart your analysis with a different core count of processors. Options include:

– Program Controlled (default): this option does not send any commands to the solver. It uses the
Mechanical APDL solver default setting (No).

– Yes: this option issues the command DMPOPTION, RNNN, YES. This is the required setting if you wish
to combine result files in a downstream system.

– No: this option issues the command DMPOPTION, RNNN, NO.

Note:

The Combine Restart Files property requires significant processing time if there is a
large number of restart files to combine.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Nonlinear Adaptivity Remeshing Controls

A Nonlinear Adaptivity Remeshing Controls category is included in the Analysis Settings Details
view for Static Structural (p. 434) analyses and is only available when you have inserted a Nonlinear
Adaptive Region (p. 1383) condition and specified its Criterion property as Mesh, Energy, or Box. At
that time, you can access and modify the properties described below. All of these properties, except
for the Refinement Algorithm property, are step dependent and can therefore be modified on a per
step basis using the Step Controls (p. 1110) property Current Step Number.

Refinement Algorithm
This property is visible when you set the Criterion property of the Nonlinear Adaptive Region object
to Energy or Box. The options for this property include General Remeshing (default) and Mesh Splitting.
When you specify the Mesh Splitting option, the application hides all of the other Nonlinear Adaptivity
Remeshing Controls properties, unless there is another Nonlinear Adaptive Region object with Cri-
terion property set to Mesh.

Note:

The General Remeshing option is not supported for high order 2D elements and the
Mesh Splitting option is not supported for high order tetrahedral elements.

Remeshing Gradient
This property is visible when you set the Criterion property of the Nonlinear Adaptive Region object
to Mesh, or when you set the Criterion property of the Nonlinear Adaptive Region object to either
Energy or Box and the Refinement Algorithm property to General Remeshing. This property controls
the new mesh sizing gradient during remesh. The options for this property include:

• No Gradient: This option does not maintain the mesh-size gradient but generates a uniform mesh.

• Average Gradient: This option generates a new mesh and retains the same local size as the source
mesh.

• Perfect Shape Gradient (default for 2D analysis): This option generates a new mesh while retaining
the same local size as the source mesh. It also provides additional compensation for mesh sizing in
the event the size of existing elements changes during the solution process as a result of large deform-
ations. The option strives to refine your mesh at the location of distorted elements. Distorted elements
generally originate from deformation during the solution process.

• Practical Shape Gradient (default for 3D analysis): This option is only available for 3D analysis. This
option is similar to the Perfect Shape Gradient option, but it assumes that perfect mesh quality is
not required. Minor distortions are not refined.

See the Local Sizing and Gradient Control section of the Mechanical APDL Advanced Analysis Guide
for additional information. In particular, how these options correspond to the Value (VAL) entries.

Boundary Angle
This property is visible when you set the Criterion property of the Nonlinear Adaptive Region object
to Mesh, or when you set the Criterion property of the Nonlinear Adaptive Region object to either
Energy or Box and the Refinement Algorithm property to General Remeshing. It defines the boundary
angle threshold in degrees. You use this option to retain the source mesh geometry features. It is valid
for both 2D and 3D analyses. The default value is 15° for 3D analyses and 10° for 2D analyses.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

In a 3D analysis, this value is the dihedral angle (the angle between the normal vectors from two
neighboring surface facets). In a 2D analysis, this value is the 2D patch boundary edge normal
angle. If the edge angle or dihedral angle is larger than the specified threshold, the node shared
by 2D edges or edges shared by 3D facets are retained during remeshing.

See the Boundary-Angle and Edge-Angle Control section of the Mechanical APDL Advanced Ana-
lysis Guide for additional information.

Edge Splitting Angle

For 3D analyses only, this property is visible when you set the Criterion property of the Nonlinear Ad-
aptive Region object to Mesh, or when you set the Criterion property of the Nonlinear Adaptive Region
object to either Energy or Box and the Refinement Algorithm property to General Remeshing. It
defines the "edge angle threshold" to split patch segment. The edge angle is defined as angle between
adjacency surface segment edges sharing a node. If the edge angle is larger than specified edge angle
threshold, the segment will be split and the node will be automatically treated as hard node to be retained.
The default edge angle threshold is 10.0°. The larger edge angle threshold tends to improve result
mesh quality, but may loss feature nodes. The entry range is 0° to 80°.

See the Boundary-Angle and Edge-Angle Control section of the Mechanical APDL Advanced Ana-
lysis Guide for additional information.

Number of Sculpted Layers

This read-only property, in combination with its sub-properties, defines the number of sculpting layers,
beginning with the detected seed elements. It is available and valid for both 2D and 3D analyses. This
property is specified, based on the Criterion property setting of the Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383)
object and the value of one, or both, of the following properties depending upon whether you have
more than one Nonlinear Adaptive Region object specified:

• Quality Improvement (NSL): Controls remeshing to remove distortion. Visible when the Criterion
property is set to Mesh. The default value for this property is 2 for 3D analyses and 10 for 2D analyses.

• Refinement (NSL): Controls element refinement. Visible when the Criterion property is set to Energy
or Box. The default value for this property is 2 for 3D analyses and 1 for 2D analyses.

This option helps to detect the remeshing regions from whole model. Generally, a larger value
leads to larger remeshing regions and tends to unite multiple isolated regions. A larger value also
tends to create a better remesh quality (and increases mapping and solution overhead accordingly).
Value of 0 is not recommended because the remeshed regions would contain only detected seed
elements, resulting in many small cavities within the remeshed regions (especially if the specified
skewness threshold [NLADAPTIVE] is relatively large).

See the Sculpting Layers Control section of the Mechanical APDL Advanced Analysis Guide for ad-
ditional information.

Global Size Ratio

This read-only property, in combination with its sub-properties, defines the global sizing ratio for
remeshing. This property is specified, based on the Criterion property setting of the Nonlinear Adaptive
Region (p. 1383) object and the value of one, or both, of the following properties depending upon
whether you have more than one Nonlinear Adaptive Region object specified:

• Quality Improvement (GSR): Controls remeshing to remove distortion. Visible when the Criterion
property is set to Mesh. The default value is 1.0. The default value results in the new mesh having a
size similar to that of the original mesh.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

• Refinement (GSR): Controls element refinement. Visible when the Criterion property is set to Energy
or Box. The default value is 0.75.

These entries enable the target mesh to have the same average as the source mesh. The target
mesh will get finer or become more coarse if the value is less than 1.0 or larger than 1.0 respect-
ively. Generally, the desired setting greater than or equal to 0.7.

See the Global Sizing Control section of the Mechanical APDL Advanced Analysis Guide for additional
information.

Remeshing Tolerance
This read-only property, in combination with its sub-properties, defines the tolerance for accepting new
mesh. This property is specified, based on the Criterion property setting of the Nonlinear Adaptive Re-
gion (p. 1383) object and the value of one, or both, of the following properties depending upon whether
you have more than one Nonlinear Adaptive Region object specified:

• Quality Improvement (RT): Controls remeshing to remove distortion. Visible when the Criterion
property is set to Mesh. The default value is 0.05.

• Aggressive Remeshing: Visible when the:

– Criterion property is set to Mesh.

Or...

– Criterion property is set to either Energy or Box and the Refinement Algorithm property is set
to General Remeshing (default).
This property helps to create a mesh with improved shape metrics. Note that it may change certain
global remeshing control parameters and as a result may increase remeshing time. Options for this
property include On and Off (default).

• Refinement (RT): Controls element refinement. Visible when the Criterion property is set to Energy
or Box. The default value is 0.5.

Generate Restart Points

This property enables you to create restart points. The options include Program Controlled (default)
and Manual. The Program Controlled options instructs the application to select restart points for you.
when you select the Manual setting, the Load Step and Substep properties display. The Load Step
property includes the options Last (default) and All. Last. The Substep property is read-only and the
default setting is also Last. This property employs the RESCONTROL command.

Retain Files After Full Solve

When you request restart points, the application retains all necessary restart files for an incomplete solve
due to a convergence failure or user request. For a successful solution, this property choose whether to
keep or delete restart files. Options for this property include Yes (default) and No.

Mechanical APDL References

Nonlinear Adaptivity Controls are applied using the NLMESH command. Control options and commands
are listed below.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Remesh Control MAPDL Command

Refinement NLMESH,REFA
Algorithm
Remeshing Gradient NLMESH,GRAD
Boundary Angle NLMESH,BDRA
Edge Splitting Angle NLMESH,AEDG
Number of Sculpted NLMESH,NLAY
Layers
Global Size Ratio NLMESH,SRAT
Remeshing NLMESH,QTOL
Tolerance
Aggressive NLMESH,AGGR
Remeshing

Creep Controls
Creep is a rate-dependent material nonlinearity in which the material continues to deform under a
constant load. You can perform an implicit creep analysis for a static or transient structural analysis.
Creep Controls are available in the Details view of the analysis settings for these two environments
only after you have selected a creep material for at least one prototype in the analysis.

The Creep Controls group is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Creep controls are step-aware, meaning that you are allowed to set different creep controls for different
load steps in a multi-step analysis. If there were multiple load steps in the analysis before you chose
the creep material, then choosing the creep material will set the Creep Controls properties to their
default value.

The Creep Controls group includes the following properties:

• Creep Effects: The default value is Off for the first load step and On for all the subsequent load steps.
You may change it according to your analysis.

• Creep Limit Ratio (available only if Creep Effects is set to On): This property issues the Mechanical APDL
CUTCONTROL command with your input value of creep limit ratio. (Refer to the CUTCONTROL command
description for details). The default value of Creep Limit Ratio is 1. You are allowed to pick any non-
negative value.

Fracture Controls
Fracture controls make sure that the effect of cracks is included in the solution. The Fracture Controls
category becomes visible under Analysis Settings when a Fracture object is inserted via the Model
object. It is only visible for Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

The primary property, Fracture, is set to On by default to compute fracture parameters. By default,
the parameters SIFS, J-Integral, and VCCT are computed. Also when set to On, the following additional
properties display:

• SIFS: The default setting is Yes. Set this control to No to exclude the SIFS parameter results compu-
tation.

• J-Integral: The default setting is Yes. Set this control to No to exclude the J-Integral parameter results
computation.

• Material Force: The default setting is No. Set this control to Yes to compute the Material Force
parameter results.

• T-Stress: The default setting is No. Set this control to Yes to compute the T-Stress parameter results.

• C*-Integral: this property is visible only when a creep material is used and the Creep Effects property
of the Creep Controls (p. 1131) is set to On. The default setting is Yes. Set this control to No to exclude
the computation of the C*-Integral parameter results.

Cyclic Controls
The Harmonic Index Range setting within the Cyclic Controls category is only used in a Modal (p. 283)
analysis that involves cyclic symmetry (p. 818) to specify the solution ranges for the harmonic index.
The setting appears if you have defined a Cyclic Region (p. 2160) for this analysis.

• The Program Controlled option solves all applicable harmonic indices.

• The Manual option exposes additional fields that allow you to specify a range of harmonic indices for
solution from the Minimum value to the Maximum value in steps of the Interval value.

Note:

Static Structural (p. 434) cyclic symmetry solutions always use all harmonic indices required
for the applied loads.

Radiosity Controls
The Radiosity Controls group is available for Coupled Field, Steady-State Thermal, Transient Thermal,
and Thermal Electric analyses.

The following settings within the Radiosity Controls category are used in conjunction with the Radi-
ation (p. 1258) boundary condition when defining surface-to-surface radiation for thermal related analyses
that use the ANSYS solver. These settings are based on the RADOPT command in Mechanical APDL.

• Radiosity Solver

• Flux Convergence

• Maximum Iteration

• Solver Tolerance (dependent upon the unit of measure)

• Over Relaxation

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

For the Radiosity Solver property, selections include the Gauss-Seidel iterative solver (Program
Controlled default), the Direct solver, or the Iterative Jacobi solver.

View Factors for 3D Geometry

For 3D geometry, the Hemicube Resolution setting is also available based on the HEMIOPT command
in Mechanical APDL. See the View Factor Calculation (3-D): Hemicube Method section in the Mechan-
ical APDL Theory Reference for further information.

View Factors for 2-D Geometry

For 2–D geometry, the following settings are available and are based on the V2DOPT command in
Mechanical APDL:

• View Factor Method

• Number of Zones

• Axisymmetric Divisions

See the following sections of the Mechanical APDL help for further information on these settings:

• Using the Radiosity Solver Method in the Thermal Analysis Guide.

• Mechanical APDL Theory Reference sections:

– Non-Hidden Method

– Hidden Method

– View Factors of Axisymmetric Bodies

Options for Analyses

An Options control category is included in the Analysis Settings Details view for the following ana-
lysis types only:

• Eigenvalue • Modal (p. 1133)

Buckling (p. 1140)
• Random Vibration (p. 1140)
• Harmonics
Acoustics (p. 313) • Response Spectrum (p. 1141)

• Harmonic • Transient Structural (p. 1139)

Response (p. 1134)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

Modal Analysis Options Category

For Modal analyses, the Options group includes the following controls:

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Max Modes to Find

Specifies the number of natural frequencies to solve for in a modal analysis.

Limit Search Range

Allows you to specify a frequency range within which to find the natural frequencies. The default
is set to No. If you set this to Yes, you can enter a minimum and maximum frequency value. If you
specify a range the solver will strive to extract as many frequencies as possible within the specified
range subject to a maximum specified in the Max Modes to Find field.

Spin Softening
Enables you to specify whether to include or exclude Spin Softening effect in the linear perturbation
analyses. This field is available when performing a Pre-Stressed Modal analysis. The options include
Program Controlled (default), Yes, and No. The Program Controlled setting selects either to include
or exclude Spin Softening in the solution based on whether the rotating reference frame attached
to the body is fixed (Yes) or in motion (No). The Yes option is invalid if the Coriolis Effect property
(Rotordynamics Controls (p. 1164)) is set to On.

For more information, refer to the PERTURB command from MAPDL Command Reference
Guide.

Harmonic Response Analysis Options Category

The Options category controls for Harmonic Response analyses are described below.

Frequency Spacing
This property defines how frequency spacing is performed. Options include: Linear (default), Logarithmic,
Octave Band, 1/2 Octave Band, 1/3 Octave Band, 1/6 Octave Band, 1/12 Octave Band, and 1/24
Octave Band.

When you select the Linear option, harmonic results are reported at uniform frequency intervals
for the specified frequency range.

The Logarithmic option as well as the Octave Band options define the Logarithm Frequency
Spacing in a Harmonic Analysis by setting an appropriate LogOpt key for the HARFRQ command.

Central Frequency
When you select an Octave Band option for the Frequency Spacing property, the Central Frequency
property also displays. This property requires you to specify the central frequency of octave band.

Frequency Sweep Range

You define a frequency sweep range by defining the Range Minimum and Range Maximum values
when the Frequency Spacing property is set to Linear or Logarithmic. When you set the Frequency
Spacing property to an nth-Octave Band, you must also define a Central Frequency value. Based on
the Central Frequency input, the Range Minimum and Range Maximum values are calculated and
displayed as read-only. This information is useful when requesting a result at a particular frequency.

User Defined Frequencies

This property enables you to add additional frequency steps to your analysis. These frequency steps are
in addition to the steps defined for the Frequency Spacing property. Options include: Off (default) and
On. When you specify Off, no additional frequency steps are included in the solution.

Specifying On requires you to make entries in the Tabular Data window in the User Defined
Frequency Steps column.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

The application executes the HARFRQ command using the FREQARR input (one dimensional array)
to send data to the solver.

Note:

The User Defined Frequencies capability is not supported for the following cases:

• Cyclic Symmetry for a Harmonic Response analysis.

• When the Variational Technology property is set to Yes.

Solution Intervals
This property defines the number of the solution points between the frequency sweep range. You can
request any number of harmonic solutions to be calculated. The solutions are evenly spaced within the
specified frequency range, as long as clustering is not active.

For example, if you specify 10 (default) solutions in the range 30 to 40 Hz, the program calculates
the response at 31, 32, 33, ..., 39, and 40 Hz. No response is calculated at the lower end of the
frequency range.

This property is replaced by the Cluster Number property when you are using the Mode-Super-
position Solution Method and the Cluster Results property is set to Yes.

Solution Method
Three solution methods are available to perform Harmonic Response analysis: Mode-Superposition,
Direct Integration (Full) and the Variational Technology. Variational Technology is a unique property
when you use the Full option (see below).

Mode-Superposition Method

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Mode-Superposition is the default method, and generally provides results faster than the Full
method. In the Mode-Superposition method a modal analysis is first performed to compute the
natural frequencies and mode shapes. Then the mode-superposition solution is carried out where
these mode shapes are combined to arrive at a solution.

Modal Frequency Range

Specifies the range of frequencies over which mode shapes will be computed in the modal analysis:

• Program Controlled: The modal sweep range is automatically set to 200% of the upper harmonic
limit and 50% of the lower harmonic limit. This setting is adequate for most simulations.

• Manual: Allows you to manually set the modal sweep range. Choosing Manual displays the
Modal Range Minimum and Modal Range Maximum fields where you can specify these values.

Include Residual Vector

This property is available for a Harmonic Response Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System (p. 279)
and a stand-alone MSUP Harmonic Response Analysis (p. 266) when the Solution Method property
is set to Mode Superposition (default). When set to On the application executes the RESVEC com-
mand and calculates or includes residual vectors. The default setting is Off. See the RESVEC command
documentation in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for additional information.

Cluster Results and Cluster Number (Mode Superposition only)

The Cluster Results property enables the solver to automatically cluster solution points near the
structure’s natural frequencies ensuring capture of behavior near the peak responses. This results
in a smoother, more accurate, response curve.

Cluster Number: this property specifies the number of solutions on each side of a natural
frequency. The default is value is 4 (to calculate four solutions). The range of available values
is 2 to 20. The following settings are required to display and define this property:

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• Solution Method = Mode Superposition

• Cluster Number = Yes

The following example illustrates a comparison of Solution Intervals versus clustering based
on the different Solution Methods selections. You may also want to review the Automatic
Frequency Spacing in a Harmonic Analysis section for a Harmonic Analysis in the Mechanical
APDL Theory Reference.

Solution Intervals = 15: Here 15 solutions are evenly spaced within the frequency range.
Note how the peak can be missed altogether.

Cluster = 5: Here 5 solutions are performed automatically on either side of each natural
frequency capturing the behavior near the peaks.

Skip Expansion
Options for this property include No (default) and Yes. When set to Yes, the application does not
create a result file. Results are evaluated using the Modal solution data and otherwise calculated “on
demand.” Furthermore, there are specific result types supported when this option is active:

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Configuring Analysis Settings

• Total and Directional Deformation

• Maximum, Middle and Minimum Principal Elastic Strain

• Maximum Shear Elastic Strain

• Elastic Strain Intensity

• Normal Elastic Strain/Shear Elastic Strain

• Equivalent Stress

• Maximum, Middle and Minimum Principal Stress

• Maximum Shear Stress

• Stress Intensity

• Normal Stress/Shear Stress

Important:

This feature has a limitation if you are using only Direct FE loading conditions. In
this case, results may not evaluate.

Store Results At All Frequencies

Upon solution, harmonic environments store data specified in the Output Controls for all intervals
in the frequency range. Consequently, seeking additional results at new frequencies will no longer
force a solved harmonic environment to be resolved. This choice will lead to a better compromise
between storage space (results are now stored in binary form in the RST file) and speed (by reducing
the need to resort to the solver to supply new results).

If storage is an issue, set the Store Results At All Frequencies to No. The application retains
minimal data with this setting, providing only the harmonic results requested at the time of
solution. As a result, the Output Controls do not control the availability of the results. This
option is especially useful for Mode-Superposition harmonic response analyses with frequency
clustering. It is unavailable for harmonic analyses solved with the Full method.

Note:

With this option set to No, the addition of new frequency or phase responses to
a solved environment requires a new solution. Adding a new contour result of any
type (stress or strain) or a new probe result of any type (reaction force, reaction
moment, or bearing) for the first time on a solved environment requires you to
solve, but adding additional contour results or probe results of the same type does
not share this requirement; data from the closest available frequency is displayed
(the reported frequency is noted on each result). Note that the values of frequency,
type of contour results (displacement, stress, or strain) and type of probe results
(reaction force, reaction moment, or bearing) at the moment of the solution de-
termine the contents of the result file and the subsequent availability of data.
Planning these choices can significantly reduce the need to re-solve an analysis.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Full Method (Direct Integration)

The Full method uses the full system matrices for the solution calculations. It is more thorough but
also requires greater processing time and capability.

The property Variational Technology displays when Full is specified. This option is an alternate
Solution Method that is based on the harmonic sweep algorithm of the Full method. The
options include:

• Program Controlled (default setting) - the application selects the most efficient method (Full or
Variational Technology).

• Yes - Specifies that the Variational Technology method is used.

• No - Specifies that the Full method is used.

For additional information, see Harmonic Response Analysis Variational Technology Method,
and Variational Technology, as well as the HROPT command in the Command Reference.

Spin Softening
Enables you to specify whether to include or exclude Spin Softening effect in the linear perturbation
analyses. This field is available when performing a Pre-Stressed Full Harmonic Response analysis. The
options include Program Controlled (default), Yes, and No. The Program Controlled setting selects
either to include or exclude Spin Softening in the solution based on whether the rotating reference
frame attached to the body is fixed (Yes) or in motion (No). The Yes option is invalid if the Coriolis Effect
property (Rotordynamics Controls (p. 1164)) is set to On.

For more information, refer to the PERTURB command from MAPDL Command Reference Guide.

Transient Structural (Linked with Modal) Options Category

Include Residual Vector
This property is available for a Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System (p. 517).
When set to On the application executes the RESVEC command and calculates or includes residual
vectors. The default setting is Off. See the RESVEC command documentation in the Mechanical APDL
Command Reference for additional information.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Skip Expansion
This property is available when you are performing a Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal
Analysis System (p. 517). Options for this property include No (default) and Yes. When set to Yes, the
application does not create a result file. Results are evaluated using the modal solution data and otherwise
calculated “on demand.” Furthermore, there are specific result types supported when this option is active:

• Total and Directional Deformation

• Maximum, Middle and Minimum Principal Elastic Strain

• Maximum Shear Elastic Strain

• Elastic Strain Intensity

• Normal Elastic Strain/Shear Elastic Strain

• Equivalent Stress

• Maximum, Middle and Minimum Principal Stress

• Maximum Shear Stress

• Stress Intensity

• Normal Stress/Shear Stress

Important:

This feature has a limitation if you are using only Direct FE loading conditions. In this
case, results may not evaluate.

Eigenvalue Buckling Options Category

For Eigenvalue Buckling analyses, the Options category includes the following controls:

Max Modes to Find

You need to specify the number of buckling load factors and corresponding buckling mode shapes of
interest. Typically only the first (lowest) buckling load factor is of interest.

Keep Pre-Stress Load-Pattern

At least one load is required in the buckling analysis when the prestressed analysis is nonlinear. This
property enables you to keep the loads defined in Static Structural analysis and use them in Eigenvalue
Buckling analysis to generate perturbation loads. The default setting is Yes. Setting the property to No
requires you to define a new loading pattern for the Eigenvalue Buckling analysis.

Random Vibration Options Category

For Random Vibration analyses, the Options category includes the following controls:

Number of Modes to Use

Specifies the number of modes to use from the modal analysis. A conservative rule of thumb is to
include modes that cover 1.5 times the maximum frequency in the PSD excitation table.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Exclude Insignificant Modes

When set to Yes, this property enables you to not include modes for the mode combination as
determined by the threshold value you set by the Mode Significance Level property (that automat-
ically displays when Yes is selected). The default value of 0 means all modes are selected (same as
setting Exclude Insignificant Modes to No) while a value of 1 means that no modes are selected.
The higher you set the threshold, the fewer the modes selected for mode combination.

Response Spectrum Options Category

For Response Spectrum analyses, the Options category includes the following controls:

Number of Modes to Use

Specify the number of modes to use from the modal analysis. It is suggested to have modes that
span 1.5 times the maximum frequency defined in input excitation spectrum.

Spectrum Type
Specify either Single Point or Multiple Points. If two or more input excitation spectrums are defined
on the same fixed degree of freedoms, use Single Point, otherwise use Multiple Points.

Modes Combination Type

Specify a method to be used for response spectrum calculation. Choices are SRSS, CQC, and ROSE.
In general, the SRSS method is more conservative than the other methods.

The SRSS method assumes that all maximum modal values are uncorrelated. For a complex
structural component in three dimensions, it is not uncommon to have modes that are
coupled. In this case, the assumption overestimates the responses overall. On the other hand,
the CQC and the ROSE methods accommodate the deficiency of the SRSS by providing a
means of evaluating modal correlation for the response spectrum analysis. Mathematically,
the approach is built upon random vibration theory assuming a finite duration of white noise
excitation. The ability to account for the modes coupling makes the response estimate from
the CQC and ROSE methods more realistic and closer to the exact time history solution.

Scattering Controls
The Scattering Controls category includes the Scattered Field Formulation property. The options
for this property include:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Off: Selecting this option turns scattering controls off.

• On: Selecting this option turns scattering controls on and also displays the Scattering Output Type
property.

The Scattering Output Type property is used to specify the output type for an acoustic scat-
tering analysis. The options for this property include Total and Scattered. Select the Total
option when you wish to output the total pressure field and the Scattered option when you
want to output the scattered pressure field.

If you specify an Incident Wave Location excitation and set the property to Outside the
Model, Mechanical automatically sets the Scattering Output Type property to Total.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

For more information, refer to the ASOL and ASCRES commands in the Mechanical APDL
Command Reference.

Advanced
The Advanced category becomes available for Harmonic Acoustics analyses (p. 313) and for Static
Structural analyses that you wish to perform an inverse solution on.

Harmonic Acoustics Analyses

For a Harmonic Acoustics analysis, the Advanced category includes the property Far-field Radiation
Surface. Far-field result calculations are based on the Equivalent Source (Maxwell) Surfaces. Therefore,
this field controls far-field result definitions and results. The options include:

• Program Controlled (default): If your analysis does not include a user-defined Equivalent Source
Surface boundary condition object, this setting identifies the Equivalent Source (Maxwell) Surfaces
automatically created by the application using the environment option Create Automatic > Far-
field Radiation Surface. In this case, the application applies the surface flag MXWF on them. If the
analysis does include a user-defined Far-field Radiation Surface object, this settings defined by that
object are used.

• Manual: This option requires the definition of at least one user-defined Far-field Radiation Surface
object.

• No: This setting invalidates all Equivalent Source (Maxwell) Surface objects and Far-field result objects.

Static Structural Inverse Solution Analyses

For Static Structural analyses, the Advanced category includes the property Inverse Option. The
options for this property include No (default) and Yes. Selecting the Yes option instructs the applic-
ation to perform an inverse solution beginning at first step. In addition, the End Step property displays
when you select the Yes option. This property enables you to specify at which step the inverse solve
routine should stop. Entries for this property (the maximum value) are based on the value specified
in the Number of Steps property. The default value for this property is 1.

Contact Split (DMP)

When the Contact Split (DMP) property is enabled, the contact conditions for the model are split
during the distributed solution to generate several smaller contacts. These contacts are then processed
across the available cores. Once the solution is complete, the split pairs are merged. This entire process
is automatic. Property options include:

• Off (default): No contact splitting.

• Program Controlled: The application selects whether to perform contact splitting in order to improve
performance.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• On: The application splits the contact regions during the solution. Selecting this option displays the
additional property Max Number of Splits. This entry specifies the maximum number of splits that
can occur for each contact region during the distributed solution. A minimum value of 2 is acceptable.

Note:

• This feature requires the Distributed option (p. 1711) to be enabled.

• This property is applicable for analysis involving contacts. When contact splitting is enabled,
different contacts in the model can result in different levels of splitting. The level of splitting
is determined by the application during run time.

• The use of this property may trim some of the contact elements during the solution. This reduces
the number of contact elements compared to the original untrimmed contact condition. As a
result, contact result items such as Contact Force Reactions and Contact Trackers may provide
different results when you turn the Contact Split (DMP) property On compared to a solution
with the property turned Off.

Damping Controls
The properties of the Damping Controls category vary based on the type of analysis being performed.
Using these properties, you can define the following types of system damping:

• Damping Ratio (DMPRAT)

• Constant Global Structural Damping Coefficient (DMPSTR)

• Global Alpha and Beta Damping (Rayleigh Damping) (ALPHAD, BETAD)

See the Damping section of the Mechanical APDLStructural Analysis Guide for more information.

Supported Analysis Types

The Damping category is available for the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Transient (p. 246)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Random Vibration (p. 291)/Response Spectrum (p. 298)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Transient Structural Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System (p. 517)

• Rigid Body Dynamics (p. 340)

Property Descriptions
Mechanical supports the following system-level damping properties.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Eqv. Damping Ratio From Modal

This Damping Controls property is available for a Harmonic Response Analysis when the Solution
Method property is set to Mode Superposition and for a Transient Structural Analysis linked to a
Modal Analysis. For these analyses, if you define the Damping Ratio in the Material Dependent Damping
property grouping of Engineering Data, then this property can control the material-based Damping
Ratio effect in your MSUP Harmonic and MSUP Transient solutions for all options of Expand Results
From (p. 1155) property. The options for this property include:

• Yes: The application includes the material-based Damping Ratio (MP,DMPR) effect in your MSUP
Harmonic or MSUP Transient solution. This is an invalid option for MSUP Harmonic or MSUP Transient
analyses where a Reduced Damped solver is used in upstream Modal analysis.

• No: The application does not include the material-based Damping Ratio (MP,DMPR) effect in your
MSUP Harmonic or MSUP Transient solution.

Note:

If you define the Damping Ratio in the Material Dependent Damping property
grouping, the application automatically sets this property to Yes.

Constant Damping
This property is available for Random Vibration analyses. The default setting is Program Controlled.
You may also set the property to Manual.

Damping Ratio
This property specifies the amount of damping in the structure as a percentage of critical damping using
the DMPRAT command. Note the following conditions:

• If you set this property in conjunction with the Stiffness Coefficient and Mass Coefficient, the effects
are cumulative.

• For a Random Vibration analysis, this property defaults to 0.01 (1%). Set the Constant Damping
property to Manual to specify the value.

Note:

The Engineering Data workspace also includes a Damping Ratio property that you can
specify for a material. Mechanical supports material-based damping in addition to
damping specified in the application. See the Material Dependent Damping Defini-
tion (p. 218) topic in the Define Engineering Data section for a listing of the analysis
types, and their requirements, that support material-based damping.

Constant Structural Damping Coefficient

This property specifies the amount of constant structural damping data using the DMPSTR command.
The property is available for:

• Harmonic Response analysis with the Solution Method property set to Full.

• Modal analysis when the:

– Damped property is set to Yes and the Solver Type is set to either Program Controlled or Full
Damped.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

– Damped property is set to Yes, the Solver Type is set to Reduced Damped, and the Store Complex
Solution property is set to Yes.

– Damped property is set to No and the Solver Type is set to Unsymmetric.

– Damped property is set to No and the Solver Type is set to Program Controlled where the applic-
ation specified the Unsymmetric setting.

Note:

If you parameterize the Constant Structural Damping Coefficient property using

the Program Controlled option, based on the Solver Type selection, damping is
added or removed during the design point solution.

If you set this in conjunction with the Stiffness Coefficient and Mass Coefficient, the effects are
cumulative.

Note:

The Engineering Data workspace also includes a Constant Structural Damping Coefficient
property that you can specify for a material. Mechanical supports material-based
damping in addition to damping specified in the application. See the Material Depend-
ent Damping Definition (p. 218) topic in the Define Engineering Data section for a listing
of the analysis types, and their requirements, that support material-based damping.

Stiffness Coefficient Defined By

Define the Stiffness Coefficient by entering a value, Direct, or by entering a Frequency and a Damping
Ratio, Damping vs. Frequency.

Stiffness Coefficient (Beta Damping, β)

A coefficient value that is used to define a Beta damping by multiplying it with stiffness. You can enter
the value directly or the value can be computed from a damping ratio at a specified frequency. You
define a Stiffness Coefficient in the Details view of the Analysis Settings object.

Beta Damping can also be specified in Engineering Data. Refer to the BETAD command section
in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more information about the Beta Damping Factor.

Note:

The unit for the Stiffness Coefficient (Beta Damping) property is seconds. However,
the interface in Mechanical as well as Engineering Data displays the value without a
unit.

Frequency: This property is visible when Stiffness Coefficient Defined By is set to Damping
vs. Frequency. Enter a desired value.
Damping Ratio: This property is visible when Stiffness Coefficient Defined By is set to
Damping vs. Frequency. Enter a desired value. The value of β is not generally known directly,
but is calculated from the modal damping ratio, ξi. ξi is the ratio of actual damping to critical
damping for a particular mode of vibration, i. If ωi is the natural circular frequency, then the

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Configuring Analysis Settings

beta damping is related to the damping ratio as β = 2 ξi/ωi. Only one value of β can be input
in a step, so choose the most dominant frequency active in that step to calculate β.

Mass Coefficient (Alpha Damping Factor, α)

A coefficient that is used to define an Alpha damping by multiplying it with mass. Beta and Alpha
damping factors are collectively called Rayleigh damping.

The Alpha Damping can also be specified in Engineering Data. Refer to the ALPHAD command
in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more information about the Alpha Damping Factor.

Note:

The unit for the Mass Coefficient (Alpha Damping Factor) property is 1/seconds.
However, the interface in Mechanical as well as Engineering Data displays the value
without a unit.

Numerical Damping
This option is available for a Transient Structural analysis using a linked Modal analysis system. Numerical
Damping is also referred to as amplitude decay factor (γ). This property controls the numerical noise
produced by the higher frequencies of a structure. Usually the contributions of these high frequency
modes are not accurate and some numerical damping is preferable. Options for this property include
Program Controlled (default) and Manual.

The property is accompanied by the Numerical Damping Value property. The default value for
this property is 0.005 and is read-only when the Numerical Damping Value is set to Program
Controlled setting and can be modified when you use the Manual option.

Note:

For Full Transient Structural analysis, you can specify Numerical Damping manually
using the User Defined option of the App. Based Settings (p. 1122) property. The User
Defined option provides the associated property Amplitude Decay Factor. You use
this property to specify a Numerical Damping Value.

Material Damping
There are two types of material-based damping, Material Dependent Damping and Constant Damping
Coefficient. Material Dependent Damping consists of beta damping and alpha damping. These are
defined as material properties in Engineering Data.

Element Damping
Spring damping and Bearing damping are defined in the Details view of the Spring (p. 1037) object and
Bearing (p. 1051) object.

Rigid Dynamics Analysis Damping

Numerical Damping Control: (Only available with Implicit Generalized-α time integration.) This option
allows you to control the noise produced by high frequencies. When the numerical damping control is
enabled, you can directly input the value of the \rho_inf coefficient (refer to Implicit Generalized-α
Method (p. 421)). The value must be between 0 and 1. The default value is 0.99, meaning no numerical
damping. A smaller value reduces the noise produced by high frequencies.

You can specify more than one form of damping in a model. In addition to structural damping and
material damping, the model can have damping from spring and bearing connection, namely Element

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Damping (see above). The application formulates the damping matrix as the sum of all the specified
forms of damping.

You can specify a Material for the spring that includes a constant damping coefficient. Based on the
analysis type, the application applies damping as structural damping for damped Modal and Full
Harmonic Response systems and as viscous damping for MSUP systems.

Note:

Restrictions of applying damping in each analysis type can be found in Damping section
of the Mechanical APDL Structural Analysis Guide.

Nonlinear Controls
This section describes the properties provided by Nonlinear Controls category. The properties of
this category vary based on analysis type. The subsections listed here describe the Nonlinear Controls
properties for each supported analysis type.

• Nonlinear Controls for Steady-State, Static, and Transient Analyses (p. 1147)

• Nonlinear Controls for Transient Thermal Analyses (p. 1150)

• Nonlinear Controls for Rigid Dynamics Analyses (p. 1150)

Nonlinear Controls for Steady-State, Static, and Transient Analyses

This topic examines the Nonlinear Controls as they apply to Coupled Field, Steady-State, Static, and
Transient Structural Analyses, which include Electric, Magnetostatic, Static Structural, Transient
Structural, Steady-State Thermal, and Thermal-Electric analyses.

Newton-Raphson Option

For nonlinear Static Structural and Full Transient Structural analysis types, the Newton-Raphson
Option property is available. This property allows you to specify how often the stiffness matrix is
updated during the solution process. Newton-Raphson Option property options include:

• Program Controlled (default setting)

• Full

• Modified

• Unsymmetric

The Program Controlled option allows the program to select the Newton-Raphson Option setting
based on the nonlinearities present in your model. For more information about the additional options,
see the Newton-Raphson Option section in the Mechanical APDL Structural Analysis Guide. If you
experience convergence difficulties, switching to an Unsymmetric solver may aid in Convergence.

Convergence Criterion

When solving nonlinear steady-state, static, or transient analyses, an iterative procedure (equilibrium
iterations) is carried out at each substep. Successful solution is indicated when the out-of-balance

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Configuring Analysis Settings

loads are less than the specified convergence criteria. Criteria appropriate for the analysis type and
physics are displayed in this grouping. Convergence controls are “step aware”. This means that the
setting can be different for each step.

The following convergence criteria properties are available:

• Electric analysis: Voltage Convergence and Current Convergence.

• Magnetostatic analysis: CSG Convergence and AMP Convergence.

• Static Structural analysis and Transient Structural analysis: Force Convergence, Moment Conver-
gence, Displacement Convergence, and Rotation Convergence.

• Steady-State Thermal analysis: Heat Convergence and Temperature Convergence.

• Thermal-Electric analysis: Heat Convergence, Temperature Convergence, Voltage Convergence,

and Current Convergence.

The following convergence controls are available for each of these properties:

• Program Controlled (default setting): The application sets the convergence criteria. See the STABILIZE
command reference for application defaults settings for Unstable structures as well as Semi-Implicit
Solution Controls.

• On: You specify that a convergence criterion is activated. Once activated, additional properties become
available and include:

– Value: This is the reference value that the solver uses to establish convergence. The recommended
and program controlled setting, Calculated by solver, automatically calculates the value based on
external forces, including reactions, or you can input a constant value.

When Temperature Convergence is set to On, the Value field provides a drop-down menu
with the options Calculated by solver or User Input. Selecting User Input displays an Input
Value field you use to enter a value.

When any other convergence property is set to On, selecting the Calculated by solver field
allows you to manually enter a value.

– When any other convergence is set to On, simply clicking on the Calculated by solver field allows
you to add a value that replaces the Calculated by solver display.

– Tolerance times Value determines the convergence criterion

– Minimum Reference: This is useful for analyses where the external forces tend to zero. This can
happen, for example, with free thermal expansion where rigid body motion is prevented. In these
cases the larger of Value or Minimum Reference will be used as the reference value.

Note:

If you do not want any convergence options to be turned on, then you may try setting
the solution controls to off, using a Commands Objects (p. 1823) object.

Line Search

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Line search can be useful for enhancing convergence, but it can be expensive (especially with
plasticity). You might consider setting Line Search on in the following cases:

• When your structure is force-loaded (as opposed to displacement-controlled).

• If you are analyzing a "flimsy" structure which exhibits increasing stiffness (such as a fishing pole).

• If you notice (from the program output messages) oscillatory convergence patterns.

Note:

The Line Search control is “step aware” and can be different for each step.

Stabilization

Convergence difficulty due to an unstable problem is usually the result of a large displacement for
small load increments. Nonlinear stabilization technique can help achieve convergence. Nonlinear
stabilization can be thought of as adding artificial dampers to all of the nodes in the system. Any
degree of freedom that tends to be unstable has a large displacement causing a large damping/sta-
bilization force. This force reduces displacements at the degree of freedom so stabilization can be
achieved.

There are three Keys for controlling nonlinear stabilization:

• Program Controlled (default): The application specifies stabilization.

• Off: Deactivate stabilization.

• Constant: Activate stabilization. The energy dissipation ratio or damping factor remains constant during
the load step.

• Reduce: Activate stabilization. The energy dissipation ratio or damping factor is reduced linearly to zero
at the end of the load step from the specified or calculated value.

There are two options for the Method property for stabilization control:

• Energy: Use the energy dissipation ratio as the control (default setting).

• Damping: Use the damping factor as the control.

When Energy is specified, an Energy Dissipation Ratio needs to be entered. The energy dissipation
ratio is the ratio of work done by stabilization forces to element potential energy. This value is
usually a number between 0 and 1. The default value is 1.0e-4.

When Damping is specified, a Damping Factor value needs to be entered. The damping factor is
the value that the ANSYS solver uses to calculate stabilization forces for all subsequent substeps.
This value is greater than 0.

Note:

The Damping Factor value is dependent on the active unit system and may influence
the results if unit systems are changed. You may wish to use an initial trial value from a
previous run for this entry (such as a run with the Energy Dissipation Ratio as input). See

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Configuring Analysis Settings

the Controlling the Stabilization Force section of the Mechanical APDL Structural Analysis
Guide for additional information.

There are three options for Activation For First Substep control:

• No: Stabilization is not activated for the first substep even when it does not converge after the minimal
allowed time increment is reached (default setting).

• On Nonconvergence: Stabilization is activated for the first substep if it still does not converge after the
minimal allowed time increment is reached. Use this option for the first load step only.

• Yes: Stabilization is activated for the first substep. Use this option if stabilization was active for the
previous load step Key = Constant.

For Stabilization Force Limit, a number between 0 and 1 should be specified. The default value
is 0.2. To omit a stabilization force check, set this value to 0.

Refer to Unstable Structures in the Structural Analysis Guide for assistance with using the stabilization
options listed above.

Nonlinear Controls for Transient Thermal Analyses

Nonlinear Formulation

The Nonlinear Formulation category controls how nonlinearities are to be handled for the solution.
The following options are available:

• Program Controlled (default): Mechanical automatically specifies either the Full or Quasi setting as
described below. The Quasi setting is based on a default Reformulation Tolerance of 5%. The Quasi
option is used by default except when a Radiation load is present or if enthalpy is defined as a material
property, then the Full option is automatically specified.

• Full: Manually sets formulation for a full Newton-Raphson solution.

• Quasi: Manually sets formulation based on a tolerance you enter in the Reformulation Tolerance field
that appears if Quasi is chosen.

Nonlinear Controls for Rigid Dynamics Analyses

Relative Assembly Tolerance

Allows you to specify the criterion for determining if two parts are connected. Setting the tolerance
can be useful in cases where initially, parts are far enough away from one another that, by default,
the program will not detect that they are connected. You could then increase the tolerance as
needed.

Energy Accuracy Tolerance

This is the main driver to the automatic time stepping. The automatic time stepping algorithm
measures the portion of potential and kinetic energy that is contained in the highest order terms
of the time integration scheme, and computes the ratio of the energy to the energy variations over
the previous time steps. Comparing the ratio to the Energy Accuracy Tolerance, Workbench will

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

decide to increase or decrease the time step. See the Rigid Dynamics Analysis (p. 340) section for
more information.

When implicit time integration is chosen and automatic time stepping is enabled, the energy accuracy
tolerance can be turned off. The time step is then determined by the number of iterations required
by Newton-Raphson convergence.

Force Residual Relative Tolerance

Controls the threshold for force residual convergence in Newton-Raphson convergence. The default
value is 1.e-8. A smaller value will lead to a smaller residual, but it will require more iterations. The
convergence of force residual can be monitored in Solution Information using Force Convergence.

This option is only available with the Generalized-α and Stabilized Generalized-α time integration
methods.

Constraint Equation Residual Relative Tolerance

Controls the threshold for convergence of constraint equation violations in Newton-Raphson con-
vergence. The default value is 1.e-8. The convergence of this criterion can be checked in Solution
Information using Displacement Convergence.

This option is only available with Generalized-α time integration.

Output Controls
The controls of the Output Controls category vary based on the type of analysis being performed.

Output Controls give you the ability to specify which type of quantities are written to the result file
for use during post-processing. These properties enable you to control the size of the results file
which can be beneficial when performing a large analysis.

The following Output Controls properties are available in the Details view to be activated (Yes) or
not (No) and included or not included in the results file. Note that these controls are not step-aware,
meaning that the settings are constant across multiple steps.

• Stress. Writes element nodal stresses to the results file. The default value is Yes. Available for Static
Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, and Eigenvalue Buckling analysis types.

• Surface Stress: Writes element surface stresses to the result file. Options include Yes and No (default).
Available for Static Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, Harmonic Response, and Eigenvalue Buckling
analyses.

• Back Stress: Writes element back stresses to the result file. Options include Yes and No (default). Available
for Static Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, Harmonic Response, and Eigenvalue Buckling analyses.

• Strain. Writes element elastic strains to the results file. The default value is Yes. Available for Static
Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, and Eigenvalue Buckling analysis types.

• Contact Data: Writes element contact data to the result file. Options include Yes (default) and No. Available
for Static Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, Harmonic Response, Eigenvalue Buckling, Steady-State
thermal, Transient Thermal, Electric, and Thermal-Electric analyses.

• Nonlinear Data: Writes element nonlinear data to the result file. Options include Yes and No (default).
Available for Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses.

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• Nodal Forces. Writes elemental nodal forces to the results file. Options include:

– No: No nodal forces are written to the results file. This is the default setting except for a Modal Analysis
in which the Future Analysis property, under Analysis Data Management category, is set to MSUP
Analyses. In that case, the default setting is Constrained Nodes.

– Yes: This option writes nodal forces for all nodes. It is available for Static Structural, Transient Structural,
Harmonic Response, Modal, Steady-State Thermal, and Transient Thermal analysis types. This Output
Control must be set to Yes if you want to use the Mechanical APDL Command NFORCE, FSUM in
Mechanical (via command snippets) because those MAPDL commands will access nodal force records
in the result file as well as to obtain Reactions (p. 1591) on the underlying source or target element. For
thermal analyses, nodal forces represent heat reactions.

If Future Analysis property, under Analysis Data Management category, is set to Topology
Optimization, PreStressed & TopoOptimization, or MSUP & TopoOptimization, then the
Nodal Forces property is automatically set to Yes and becomes read-only.

– Constrained Nodes. This option writes nodal forces for constrained nodes only. It is available for a
Modal Analysis as well as Mode-Superposition (MSUP) Harmonic Response and Transient analyses that
are linked to a Modal Analysis with the Expand Results From option set to the Modal Solution. This
option directs Mechanical to use only the constrained nodes when calculating reaction forces and
moments. The advantage is a reduced results file size.

• Euler Angles. Requests Euler Angle result values be written to the result file. Available for all analysis
types except Response Spectrum, Random Vibration, and Topology Optimization analyses. The default is
Yes.

Note:

– For a Modal, Eigenvalue Buckling, and a Transient Thermal analysis that is linked with an
Additive Process Simulation, the default setting is No in order to reduce the size of the result
file.

– The application may skip the evaluation of Euler Angles if the element coordinate system is
aligned with Global Coordinate System.

Important:

Some result types, such as stress and/or strain results, may require Euler Angles to
properly display a result in the desired coordinate system. In this scenario, if you set this
property to No, the application produces an error message. In addition to the error
message, no result contours are displayed for the elements in need of Euler Angles.
These elements are grayed-out. Also note that not all element types require that Euler
Angle exist to display results in a coordinate system other than the Solution Coordinate
System.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• Volume and Energy. Writes summed volume and energy values to the result file: data that is essential
for results such as Volume Probes, Energy Probes, Structural Error, etc. Available for all analysis types except
Response Spectrum, Random Vibration, and Topology Optimization analyses. The default is Yes.

Note:

For a Modal, Eigenvalue Buckling, and a Transient Thermal analysis that is linked with
an Additive Process Simulation, the default setting is No in order to reduce the size of
the result file.

• Calculate Reactions. Turn On for Nodal Forces on constraints. Available for Modal, Harmonic Response,
and Transient (applicable only when linked to a Modal analysis) analysis types.

• Calculate Velocity and Acceleration. Writes Velocity and Acceleration results to the result file. The default
value is Yes. Available for Mode-Superposition (MSUP) Transient Structural analyses only.

Note:

During a MSUP Transient analysis, the Force Reaction probe result contains only the
static contribution if you set the Calculate Velocity and Acceleration property to No.
Review the TRNOPT command in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more
information.

• Calculate Thermal Flux. Available for Steady-State Thermal and Transient Thermal analysis types.

• Heat Generation Rate: Writes element heat generation rate to the result file. Options include Yes (default)
and No. Available for Electric and Thermal-Electric analyses.

• Keep Modal Results. Available for Random Vibration analyses only. The default value is No. This setting
removes modal results from the result file in an effort to reduce file size. Setting this property to Yes allows
you to perform post-processing on results of the Random Vibration solution (e.g., Response PSD) via
command snippets.

• Calculate Velocity. Writes Velocity to the results file. Available for Response Spectrum and Random Vibra-
tion analysis types. The default value is No for both analysis types.

• Calculate Acceleration. Writes Acceleration to the results file. Available for Response Spectrum and
Random Vibration analysis types. The default value is No for both analysis types.

• Contact Miscellaneous. Turn On if Contact Based Force Reactions (p. 1600) are desired. The default value
is No. Available for Static and Transient Structural analysis types. Not Available when linked to a Modal
analysis.

• Element Current Density: Writes element current densities to the result file. Options include Yes and No
(default). Available for Electric, Thermal-Electric, and Magnetostatic analyses.

• Electromagnetic Nodal Forces: Writes element electromagnetic nodal forces to the result file. Options
include Yes and No (default). Available for Magnetostatic analyses.

• Participation Factor (Modal Analysis Only). This property displays when the Solver Type (in Solver
Controls (p. 1117) category) property is set to Iterative. The options for this property include:

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Configuring Analysis Settings

– Program Controlled (default): When selected, the application automatically provides the Participation
Factor Summary based on the following criteria.

If the Future Analysis property of the Analysis Data Management category is set to MSUP
Analyses, the application creates the file, file.full, and the Participation Factor Summary
option becomes available in the drop-down list for the Solution Output property (under the
Solution Information object (p. 1735)).

If the Future Analysis property is set to None, the file, file.full, is not created and the
Participation Factor Summary is not available.

– Yes: The Participation Factor Summary option available in the Solution Output property of the
Solution Information object.

– No: The Participation Factor Summary option is not available in the Solution Output property of the
Solution Information object. This option is not allowed if the Future Analysis property of the Analysis
Data Management category is set to MSUP Analyses.

• General Miscellaneous. Used to access element miscellaneous records via SMISC/NMISC expressions (p. 1667)
for user defined results. Options include Yes/No. The default value is No.

Note:

To ensure that Membrane and Bending Stress results are not under-defined, set this
option to Yes.

Acoustics Analyses Only

Setting this property to Yes during an Acoustics analysis causes the application to also display the
Value sub-property. The Value property enables you to select the bodies of your model for which
the application sends element-based miscellaneous solution data to the output file. Options include:

– Program Controlled: The action of this property depends upon the acoustics analysis type.

Harmonic Acoustics
This option issues miscellaneous data for all acoustic bodies if your analysis includes a Far-Field
Radiation Surface (p. 1340) (that you manually defined or that the application automatically
generated), a Free Surface (p. 1330) boundary condition, a Diffuse Sound Field (p. 1306) excitation,
or an acoustic Port (p. 1337).

Modal Acoustics
This option issues miscellaneous data for all acoustic bodies if your analysis includes a Free
Surface (p. 1330) boundary condition.

– All Bodies: This option generates miscellaneous data for all bodies.

– Acoustic Bodies: This option generates miscellaneous data for all acoustic bodies.

– Structural Bodies: This option generates miscellaneous data for all structural bodies.

Note:

Setting the General Miscellaneous property to No invalidates all Free Surface (p. 1330)
boundary conditions as well as all Far-field results (p. 1617).

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• Store Modal Results. Available for Modal analyses only. This field is displayed only when Stress and/or
Strain are set to Yes, implying that stress and strain results are to be expanded and saved to file.mode,
in addition to displacement results (mode shapes). Depending on the downstream linked analysis, you
may want to save these modal stress and/or modal strain results, which are linearly superimposed to get
the stress and/or strain results of the downstream linked analysis. This reduces computation time signific-
antly in the downstream linked analysis because no modal stress and/or modal strain results are expanded
again. The following options are available:

– Program Controlled (default setting): Let the program choose whether or not the modal results are
saved for possible downstream analysis.

– No: Stress and strain results are not saved to file.mode for later use in the downstream linked analyses.
This option is recommended for the linked Harmonic Response analysis due to load generation, which
requires that stresses and/or strains are expanded again as a result of the addition of elemental loads
in the linked Harmonic Response analysis.

– For Future Analysis: Stress and strain results are saved to file.mode for later use in the downstream
linked analyses. This option is recommended for a linked random vibration analysis. Choosing this option
improves the performance and efficiency of the linked random vibration analysis because, with no load,
there is no need for stress and strain expansion.

• Expand Results From

– MSUP Harmonic Analyses (Linked and Standalone). For this analysis type, the Expand Results From
property displays only when one or more of the following results are set to Yes:

Stress Strain Calculate

Reactions
Euler Angles Volume and Contact
Energy Data

Activating one or more of these properties implies that one or more of the above results are to
be expanded and saved to file.mode after the load generation. Depending on the number
of modes and number of frequency steps, you may want to save these modal stresses and/or
strains after the load generation, which can be linearly superimposed to obtain harmonic stresses
and/or strains at each frequency step. The following options are available for this property:

→ Program Controlled (default setting): Let the program choose whether or not the stress, strain, and
reaction results are expanded and saved for possible downstream analysis. When the Program
Controlled option is chosen, the read-only Details view property Expansion is displayed. This indicates
whether the stress, strain and reaction results are expanded from the modal solution or harmonic
solution. However, if the Cluster Results property is set to On and you specify a high number of
Modes, the solution is expanded from Harmonic Response analysis. If a lower number of Modes is
specified, the solution is expanded from the Modal analysis.

→ Harmonic Solution: Stress, strain, and reaction results are not expanded nor saved to file.mode
after the load generation in the MSUP Harmonic system (linked and standalone). This option is recom-
mended when the number of frequency steps is far less than the number of modes. In this option,
the stress, strain, and/or reaction results are expanded from harmonic displacement at each frequency

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Configuring Analysis Settings

step. In this case, stress, strain, and/or reaction expansion is performed as many times as the number
of frequency steps.

Note:

For a MSUP Harmonic Response analysis linked to an upstream Modal Analysis that
(1), includes a defined Constant Damping Coefficient in the Engineering Data
Workspace and (2), the Eqv. Damping Ratio From Modal property set to Yes
(Analysis Settings > Damping Controls (p. 1143)), you cannot expand results from
the Harmonic solution unless the elemental results are expanded during the up-
stream modal solution. You must set the Stress, Strain, and/or Calculate Reactions
properties to Yes in upstream Modal analysis to expand the elemental results.

→ Modal Solution: Stress, strain, and reaction results are expanded and saved to file.mode after
the load generation in the MSUP Harmonic system (linked and standalone). This option is recommen-
ded when the number of frequency steps is far more than the number of modes. In this option, the
stress, strain, and/or reaction results are calculated by linearly combining the modal stresses, modal
strains, and/or modal reactions expanded after the load generation. In this case, stress, strain, and/or
reaction expansion are performed as many times as the number of modes.

Important:

For MSUP Harmonic Response analysis, if you 1) scope a Force Reaction probe (p. 1591)
result to a Remote Point (p. 789) or a Remote Boundary Condition (p. 1416) and 2) set
the Expand Results From property of the Harmonic Response analysis to either:

→ Modal Solution

Or...

→ Program Controlled with the Expansion property set to Modal Solution.

Then the Force Reaction probe includes the static contribution only. For more inform-
ation, see the Reaction Forces topic in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

Refer to Recommended Settings for Modal and Linked Analysis Systems (p. 1158) for further details.

– Linked Transient Analyses. For this analysis type, the Expand Results From property displays only
when one or more of the following properties are set to Yes:

Stress Strain Calculate

Reactions
Euler Angles Volume and Contact
Energy Data

Activating one or more of these properties implies that one or more of the above results are to
be expanded and saved to file.mode after the load generation. Depending on the number
of modes and total number of sub steps/ time steps, you may want to save these modal stresses
and/or strains after the load generation, which can be linearly superimposed to obtain transient
stresses and/or strains at each time step. The following options are available for this property:

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

→ Program Controlled (default setting): Let the program choose whether or not the stress and strain
results are expanded and saved for possible downstream analysis. When the Program Controlled
option is chosen, the read-only Details view property Expansion is displayed. This indicates whether
the stress and strain results are expanded from modal solution or transient solution.

→ Transient Solution: Stress and strain results are not expanded nor saved to file.mode after the
load generation in the linked transient analysis system. This option is recommended when the
number of time steps accumulated over all the load steps is far less than the number of modes. In
this option, the stress and/or strain results are expanded from transient displacement at each time
step. In this case, stress and/or strain expansion is performed as many times as the number of time
steps.

Note:

For a Transient Structural analysis linked to an upstream Modal Analysis that (1),
includes a defined Constant Damping Coefficient in the Engineering Data Work-
space and (2), the Eqv. Damping Ratio From Modal property set to Yes (Analysis
Settings > Damping Controls (p. 1143)), you cannot expand from the Transient
solution unless the elemental results are expanded during the upstream modal
solution. You must set the Stress, Strain, and/or Calculate Reactions properties
to Yes in upstream Modal analysis to expand the elemental results.

→ Modal Solution: Stress and strain results are expanded and saved to file.mode after the load
generation in the linked transient system. This option is recommended when the number of time
steps accumulated over all the load steps is far more than the number of modes. In this option, the
stress and/or strain results are calculated by linearly combining the modal stresses and/or modal
strains expanded after the load generation. In this case, stress and/or strain expansion are performed
as many times as the number of modes.

Important:

For MSUP Transient analysis, if you 1) scope a Force Reaction probe (p. 1591) result to
a Remote Point (p. 789) or a Remote Boundary Condition (p. 1416) and 2) set the Expand
Results From property of the Harmonic Response analysis to either:

→ Modal Solution

Or...

→ Program Controlled with the Expansion property set to Modal Solution.

Then the Force Reaction probe includes the static contribution only. For more inform-
ation, see the Reaction Forces topic in the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

Refer to Recommended Settings for Modal and Linked Analysis Systems (p. 1158) for further details.

• If you are using the Samcef solver interface for your analysis, the SAI Command setting can be used to
control the SAI codes written in the solver input file. When this setting is set to Program Controlled, the
SAI codes are taken from the configuration file, stored in ANSYS_INSTALL_DIR\v201\AISOL\WBAd-
dins\SamcefAddin\SamcefArchiveSettings.xml. If this option is set to Manual, the text field
SAI Command List option is shown, and the SAI ARCH codes written to the input file are taken from this

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Configuring Analysis Settings

field instead of the configuration file. For more information about the configuration file, see The Samcef
Result Storage Configuration File.

• If you are using the ABAQUS solver interface, there are several options to control the output of Elements
and Nodes from that solver:

– The Nodal/Elemental/Contact/Radiation Outputs field controls result codes sent to the solver. When
set to Program Controlled, the codes are provided from the configuration file ANSYS_IN-
STALL_DIR\v201\AISOL\WBAddins\AbaqusAddin\AbaqusArchiveSettings.xml. When
set to Manual, the text field Outputs List appears and allows you manually set the result codes. When
set to All, the solver stores all results. Note that only the fields valid for the type of analysis you are
performing are shown. For more information about the configuration file, see The ABAQUS Result
Storage Configuration File.

– The Output Storage/Output Storage Value fields define the type of result storage.

– For a modal analysis, the Mode Selection field allows you to select all modes for output, or define a
subset of modes manually.

Note:

• It is recommended that you not change Output Controls settings during a Solution Re-
start (p. 1724). Modifying Output Controls settings change the availability of the respective
result type in the results file. Consequently, result calculations cannot be guaranteed for the
entire solution. In addition, Result file values may not correspond to GUI settings in this scenario.
Settings turned off during a restart generate results equal to zero and may affect post processing
of results and are therefore unreliable.

• Modification of Stress, Strain, Nodal Force, Contact Miscellaneous, and General Miscel-
laneous properties will not invalidate the solution. If you want these Output Controls settings
modifications to be incorporated to your solution, clean the solution first.

Multiple Step Properties

In addition, the following settings are step-aware and allow you to define when data is calculated
and written to the result file for Static Structural, Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, Steady-State
Thermal, Transient Thermal, and Topology Optimization analyses:

• Store Results At. Based on the analysis type, specify this time to be All Time Points or All Iterations
(default setting), Last Time Point or Last Iteration, Equally Spaced Points or Specified Recurrence
Rate.

• Value. Displayed only if Store Results At is set to Equally Spaced Points or Specified Recurrence Rate.

• Result File Compression: This property enables you to generate a compressed result file. Options include
Program Controlled (default), Sparse, Off. The Program Controlled and Sparse settings instruct the
application to compress the file.

Recommended Settings for Modal and Linked Analysis Systems

The following table provides a summary of recommended settings for Store Modal Results and Expand
Results From based on the analysis type.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

Analysis Type Recommended Store Modal Results Recommended Expand Results

Settings From Settings
Modal with no No Not available.
downstream linked
analysis Stress and strain results not
needed to be saved to
file.mode because there is no
downstream analysis.
MSUP Harmonic No Harmonic Solution
Response analyses
(Linked and Stress and strain results from Use when number of frequency
Standalone) modal analysis are overwritten by steps are far less than the
stresses and strains which are number of modes. This option is
expanded again in the linked not available when the Modal
Harmonic Response analysis due has a nonlinear Pre-Stress
to any loads added in the environment.
downstream analysis. Modal Solution

Note: Use when number of frequency

steps are far more than the
This setting is available number of modes. This is the
for a linked MSUP only option available when the
Harmonic Response Modal analysis has a nonlinear
analysis only. Pre-Stress environment.

Modal with For Future Analysis Not available.

downstream linked
Random Vibration Stress and strain results from
analysis modal analysis are expanded and
used in the linked random
vibration analysis. No stress or
strain expansion is needed again
because there is no load.
Modal with No Not available.
downstream linked
Response Spectrum Stress and strain results are always
analysis combined in response spectrum
analysis using file.rst and
file.mcom.

Note:

To evaluate summation
of element nodal forces
using FSUM in
Command Snippet, it is
required to save
element nodal forces in
modal to file.mode.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

Analysis Type Recommended Store Modal Results Recommended Expand Results

Settings From Settings
Modal with For Future Analysis Program controlled.
downstream linked
Topology The Nodal Forces and the Gener-
Optimization al Miscellaneous properties are
set to Yes.
Static Structural with For Future Analysis Program controlled.
downstream linked
Topology The Nodal Forces property is set
Optimization to Yes.
Modal with No Transient Solution
downstream linked
Transient analysis Stress and strain results from Use when number of time steps
modal analysis are overwritten by accumulated over all the load
stresses and strains which are steps is far less than the number
expanded again in the linked of modes.
transient analysis due to any loads
added in the downstream analysis. This option is not available when
the Modal Analysis has a
nonlinear Pre-Stress
environment.
Modal Solution

Use when number of time steps

accumulated over all the load
steps is far more than the
number of modes.

This is the only option available

when the Modal Analysis has a
nonlinear Pre-Stress
environment.

Limitations When Using the Mechanical APDL Solver

• The Mechanical application cannot post process split result files produced by the ANSYS solver. Try either
of the following workarounds should this be an issue:

– Use Output Controls to limit the result file size. Also, the size can more fully be controlled (if needed)
by inserting a Commands object (p. 1823) for the OUTRES command.

– Increase the threshold for the files to be split by inserting a Commands object (p. 1823) for the /CON-
FIG,FSPLIT command.

Analysis Data Management

The controls of the Analysis Data Management group vary based on the type of analysis being
performed. Supported analysis types include:

• Coupled Field Analyses (p. 243)

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

• Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257)

• Electric (p. 253)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Magnetostatic (p. 335)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Random Vibration (p. 291)/Response Spectrum (p. 298)

• Rigid Dynamics (p. 340)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Steady - State Thermal (p. 439)

• Thermal Electric (p. 443)

• Topology Optimization (p. 447)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Transient Thermal (p. 521)

This grouping describes the options and specifications associated with the solution files.

• Solver Files Directory: Indicates the location of the solution files for this analysis. The directory location
is automatically determined by the program as detailed in File Management in the Mechanical Applica-
tion (p. 1758). The solution file folder can be displayed using the Open Solver Files Directory feature.

– Open Solver Files Directory Feature

→ This right-click context menu option is available when you have an analysis Environment (p. 2017) or
a Solution (p. 2211) object selected.

→ Once executed, this option opens the operating system's (Windows Only) file manager and displays
the directory that contains the solution files for your analysis.

→ The directory path is shown in the Details View. If a solution is in progress, the directory is shown in
the Solver Files Directory field. When a solution is in progress, the directory displays in the Scratch
Solver Files Directory (p. 1162). For a remote solve, it will open the scratch directory until the results
download is complete.

• Future Analysis: This property defines whether to use the results of the current analysis as loading or as
an initial condition in a subsequent analysis. Shown below are the analysis types and their supported
subsequent analysis choices.

– Static Structural: options include None (default), Prestressed Analysis, Topology Optimization, and
PreStressed & TopoOptimization.

If a Static Structural analysis is used to provide Pre-Stress effects, this property automatically
defaults to the Prestressed Analysis setting. It can provide Pre-Stress effects for the following
analysis types:

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Configuring Analysis Settings

→ Pre-Stressed (Full) Harmonic Response

→ Pre-Stressed Modal

→ Pre-Stressed Eigen Value Buckling

Note:

A Static Structural analysis is a prerequisite for Eigenvalue Buckling analysis (p. 257).

If a Static Structural analysis is linked with a Topology Optimization analysis, this property
automatically defaults to the Topology Optimization setting.

If a Static Structural analysis is linked with a Modal analysis or a Harmonic Response analysis
and a Topology Optimization analysis, this property automatically defaults to the PreStressed
& TopoOptimization setting.

– Modal: options include None (default), MSUP Analyses, Topology Optimization, or MSUP & Topo-
Optimization.

When linked to a supported analysis type (Harmonic Response or Random Vibration (PSD) or
Response Spectrum), this property automatically defaults to the MSUP Analyses setting.

Note:

A Modal analysis is a prerequisite for the following analysis types:

→ Random Vibration (PSD)

→ Response Spectrum

If a Modal analysis is linked with a Topology Optimization analysis, this property automatically
defaults to the Topology Optimization setting.

If a Modal analysis is linked with a Harmonic Response, or a Random Vibration (PSD), or a

Response Spectrum analysis and a Topology Optimization analysis, this property automatically
defaults to the MSUP & TopoOptimization setting.

• Scratch Solver Files Directory: This is a read-only indication of the directory where a solve “in progress”
occurs. All files generated after the solution is done (including but not limited to result files) are then
moved to the Solver Files Directory. The files generated during solves on My Computer or files requested
from RSM for postprocessing during a solve remain in the scratch directory. For example, an early result
file could be brought to the scratch folder from a remote machine through RSM during postprocessing
while solving. With the RSM method, the solve may even be computed in this folder (for example, using
the My Computer, Background Solve Process Settings).

The scratch directory is only set for the duration of the solve (with either My Computer or My
Computer, Background). After the solve is complete, this directory is set to blank. As desired, you
can specify a unique disk location for this directory using the Scratch Solver Files Directory option
in the Analysis Settings and Solution (p. 152) category of the Options (p. 138) preference settings.
Specifying a different disk location for the scratch files enables you take advantage of a faster disk
drive.

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 Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types

The use of the Scratch Solver Files Directory prevents the Solver Files Directory from ever getting
an early result file.

• Save MAPDL db: No (default setting) / Yes. Some Future Analysis settings will require the db file to be
written. In these cases this field will be set to Yes automatically.

• Contact Summary: This property enables you to control where contact pair data is written during the
solution process, either to the solver output file or to a contact output file. This ability enables you to
limit the contact data written to the solver output file. Property options include Program Controlled
(default), Solver Output, and CNM File. If your model includes more than 100 contact pairs, the Program
Controlled option automatically writes contact pair data to a contact output text file named file.cnm
(refer to the CNTR,OUT,YES command), otherwise the data is written to the solver output file. The Solver
Output option writes the data as normal to the solver output file. The CNM File option writes contact
pair data to file.cnm regardless of the number of contact pairs in your model.

• Delete Unneeded File: Yes (default setting) / No. If you prefer to save all the solution files for some other
use you may do so by setting this field to No.

• If you are using a Samcef or ABAQUS solver interface for your analysis, the Solver Files Name setting
controls the name of the files generated in the analysis directory. By default, this setting is the name of
the solver being used ("samcef" or "abaqus").

• Nonlinear Solutions: Read only indication of Yes / No depending on presence of nonlinearities in the
analysis.

• Solver Units: You can select one of two options from this field:

– Active System - This instructs the solver to use the currently active unit system (determined via the
Units option in the Tools (p. 11) group of the Home tab.) for the very next solve.

– Manual - This allows you to choose the unit system for the solver to use by allowing them access to
the second field, "Solver Unit System".

• Solver Units System:

– If Active System is chosen for the Solver Units field, then this field is read-only and displays the active
system.

– If Manual is chosen for the Solver Units field, this field is a selectable drop-down menu.

– If a Magnetostatic analysis is being performed, the field is read only because the only system available
to solve the analysis is the mks system.

– If a Thermoelectric or Electric analysis is being performed, only mks and μmks systems can be selected
because they are the only systems currently allowed for these analyses.

• Max Num of Intermediate Files: This property is for Topology Optimization (p. 447) analyses only. It
specifies the number of files you wish to retain. A value of 1 indicates that the generated file is overwritten

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Configuring Analysis Settings

each iteration. The default value for the property is set to the text string "All Iterations" that equals a setting
of zero (0). This setting saves the intermediate topology files for all iterations solved.

Note:

The animation of the Topology Density results and Topology Elemental Density results
is based on the number of intermediate results computed and saved during solution.
The computation of results is driven by Store Results At property of the Output Con-
trols (p. 1151) and the intermediate results saved is driven by this property.

You can change the default setting for this property using the Max Num Of Intermediate Files
property under the Analysis Data Management (Topology Optimization) category of the Op-
tions (p. 138) > Analysis Settings and Solution (p. 152) preference.

Rotordynamics Controls
The controls of the Rotordynamics Controls group vary based on the type of analysis being performed.
Supported analysis types include:

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

Modal Analysis
The following settings control the items that apply to a rotating structure:

• Coriolis Effect: Set to On if Coriolis effects should be applied. On is a valid choice only if the
Damped (p. 1117)Solver Control is Yes. The default is Off.

• Campbell Diagram: Set to On if Campbell diagram is to be plotted. The default is Off. On is a valid
choice only if Coriolis Effect is turned On.

• Number of Points: This property is only displayed when Campbell Diagram is set to On. This property’s
values indicates the number of solve points for the Campbell Diagram. The default value is 2. A
minimum of two (2) solve points is necessary.

In addition, this value also determines the number of solution Points (data rows) displayed in
Tabular Data for the associated Rotational Velocity.

Harmonic Response Analysis

The Coriolis Effect property is the only Rotordynamics Controls property for a Harmonic Response
analysis. The default setting is Off. The On setting is valid only when the Solution Method is set to Full
(the default setting is Mode Superposition). When Coriolis Effect is set to On, you can use the Rotating
Force (p. 1296) boundary condition in your analysis.

Static Structural Analysis

The Coriolis Effect property is the only Rotordynamics Controls property for a Static Structural analysis.
The default setting is Off. When set to On, the application applies Coriolis effects in a Stationary Reference
Frame.

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 Steps and Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses

Visibility
Allows you to selectively display loads in the Graph window by choosing Display or Omit for each
available load type. A load must first be applied before the Visibility group becomes available/shown
under Analysis Settings.

The Visibility group is available for the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Analyses (p. 243)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Steady - State Thermal (p. 439)

• Transient Thermal (p. 521)

Steps and Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses

The following topics are covered in this section:
Role of Time in Tracking
Steps, Substeps, and Equilibrium Iterations
Automatic Time Stepping
Guidelines for Integration Step Size

Role of Time in Tracking

Time is used as a tracking parameter in all static and transient analyses, whether or not the analysis
is truly time-dependent. The advantage of this is that you can use one consistent "counter" or
"tracker" in all cases, eliminating the need for analysis-dependent terminology. Moreover, time always
increases monotonically, and most things in nature happen over a period of time, however brief the
period may be.

Obviously, in a transient analysis time represents actual, chronological time in seconds, minutes, or
hours. In a static analysis, however, time simply becomes a counter that identifies steps and substeps.
By default, the program automatically assigns time = 1.0 at the end of step 1, time = 2.0 at the end
of step 2, and so on. Any substeps within a step will be assigned the appropriate, linearly interpolated
time value. By assigning your own time values in such analyses, you can establish your own tracking
parameter. For example, if a load of 100 units is to be applied incrementally over one step, you can
specify time at the end of that step to be 100, so that the load and time values are synchronous.

Steps, Substeps, and Equilibrium Iterations

What is a step?
A step corresponds to a set of loads for which you want to obtain a solution and review results. In
this way every static or transient dynamic analysis has at least one step. However there are several
scenarios where you may want to consider using multiple steps within a single analysis, that is, multiple
solutions and result sets within a single analysis.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

A static or transient analysis starts at time = 0 and proceeds until a step end time that you specify.
This time span can be further subdivided into multiple steps where each step spans a different time
range.

As mentioned in the Role of Time in Tracking (p. 1165) section, each step spans a ‘time’ even in a static
analysis.

When do you need Steps?

Steps are required if you want to change the analysis settings for a specific time period. For example
in an impact analysis you may want to manually change the allowable minimum and maximum time
step sizes during impact. In this case you can introduce a step that spans a time period shortly before
and shortly after impact and change the analysis settings for that step.

Steps are also useful generally to delineate different portions of an analysis. For example, in a linear
static structural analysis you can apply a wind load in the first step, a gravity load in the second step,
both loads and a different support condition in the third step, and so on. As another example, a
transient analysis of an engine might include load conditions corresponding to gravity, idle speed,
maximum power, back to idle speed. The analysis may require repetition of these conditions over
various time spans. It is convenient to track these conditions as separate steps within the time history.

In addition steps are also required for deleting loads or adding new loads such as specified displace-
ments or to set up a pretension bolt load sequence. Steps are also useful in setting up initial conditions
for a transient analysis.

How do you define steps?

See the procedure, ”Specifying Analysis Settings for Multiple Steps” located in the Establish Analysis
Settings (p. 230) section.

What are substeps and equilibrium iterations?

Solving an analysis with nonlinearities requires convergence of an iterative solution procedure. Con-
vergence of this solution procedure requires the load to be applied gradually with solutions carried
out at intermediate load values. These intermediate solution points within a step are referred to as
substeps. Essentially a substep is an increment of load within a step at which a solution is carried out.
The iterations carried out at each substep to arrive at a converged solution are referred to as equilib-
rium iterations.

Load
Substep

Load step

1 2
Final
load
value Equilibrium
iterations

Substeps

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 Steps and Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses

Automatic Time Stepping

Auto time stepping, also known as time step optimization, aims to reduce the solution time especially
for nonlinear and/or transient dynamic problems by adjusting the amount of load increment. If non-
linearities are present, automatic time stepping gives the added advantage of incrementing the loads
appropriately and retreating to the previous converged solution (bisection) if convergence is not
obtained. The amount of load increment is based on several criteria including the response frequency
of the structure and the degree of nonlinearities in the analysis.

The load increment within a step is controlled by the auto time stepping procedure within limits set
by you. You have the option to specify the maximum, minimum and initial load increments. The
solution will start with the “initial” increment but then the automatic procedure can vary further in-
crements within the range prescribed by the minimum and maximum values.

You can specify these limits on load increment by specifying the initial, minimum, and maximum
number of substeps that are allowed. Alternatively, since a step always has a time span (start time
and end time), you can also equivalently specify the initial, minimum and maximum time step sizes.

Although it seems like a good idea to activate automatic time stepping for all analyses, there are
some cases where it may not be beneficial (and may even be harmful):

• Problems that have only localized dynamic behavior (for example, turbine blade and hub assemblies),
where the low-frequency energy content of part of the system may dominate the high-frequency areas.

• Problems that are constantly excited (for example, seismic loading), where the time step tends to change
continually as different frequencies are excited.

• Kinematics (rigid-body motion) problems, where the rigid-body contribution to the response frequency
term may dominate.

Guidelines for Integration Step Size

The accuracy of the transient dynamic solution depends on the integration time step: the smaller the
time step, the higher the accuracy. A time step that is too large introduces an error that affects the
response of the higher modes (and hence the overall response). On the other hand too small a time
step size wastes computer resources.

An optimum time step size can depend on several factors:

1. Response frequency: The time step should be small enough to resolve the motion (response) of the
structure. Since the dynamic response of a structure can be thought of as a combination of modes, the
time step should be able to resolve the highest mode that contributes to the response. The solver calcu-
lates an aggregate response frequency at every time point. A general rule of thumb it to use approximately
twenty points per cycle at the response frequency. That is, if f is the frequency (in cycles/time), the integ-
ration time step (ITS) is given by:

ITS = 1/(20f )

Smaller ITS values will be required if accurate velocity or acceleration results are needed.

The following figure shows the effect of ITS on the period elongation of a single-DOF spring-mass
system. Notice that 20 or more points per cycle result in a period elongation of less than 1 percent.

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Configuring Analysis Settings

10

9
Period
8
Elongation
(%) 7

2 recommended

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
10 30 50 70 90
Number of Time Steps Per Cycle

2. Resolve the applied load-versus-time curve(s). The time step should be small enough to “follow” the
loading function. For example, stepped loads require a small ITS at the time of the step change so that
the step change can be closely followed. ITS values as small as 1/180f may be needed to follow stepped
loads.

ü ü
Input
Response

t t

3. Resolve the contact frequency. In problems involving contact (impact), the time step should be small
enough to capture the momentum transfer between the two contacting faces. Otherwise, an apparent
energy loss will occur and the impact will not be perfectly elastic. The integration time step can be de-
termined from the contact frequency (fc) as:

where k is the gap stiffness, m is the effective mass acting at the gap, and N is the number of
points per cycle. To minimize the energy loss, at least thirty points per cycle of (N = 30) are needed.
Larger values of N may be required if velocity or acceleration results are needed. See the description
of the Predict for Impact option within the Time Step Controls (p. 924) contact Advanced settings
for more information.

You can use fewer than thirty points per cycle during impact if the contact period and contact
mass are much less than the overall transient time and system mass, because the effect of any
energy loss on the total response would be small.

4. Resolve the nonlinearities. For most nonlinear problems, a time step that satisfies the preceding guidelines
is sufficient to resolve the nonlinearities. There are a few exceptions, however: if the structure tends to
stiffen under the loading (for example, large deflection problems that change from bending to membrane
load-carrying behavior), the higher frequency modes that are excited will have to be resolved.

After calculating the time step sizes using the above guidelines, you need to use the minimum value
for your analysis. However using this minimum time step size throughout a transient analysis can be
very inefficient. For example in an impact problem you may need small time step sizes calculated as

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 Steps and Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses

above only during and for a short duration after the impact. At other parts of the time history you
may be able to get accurate results with larger time steps sizes. Use of the Automatic Time Step-
ping (p. 1167) procedure lets the solver decide when to increase or decrease the time step during the
solution.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions
Boundary conditions are often called "loads" or "supports". They constrain or act upon your model by
exerting forces or rotations or by fixing the model it such a way that it cannot deform.

Boundary conditions are typically applied to 2D or 3D simulations but exceptions do exist. Any exceptions
are discussed in detail on the Help page for the particular boundary condition.

The boundary conditions you apply depend on the type of analysis you are performing. In addition,
the geometry (body, face, edge, or vertex) or finite element selection to which a boundary condition
is applied, also varies per analysis type.

Once applied, and as applicable to the boundary condition type, the loading characteristics must be
considered. This includes, whether the boundary condition is defined as a constant, by using tabular
entries (time history or spatially varying), or as a function (time history or spatially varying).

The following topics describe the steps involved in applying and using boundary conditions in the ap-
plication.
Boundary Condition Scoping Method
Types of Boundary Conditions
Spatial Varying Loads and Displacements
Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude
Resolving Thermal Boundary Condition Conflicts

Boundary Condition Scoping Method

Almost every boundary condition available in the application has a Details group, Scope, that includes
the property Scoping Method; a Pressure load is illustrated below. Scope refers to the geometry over
which a boundary condition is applied. You can select geometry or geometries of your model using
geometry selection tools (Geometry Selection) or through the use of the Named Selection (p. 761)
feature.

You can "scope" boundary conditions to one or more bodies, faces, edges, or vertices. In some cases
you can scope boundary conditions directly to the nodes of the finite element mesh.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

For example, if you apply a force of 1000N in the X-direction to a vertex, the load is "scoped" to that
vertex.

Scoping Method Techniques

The application provides several common methods for scoping boundary conditions. Regardless of the
method you choose, you need to select geometry entities of the model and scope those entities with
a boundary condition. The order of these selections can vary.

You can first select a boundary condition and then specify a geometry:

1. Highlight the Environment object.

2. Click the desired drop-down menu from the Context tab and select your boundary condition type.

3. Select the desired geometry or geometries (by pressing and holding [Ctrl]) on your model and then clicking
the Apply button. Perform any additional required entries.

In the example shown here, a Pressure was applied to a face. The Magnitude entry is undefined.

Or you can first select geometries and then apply boundary conditions:

1. Highlight the Environment object

2. Pick your geometry.

3. Apply your boundary condition by:

a. Making a selection from the Environment Context tab (p. 23).

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 Boundary Condition Scoping Method

Or...

b. Selecting the Environment object, right-clicking, select Insert and then your desired boundary condition.

Or...

c. Right–clicking in the Geometry window, selecting Insert, and then selecting your desired boundary
condition.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Again, additional entries are typically required. For example, you may need to enter a Magnitude for
the boundary condition, specify a Coordinate System, and/or define a Direction.

Types of Boundary Conditions

The Environment Context Tab (p. 23) groups most of the application’s boundary conditions within the
menus listed below.

• Inertial (p. 1174)

• Loads (p. 1191)

• Supports (p. 1346)

• Conditions (p. 1376)

• Direct FE (p. 1402)

See the following sections for information about how to import loading conditions as well as how to
apply and scope abstract loading through the use of remote conditions.

• Remote Boundary Conditions (p. 1416)

• Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417)

Inertial Type Boundary Conditions

The boundary conditions contained under the Inertial heading are listed below.

• Acceleration (p. 1175)

• Standard Earth Gravity (p. 1181)

• Rotational Velocity (p. 1183)

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Rotational Acceleration (p. 1187)

Acceleration
The global Acceleration boundary condition defines a linear acceleration of a structure in each of
the global Cartesian axis directions.

If desired, acceleration can be used to simulate gravity (by using inertial effects) by accelerating a
structure in the direction opposite of gravity (the natural phenomenon of ). That is, accelerating a
structure vertically upwards (+Y) at 9.80665 m/s2 (in metric units), applies a force on the structure
in the opposite direction (-Y) inducing gravity (pushing the structure back towards earth). Units are
length/time2.

Alternatively, you can use the Standard Earth Gravity (p. 1181) load to produce the effect of gravity.
Gravity and Acceleration are essentially the same type of load except they have opposite sign
conventions and gravity has a fixed magnitude. For applied gravity, a body tends to move in the
direction of gravity and for applied acceleration, a body tends to move in the direction opposite
of the acceleration.

Acceleration as a Base Excitation

Acceleration can also be defined as a base excitation during a Mode-Superposition Transient ana-
lysis or a Mode Superposition Harmonic Response analyses. You scope base excitations to a
boundary condition. You can scope multiple base excitations to the same boundary condition, but
the base excitations cannot have same direction specified (via the Direction property).

Analysis Types
Acceleration is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics • Rigid Dynamics (p. 340)

• Harmonic • Static Acoustics (p. 325)

Acoustics (p. 313)
• Static Structural (p. 434)
• Harmonic
Response (p. 266) • Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Modal
Acoustics (p. 304)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

Acceleration applies a uniform load over all bodies.

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Geometry Types and Topology: By virtue of Acceleration’s physical characteristics, this boundary
condition is always applied to all bodies of a model.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options:

• Vector. Supported.

While loads are associative with geometry changes, load directions are not. This applies to any
load that requires a vector input, such as acceleration.

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Components (p. 205).
The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence, define these displayed
values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Components. Supported.

• Magnitude - Phase. Supported for Acceleration as a Base Excitation for Harmonic Response Analysis
only.

• Real - Imaginary. Supported for Acceleration as a Base Excitation for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Time Varying)

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

By default, at least two frequency entries are required when defining a frequency dependent
tabular load.

• Function (Time Varying): Not supported for Explicit Dynamics or Workbench LS-DYNA analyses.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply Acceleration:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Inertial>Acceleration. Or, right-click the Environment object
in the tree or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acceleration.

2. Select the method used to define the Acceleration: options include Vector (default) or Components.

3. Define the loading inputs: Magnitude, Coordinate System, and/or Direction of the Acceleration
based on the above selections.

To apply Acceleration as a Base Excitation when the Solver Type property is defined as Mode-
Superposition during a Transient (default setting for a Transient configured to a Modal solution)
or a Mode-Superposition Harmonic Response analysis:

1. Set the Base Excitation property to Yes.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

2. The Boundary Condition property provides a drop-down list of the boundary conditions that corres-
pond to the Acceleration. Make a selection from this list. Valid boundary conditions for excitations
include:

• Fixed Support

• All Fixed Supports

• Displacement

• Remote Displacement

• Nodal Displacement

• Spring: Body-to-Ground

3. The Absolute Result property is set to Yes by default. As needed, change the value to No if you do
not want to include enforced motion.

Note:

If you apply more than one base excitation (either Displacement or Acceleration),
the Absolute Result property needs to have the same setting, either Yes or No.

4. As needed, set the Define By property to Real - Imaginary from Magnitude - Phase (default).

5. For Harmonic analyses, specify a Phase Angle as needed.

Note:

You can scope Acceleration or Displacement as a base excitation to the same

boundary condition, but the base excitations cannot have same direction spe-
cified (via the Direction property).

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Geometry: Read-only field indicating All Bodies.

Boundary Condition (Acceleration as a Base Excitation only): drop-down

list of available boundary conditions for application.
Definition Base Excitation (Acceleration as a Base Excitation only): No is the default
setting. Set to Yes to specify the Acceleration as a Base Excitation.

Absolute Result (Acceleration as a Base Excitation only): This option

allows you to include enforced motion with (Yes - default) or without
(No) base motion.

Define By: options for this property include the following.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Vector: Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Phase Angle (Acceleration as a Base Excitation for MSUP Harmonic

Response only).

– Direction

• Components: Requires the specification of the following inputs.

– X Component

– Y Component

– Z Component

• Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default. When using cyclic
symmetry (p. 808), the referenced coordinate system must match
coordinate system used in the Cyclic Region (p. 844). For a 2D
axisymmetric model (p. 655) the referenced coordinate system must
be the Global Coordinate System. The referenced coordinate system
must be Cartesian.

• Magnitude - Phase. (Acceleration as a Base Excitation for Harmonic

Response Analysis only. Requires the specification of the following
inputs:

– Magnitude

– Phase Angle

• Real - Imaginary. (Acceleration as a Base Excitation for Harmonic

Response Analysis only. Requires the specification of the following
inputs:

– Magnitude - Real

– Magnitude - Imag

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands and considerations are applicable for this boundary
condition.

• Acceleration is applied using the ACEL command.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Magnitude (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Note:

• Should both an Acceleration and a Standard Earth Gravity boundary condition be specified,
a composite vector addition of the two is delivered to the solver.

• In a Mode-Superposition Transient analysis, Standard Earth Gravity is not allowed in con-

junction with Acceleration.

Important:

When working with substructures (p. 1057), if the inertial acceleration is scoped to a Con-
densed Part, the nodes of the condensed part are not marked as the master degree of
freedom. Instead, multiple super element load vectors are generated for each acceleration
component via the substructure restart mechanism and scaled using SFE,,SELV command.
See the ANTYPE,SUBSTR,RESTART command in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference.
Also see the CMS Generation Pass section in the Mechanical APDL Substructuring Analysis
Guide for additional information.

The following Mechanical APDL commands and considerations are applicable when Acceleration
is defined as a base excitation in a Mode Superposition Transient analysis or a Mode Superposition
Harmonic Response analysis.

• Magnitude (constant or tabular) is always represented as a table in the input file.

• Base excitation is defined using the D command under the Modal restart analysis (under Modal analysis
in case of Standalone Harmonic Response analysis).

• Base excitation is applied using the DVAL command during a Mode Superposition Transient analysis
or Mode Superposition Harmonic Response analysis.

Note:

Acceleration can be defined as base excitation in a Modal linked Harmonic Response

and Modal linked Transient analysis only when the upstream Modal analysis Solver
Type (p. 1117) is set to Program Controlled (provided program sets solver type internally
to Direct, Supernode, or Subspace) Direct, Supernode, or Subspace.

Acceleration Example
The following illustrations compare how Acceleration and Gravity can be used to specify a gravita-
tional load with the same result.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Global Acceleration load applied in the +Y direction to simulate gravity.

Resulting deformation.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Standard Earth Gravity Example

Standard Earth Gravity applied.

Resulting deformation.

Standard Earth Gravity

This boundary condition simulates gravitational effects on a body in the form of an external force.

Gravity is a specific example of acceleration with an opposite sign convention and a fixed magnitude.
Gravity loads cause a body to move in the direction of gravity. Acceleration loads cause a body to
move in the direction opposite of the acceleration. Refer to the example shown under Accelera-
tion (p. 1175) for details.

Analysis Types
Standard Earth Gravity is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Rigid Dynamics (p. 340)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types and Topology: By virtue of Standard Earth Gravity’s physical characteristics, this
boundary condition is always applied to all bodies of a model.

Loading Types: This boundary condition’s loading is defined using a Coordinate System as the
loading quantity.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Standard Earth Gravity is constant, only the direction may be
modified.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply Standard Earth Gravity:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Inertial>Standard Earth Gravity.

Or, right–click the Environment object in the tree or in the Geometry window and select In-
sert>Standard Earth Gravity.

2. Define the Coordinate System and/or Direction of the Standard Earth Gravity.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Geometry: Read-only field indicating All Bodies.
Definition Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.
Global Coordinate System is the default. When using cyclic
symmetry (p. 808) the referenced coordinate system must be the same
coordinate system specified on the Cyclic Region (p. 844). For a 2D
axisymmetric model (p. 655) the referenced coordinate system must
be the Global Coordinate System. The referenced coordinate system
must be Cartesian.

X Component: Read-only field with values for components based upon

the Direction specification.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Y Component: Read-only field with values for components based upon
the Direction specification.

Z Component: Read-only field with values for components based upon

the Direction specification.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Direction: Define the vector in terms of any of the following directions:

+x, -x, +y, -y, +z, -z.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

Standard Earth Gravity is applied using the ACEL command.

Note:

Should both an Acceleration and a Standard Earth Gravity boundary condition be spe-
cified, a composite vector addition of the two is delivered to the solver.

Rotational Velocity
Rotational velocity accounts for the structural effects of a part spinning at a constant rate.

Analysis Types
Rotational Velocity is available for the following analysis types:

• Modal Analysis (p. 283)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Note:

• For a Transient Structural analysis that is linked to a Modal Analysis, Rotational Velocity is an
invalid boundary condition in the Transient Structural analysis.

• For a Modal Analysis, Rotational Velocity is valid only when the following Analysis Set-
tings (p. 1109) properties are specified:

– Damped is set to Yes in the Solver Controls (p. 1117) group.

– Coriolis Effect property is set to On in the Rotordynamics Controls (p. 1164) group.

• If Rotational Velocity is defined in a Static Structural analysis, the spin softening effect is
automatically included in rotating reference frame dynamics (Coriolis Effect set to Off in
the Rotordynamics Controls (p. 1164) group). This may lead to negative or zero frequencies in

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

a downstream perturbed Modal Analysis. This does not apply to stationary reference frame
dynamics (Coriolis Effect set to On).

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. A rotational velocity is applied along a user defined axis to one or more
bodies.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. For 2D axisymmetric simulations, a Rotational Velocity load can only be applied
about the y-axis.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Rotational Velocity boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Rotational Velocity.

Body: Supported. The following requirements must be met or the application will invalidate your
load:

• A globally scoped (All Bodies) Rotational Velocity and a globally scoped (All Bodies) Rotational
Acceleration (p. 1187)may coexist.

• A globally scoped Rotational Velocity may coexist with a partially scoped Rotational Accelera-
tion (p. 1187).

• A partially scoped Rotational Velocity may coexist with a globally scoped Rotational Accelera-
tion (p. 1187).

• Two globally scoped (All Bodies) rotational velocities may not coexist.

• A globally scoped (All Bodies) Rotational Velocity and a partially scoped Rotational Velocity may
not coexist.

• A partially scoped Rotational Velocity may not share topology with another partially scoped Rota-
tional Velocity.

• When using the Mechanical APDL solver target, a partially scoped Rotational Velocity may not
share topology with partially scoped Rotational Acceleration (p. 1187).

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Nodes: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition's loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Vector: Supported. While loads are associative with geometry changes, load directions are not.

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Components (p. 205).
The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence, define these displayed
values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Components: Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Time Varying)

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

Note:

If you establish a step varying tabular load and you deactivate one of the steps, the
application will ramp the value of this load to zero across the load step rather than
immediately zeroing the value at the first substep.

• Function (Time Varying)

Boundary Condition Application

To apply rotational velocity to all bodies, in the Details view, accept the default Geometry setting
of All Bodies.

To apply rotational velocity to selected bodies, in the Details view, set Scoping Method to either
Geometry Selection or Named Selection, then either select the bodies in the Geometry window
(hold down the Ctrl key to multiple select) or select from the list of the Named Selections available
in the Details view.

To apply additional rotational velocity loads, you must have applied the original load to selected
bodies, per above, not to All Bodies.

To apply a Rotational Velocity:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Inertial>Rotational Velocity. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Rotational Velocity.

2. Select a Scoping Method.

3. Select the method used to define the Rotational Velocity: Vector (default) or Components.

4. Define the Magnitude, Component values, Coordinate System, and/or Direction of the Rotational
Velocity based on the above selections.

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Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body) and the number
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Bodies) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Define By (In a cyclic symmetry analysis, the Rotational Velocity must
be defined by components.), options include:

• Vector: A magnitude and directional axis (based on selected

geometry). Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Axis

• Components: Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default. When using cyclic
symmetry (p. 808), the referenced coordinate system must match
coordinate system used in the Cyclic Region (p. 844). The referenced
coordinate system must be Cylindrical.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Coordinate

– Y Coordinate

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Z Coordinate

Note:

In a Modal analysis:

• With multiple solve points (Campbell Diagram turned

On), the magnitude or the resultant of the components
must be in ascending order.

• When specified by Components, only the Global

Coordinate System is available (the option is read-only).

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands and considerations are applicable for this boundary
condition.

• For global scoping, the application uses the CGOMGA command.

• For partially scoped bodies, the application uses the CMOMEGA command.

Rotational Acceleration
A Rotational Acceleration load applies a constant rotational acceleration to one or more bodies.

Analysis Types
Rotational Acceleration is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. A rotational Acceleration is applied along a user defined axis to one or more
bodies.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Not supported for 2D axisymmetric simulation. For 2D Plane Stress and Plane
Strain simulations, a Rotational Acceleration load can only be applied about the Z-axis.

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Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Rotational Acceleration boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Rotational Acceleration.

• Body: Supported. The following requirements must be met or the application will invalidate your load:

– A globally scoped (All Bodies) Rotational Acceleration and a globally scoped (All Bodies) Rotational
Velocity (p. 1183)may coexist.

– A globally scoped Rotational Acceleration may coexist with a partially scoped Rotational Velo-
city (p. 1183).

– A partially scoped Rotational Acceleration may coexist with a globally scoped (All Bodies) Rotational
Velocity (p. 1183).

– Two globally scoped (All Bodies) rotational accelerations may not coexist.

– A globally scoped (All Bodies) Rotational Acceleration and a partially scoped Rotational Acceleration
may not coexist.

– A partially scoped Rotational Acceleration may not share topology with another partially scoped
Rotational Acceleration.

– When using the Mechanical APDL solver target, a partially scoped Rotational Acceleration may not
share topology with partially scoped Rotational Velocity (p. 1183).

For global scoping, the application uses the DCGOMG command. For partially scoped bodies,
the application uses the CMDOMEGA command.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition's loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Vector: Supported. While loads are associative with geometry changes, load directions are not.

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Components (p. 205).
The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence, define these displayed
values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Components: Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Constant

• Tabular (Time Varying)

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

Note:

If you establish a step varying tabular load and you deactivate one of the steps, the
application will ramp the value of this load to zero across the load step rather than
immediately zeroing the value at the first substep.

• Function (Time Varying)

Boundary Condition Application

To apply rotational acceleration to all bodies, in the Details view, accept the default Geometry
setting of All Bodies.

To apply rotational acceleration to selected bodies, in the Details view, set Scoping Method to
either Geometry Selection or Named Selection, then either select the bodies in the Geometry
window (hold down the Ctrl key to multiple select) or select from the list of the Named Selections
available in the Details view.

To apply additional rotational acceleration loads, you must have applied the original load to selected
bodies, per above, not to All Bodies.

To apply a Rotational Acceleration:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Inertial>Rotational Acceleration. Or, right-click the Environ-
ment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Rotational Acceleration.

2. Select a Scoping Method.

3. Select the method used to define the Rotational Acceleration: Vector (default) or Components.

4. Define the Magnitude, Component values, Coordinate System, and/or Direction of the Rotational
Acceleration based on the above selections.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body) and the number

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Bodies) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Define By (In a cyclic symmetry analysis, the Rotational Acceleration

must be defined by components.), options include:

• Vector: A magnitude and directional axis (based on selected

geometry). Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Axis

• Components: Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default. When using cyclic
symmetry (p. 808), the referenced coordinate system must match
coordinate system used in the Cyclic Region (p. 844). The referenced
coordinate system must be Cylindrical.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Coordinate

– Y Coordinate

– Z Coordinate

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands and considerations are applicable for this boundary
condition.

• For global scoping, the application uses the DCGOMG command.

• For partially scoped bodies, the application uses the CMDOMEGA command.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Load Type Boundary Conditions

The boundary conditions contained under the Loads heading are listed below. They are separated
into groups based on their physics and the applicable analysis types.

Structural Loading Conditions

Pressure (p. 1193)

Pipe Pressure (p. 1199)
Pipe Temperature (p. 1202)
Hydrostatic Pressure (p. 1204)
Force (p. 1210)
Remote Force (p. 1215)
Bearing Load (p. 1222)
Bolt Pretension (p. 1226)
Moment (p. 1232)
Generalized Plain Strain (p. 1237)
Line Pressure (p. 1239)
PSD Base Excitation (p. 1243)
RS Base Excitation (p. 1244)
Joint Load (p. 1245)
Thermal Condition (p. 1247)
Rotating Force (p. 1296)

Thermal Loading Conditions

Temperature (p. 1250)

Convection (p. 1253)
Radiation (p. 1258)
Heat Flow (p. 1262)
Heat Flux (p. 1265)
Internal Heat Generation (p. 1267)
Mass Flow Rate (p. 1270)

Electric Loading Conditions

Voltage (p. 1272)

Current (p. 1274)
Thermal Condition (p. 1247)

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Magnetostatic Loads

Electromagnetic Boundary Conditions and Excitations (p. 1277)

Magnetic Flux Boundary Conditions (p. 1278)
Conductor (p. 1279)

Interaction Loads

Motion Load (p. 1287)

Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290)
System Coupling Region (p. 1293)

Explosive Initiation
Detonation Point

Acoustic Excitations

Mass Source (p. 1301)

Surface Velocity (p. 1303)
Diffuse Sound Field (p. 1306)
Incident Wave Source (p. 1308)
Port In Duct (p. 1311)

Acoustic Loads

Temperature (p. 1313)

Impedance Sheet (p. 1315)
Static Pressure (p. 1317)

Acoustic Boundary Conditions

Pressure (p. 1319)

Impedance Boundary (p. 1321)
Absorption Surface (p. 1324)
Radiation Boundary (p. 1326)
Absorption Element (p. 1328)
Free Surface (p. 1330)
Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary (p. 1332)
Rigid Wall (p. 1334)
Symmetry Plane (p. 1336)
Port (p. 1337)
Far-field Radiation Surface (p. 1340)

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Acoustic Models

Transfer Admittance Matrix (p. 1342)

Low Reduced Frequency (p. 1344)

Pressure
A pressure load applies a constant pressure or a varying pressure in a single direction (x, y, or z) to
one or more flat or curved faces. A positive value for pressure acts into the face, compressing the
solid body.

Analysis Types
Pressure is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Note:

Eigen response (an Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis or a Modal Analysis) and Harmonic Re-
sponse (Full) analyses take into account any pressure load stiffness contribution applied
in a linked Static Structural analysis.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. For 3D simulations, a pressure load applies a pressure to one or more
faces.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. For 2D simulations, a pressure load applies a pressure to one or more
edges.

Geometry Types
Geometry types supported for the Pressure boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Topology
The following topology selection options are supported for Pressure:

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported - 3D. If you select multiple faces when defining the pressure, the same pressure
value gets applied to all selected faces. If a constant pressurized face enlarges due to a change in
CAD parameters, the total load applied to the face increases, but the pressure (force per unit area)
value remains constant.

• Edge: Supported - 2D. If you select multiple edges when defining the pressure, the same pressure
value gets applied to all selected edges.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types
The boundary condition’s loading is defined (via the Defined By property) using one of the following
options:

• Normal To

• Vector (While loads are associative with geometry changes, load directions are not.)

• Components

• Normal To: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Response analysis only.)

• Vector: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Response analysis only.)

• Components: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Response analysis only.)

Note:

The Components and Vector options apply pressure in constant direction and as a
result do not contribute to any pressure load stiffness.

When using the Mechanical APDL solver, for all of the above Defined By property options, the
Pressure boundary condition also displays the Applied By property. This property has two
options: Surface Effect (default) and Direct.

The Surface Effect option applies pressure using the surface effect elements created on the
top of the scoped geometry. The Direct option applies pressure directly onto the faces of solid

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

elements, if scoped only to faces of 3D structural solids. Otherwise, the Direct option applies
pressure directly onto the nodes of the scoped geometries.

Note:

• If you scope two Pressure objects to the same geometry, and specify the loads in the
same direction, using the Direct option, the pressures do not produce a cumulative
loading effect. The Pressure object that you specified last takes priority and is applied,
and as a result, the application ignores the other Pressure object.

• If a Nodal Pressure and a direct Pressure share the same scoping, the Nodal Pressure
always takes priority regardless of insertion order: Mechanical will ignore the direct
Pressure. [9:02

• A pressure applied using the Surface Effect option and a pressure applied with the Direct
option produce a resultant effect.

• A pressure applied to shell bodies with the Direct option acts in the opposite direction
of pressures applied using the Surface Effect option.

• When you scope a Pressure to a solid body as well as a shell body, the application does
not display the annotation arrow for the loading direction (via the Direction property).

• When you scope a Pressure to a solid body and a shell body, and you set the Defined
By property to Normal To and the Applied By property to Direct, the application applies
the load on the nodes of the solid body and shell faces.

• During a structural analysis, you can also create a spatially varying load using the Vector
type option. A spatially varying load allows you to define the pressure in tabular form or
as a function.

• 3D Faces or 2D Edges automatically update their direction at each substep and "follow"
the changing normal for large deflection analyses.

• If your analysis includes some combination of a Pressure, a Force, and a Hydrostatic

Pressure load, and 1) all are set to the Direct option and 2) share the same scoping, 3)
have the same Direction, whichever load was written to the input file last, overwrites
all previous loads.

• If you have a Nodal Force and a Pressure applied using the Direct option and they
share the same scoping, they produce a resultant loading effect.

• Applying a pressure load Normal To faces (3D) or edges (2D) could result in a pressure
load stiffness (p. 236) contribution that plays a significant role in analyses that support
pre-stress (Pre-stressed Full Harmonic, Pre-stressed Modal, and Eigenvalue Buckling)
because they use the Static Structural Solution as a starting point.

Important:

Note the following limitations when using the Direct option for Applied By property
and when the Defined By property is set to Vector or Components:

• Only supported when the target solver type is Mechanical APDL.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Supported only when applied on faces of 3D structural solids during a 3D analysis.

• Not supported on bodies associated with Cyclic Symmetry Region, Nonlinear ad-
aptivity, General Axisymmetric and Condensed parts.

• Not supported if the model has any crack defined under the fracture folder.

• In a multiple step analysis, if more than one load (Pressure, Force, or Hydrostatic
Pressure) is defined using the Direct option, which share the same scoping, deac-
tivation of a particular load step in one of these loads will delete all the other
loads in that load step and following steps. So, it is highly recommended not to
use the step deactivation/activation feature with direct loads.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437)

Enter loading data using one of the following options:

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

By default, at least two frequency entries are required when defining a frequency dependent
tabular load. The Pressure boundary condition in a Harmonic Response (Full, linked MSUP,
or standalone) can be defined in such a way that it is fully frequency dependent. That is, the
magnitude of the load as well as the Phase Angle of the load can be dependent upon the
frequency definitions.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Supported.

Note:

Harmonic Response Analysis Only: Spatially varying Tabular and Function data is sup-
ported for the Normal To and Normal To: Real-Imaginary loading types. The Phase
Angle property supports Spatially varying Tabular definition but does not support
Function definition.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Pressure:

1. Select the Pressure option from the Environment Context tab. Or, right-click the Environment object,
or in the Geometry window, and select Insert>Pressure.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

3. Select the method used to define the Pressure: Normal To (default), Normal To: Real - Imaginary,
Vector, Vector: Real - Imaginary, Components, or Components: Real - Imaginary.

4. Specify the Applied By property: Surface Effect (default) and Direct.

5. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System, and/or Direction of the Pressure based on the above
selections.

Note:

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Compon-
ents (p. 205). The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence,
define these displayed values. These are the values sent to the solver.

6. For Harmonic analyses, specify a Phase Angle as needed.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Pressure.

Define By, options include:

• Normal To: Requires a Magnitude entry.

– Magnitude

– Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

• Normal To: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only): Real
and imaginary magnitude. Requires the specification of the following
inputs:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Magnitude - Real

– Magnitude - Imag

• Vector: A magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry).

Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Direction

– Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

• Vector: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only): Real and
imaginary magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry).
Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude - Real

– Magnitude - Imag

– Direction

• Components: Option to define the loading type as Components (in

the global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied).
Requires the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Y Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Z Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

Note:

Selection of a Coordinate System rotated out of the

global Cartesian X-Y plane is not supported in a 2D
analysis.

• Components: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only):

Option to define the loading type as real and imaginary components
(in the global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied).
Requires the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.
Global Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the X direction.

– X Component - Imaginary: Defines magnitude (Imaginary) in the

X direction.

– Y Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the Y direction.

– Y Component - Imaginary: Defines magnitude (Imaginary) in the

Y direction.

– Z Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the Z direction.

– Z Component - Imaginary: Defines (Imaginary) magnitude in the

Z direction.

Applied By: This property defines how the load is applied. Either by
creating surface effect elements or by direct application on the scoped
geometry. Options include:

• Surface Effect (default)

• Direct

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• When you set the Applied By property to Surface Effect, the Pressure is applied as a surface load
through the surface effect elements using the SF or SFE command using the SURF154 (3D) and SURF153
(2D) element types.

• When you set the Applied By property to Direct, the Pressure is applied on the faces of the solid elements
using the SFCONTROL and SFE commands. Otherwise, it is applied on the nodes using the SF command.

• Magnitude (tabular and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Pipe Pressure
Used in any structural analysis, Pipe Pressure is useful for pipe stress analysis and pipe design. Pipe
Pressure is applied only to pipes in the form of line bodies.

Analysis Types
Pipe Pressure is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Explicit Dynamics

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. For 3D structural analyses, a pipe pressure load applies a constant, tabular,
or functional variation of pressure to one or more line bodies (p. 650) which are set to be pipes.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Pipe Pressure boundary condition include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Line Bodies Only.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Pipe Pressure.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The loading type, by default, is program controlled. Internal and external pressures
are input on an average basis. By default, when the pipe is subjected to internal and external
pressures, the end-cap pressure effect of the pipe is included. This implies that the end caps are
always in equilibrium, that is, no net forces are produced.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Time Varying)

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying)

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Function (Time Varying)

• Function (Spatially Varying)

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Pipe Pressure:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Pipe Pressure. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Pipe Pressure.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry. Pipe pressure can only be scoped to line bodies which are set to be pipes.

3. Define Magnitude as a constant, tabular, or functional input.

4. Select Loading to be Internal or External according to your problem.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition is

applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection
tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been applied
using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection.
This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Named Selections.

Defini- Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Pipe Pressure.
tion
Magnitude: Input field to define the magnitude of the Pipe Pressure. This value can
be defined as a Constant or in Tabular form, as well as Imported.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Loading: Specify whether the loading is Internal or External.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL element types are applicable for this boundary condition. Both
elements are based on Timoshenko beam theory which includes shear-deformation effects.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• PIPE288: 3D two-node pipe

• PIPE289: 3D three-node pipe.

• ELBOW290: special 3D three-node pipe used for modeling curved pipes. This element is also used when
Pipe Idealization is scoped to a line body modeled as pipe and meshed with higher order elements.
PIPE289 is converted ELBOW290.

Displaying Contours and Displaced Shapes on Line Bodies: The contour results line bodies are
expanded to be viewed on the cross section shape, but only one actual result exists at any given
node and as a result no contour variations across a beam section occur. Therefore, for Mechanical
APDL plot comparison, full graphics inside /POST1 should be used when comparing numerical
values.

Pipe Temperature
For 3D structural analyses, a pipe temperature load applies a constant, tabular, or functional variation
of temperature to one or more line bodies (p. 650) which are set to be pipes. You can select it to
be internal pipe temperature or external pipe temperature from the Details view.

Analysis Types
Pipe Temperature is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Pipe Temperature boundary condition include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Line Bodies Only.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Pipe Temperature.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The loading type is, by default, program controlled. Internal and external temper-
atures are input on an average basis.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant.

• Tabular (Time Varying).

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying).

• Function (Time Varying).

• Function (Spatially Varying).

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Pipe Temperature:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Pipe Temperature.
Or, right-click the Environment object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Pipe Temper-
ature.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry. Pipe Temperature can only be scoped to line bodies that are specified as pipes.

3. Define Magnitude as a constant, tabular, or functional input.

4. Select Loading to be Internal or External according to your problem.

Note:

Given elbow elements (ELBOW290) with inner pipe temperature specifications only, the
application will, by default, specify this inner temperature as outer temperature as well.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Pipe
Temperature.

Magnitude: Input field to define the magnitude of the Pipe Pressure.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Loading: Specify whether the loading is Internal or External.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The Mechanical APDL Solver is the only solver available for this boundary condition.

Hydrostatic Pressure
A hydrostatic pressure load simulates pressure that occurs due to fluid weight.

Analysis Types
Hydrostatic Pressure is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types
Geometry types supported for the Hydrostatic Pressure boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology
The following topology selection options are supported for Hydrostatic Pressure.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported (3D).

• Edge: Supported (2D).

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types
The boundary condition’s loading is defined (via the Defined By property) using one of the following
options:

• Vector (default)

Note:

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Com-
ponents (p. 205). The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or
sequence, define these displayed values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Components

When using the Mechanical APDL solver, for all of the above Defined By property options, the
Hydrostatic Pressure boundary condition also displays the Applied By property. This property
has two options: Surface Effect (default) and Direct.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

The Surface Effect option applies pressure using the surface effect elements created on the
top of the scoped geometry. The Direct option applies pressure directly onto the faces of solid
elements, if scoped to faces of 3D structural solids.

Note:

• If you scope two Hydrostatic Pressure objects to the same geometry, and specify the
loads in the same direction, using the Direct option, the pressures do not produce a
cumulative loading effect. The Hydrostatic Pressure object that you specified last takes
priority and is applied, and as a result, the application ignores the other Hydrostatic
Pressure object.

• If a Nodal Pressure and a direct Hydrostatic Pressure share the same scoping, the
Nodal Pressure always takes priority regardless of insertion order: Mechanical will ignore
the direct Hydrostatic Pressure.

• A Hydrostatic Pressure using the Surface Effect option and Hydrostatic Pressure using
the Direct option produce a resultant loading effect.

• A Nodal Force and a Hydrostatic Pressure applied using the Direct option and they
share the same scoping, produce a resultant loading effect.

• If your analysis includes some combination of a Pressure, a Force, and a Hydrostatic

Pressure load, and 1) all are set to the Direct option and 2) share the same scoping, 3)
have the same Direction, whichever load was written to the input file last, overwrites
all previous loads.

Important:

For the Mechanical APDL solver, note the following limitations when using the Direct
option for the Defined By property options Vector or Components:

• Supported only when applied on faces of 3D structural solids during a 3D analysis.

• Not supported on bodies associated with Cyclic Symmetry Region, Nonlinear ad-
aptivity, General Axisymmetric, and Condensed parts.

• Not supported if the model has any cracks defined under the Fracture folder.

• In a multiple step analysis, if more than one load (Pressure, Force, or Hydrostatic
Pressure) is defined using the Direct option, which share the same scoping, deac-
tivation of a particular load step in one of these loads will delete all the other
loads in that load step and following steps. So, it is highly recommended not to
use the step deactivation/activation feature with direct loads.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437)

Hydrostatic Pressure is defined as a constant.

Note:

During a multiple step analysis, tabular data is visible for this boundary condition.
This information is read-only but you can use the context menu (right-click) features
of the Tabular Data (p. 124) display to activate or deactivate the loading per step.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Hydrostatic Pressure:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Hydrostatic Pressure.
Or, right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Hydrostatic
Pressure.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection. Hydrostatic Pressure
can only be scoped to faces.

3. Specify the Applied By property: Surface Effect (default) and Direct.

4. Select all of the faces that will potentially enclose the fluid.

Or...

If you are working with a surface body, specify the Shell Face, defined as the side of the shell
(Top or Bottom) on which to apply the hydrostatic pressure load.

5. Specify the magnitude and direction of the Hydrostatic Acceleration. This is typically the acceleration
due to gravity, but can be other acceleration values depending on the modeling scenario. For example,
if you were modeling rocket fuel in a rocket’s fuel tank, the fuel might be undergoing a combination
of acceleration due to gravity and acceleration due to the rocket accelerating while flying.

6. Enter the Fluid Density.

7. Specify the Free Surface Location, defined as the location of the top of the fluid in the container. You
can specify this location by using coordinate systems, by entering coordinate values, or by clicking a
location on the model.

8. Mesh the model, then highlight the Hydrostatic Pressure load object to display the pressure contours.

The following example shows the simulation of a hydrostatic pressure load on the wall of an
aquarium. Here the wall is modeled as a single surface body. The load is scoped to the bottom side
of the face. A fixed support is applied to the bottom edge. Acceleration due to gravity is used and
the fluid density is entered as 1000 kg/m3. Coordinates representing the top of the fluid are also
entered.

The load plot shown here illustrates the hydrostatic pressure gradient.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

• Shell Face

– Top

– Bottom

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Hydro-
static Pressure.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Applied By: This property defines how the load is applied. Either by
creating surface effect elements or by direct application on the scoped
geometry. Options include:

• Surface Effect (default)

• Direct

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Fluid Density: Input field for fluid density value.

Hydrostatic Accelera- Define By, options include:
tion
• Vector: A magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires
the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Direction

• Components

– X Component

– Y Component

– Z Component

Free Surface Location X Coordinate

Y Coordinate

Z Coordinate

Location: Specify Free Surface Location using geometry picking tools.

Valid topologies include: face, edge, vertex.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• When you set the Applied By property to Surface Effect, the Hydrostatic Pressure is applied as a surface
load through the surface effect elements using the SFE command.

• When you set the Applied By property to Direct, the Hydrostatic Pressure is applied on the faces of
the solid elements (SOLID185, SOLID186, and SOLID187) using SFCONTROL and SFE command.

• Hydrostatic Pressure is represented as a table in the input file.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Force
Force is specified based on the following topologies:

• Face: Distributes a force vector across one or more flat or curved faces, resulting in uniform traction
across the face.

• Edge: Distributes a force vector along one or more straight or curved edges, resulting in uniform line
load along the edge.

• Vertex: Applies a force vector to one or more vertices.

Analysis Types
Force is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Force loads are not supported for 2D axisymmetric Explicit Dynamics
analyses.

Geometry Types
Geometry types supported for the Force boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported

Topology
The following topology selection options are supported for Force.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

– The force is applied by converting it to a pressure, based on the total area of all the selected faces.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

– If a face enlarges due to a change in CAD parameters, the total load magnitude applied to the
face remains constant.

• Edge: Supported.

– If you select multiple edges when defining the force, the magnitude of the force is distributed
evenly across all selected edges.

– If an edge enlarges due to a change in CAD parameters, the total load magnitude applied to the
edge remains constant.

• Vertex: Supported.

– If you select multiple vertices when defining the force, the magnitude of the force is distributed
evenly across all selected vertices.

– A force applied to a vertex is not realistic and leads to singular stresses (that is, stresses that ap-
proach infinity near the loaded vertex). You should disregard stress and elastic strain values in
the vicinity of the loaded vertex.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types
The boundary condition’s loading is defined (via the Defined By property) using one of the following
options:

• Vector

• Components

• Vector: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Response analysis only.)

• Components: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Response analysis only.)

When using the Mechanical APDL solver, for all of the above Defined By property options, the
Force boundary condition also displays the Applied By property. This property has two options:
Surface Effect (default) and Direct.

The Surface Effect option applies force using the surface effect elements created on the top
of the scoped geometry. The Direct option applies force directly onto the faces of solid elements,
if scoped to faces of 3D structural solids.

Note:

• If you scope two Force objects to the same geometry, and specify the loads in the same
direction, using the Direct option, the forces do not produce a cumulative loading effect.
The Force object that you specified last takes priority and is applied, and as a result, the
application ignores the other Force object.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• A Nodal Force and a Force applied using the Direct option and they share the same
scoping, produce a resultant loading effect.

• A Force applied using the Surface Effect option and a Force applied using the Direct
option produce a resultant effect.

• If your analysis includes some combination of a Pressure, a Force, and a Hydrostatic

Pressure load, and 1) all are set to the Direct option and 2) share the same scoping, 3)
have the same Direction, whichever load was written to the input file last, overwrites
all previous loads.

Important:

For the Mechanical APDL solver, note the following limitations when using the Direct
option for Applied By property:

• Supported only when applied on faces of 3D structural solids during a 3D analysis.

• Not supported on bodies associated with Cyclic Symmetry Region, Nonlinear ad-
aptivity, General Axisymmetric and Condensed parts.

• Not supported if the model has any cracks defined under the Fracture folder.

• In a multiple step analysis, if more than one load (Pressure, Force, or Hydrostatic
Pressure) is defined using the Direct option, which share the same scoping, deac-
tivation of a particular load step in one of these loads will delete all the other
loads in that load step and following steps. So, it is highly recommended not to
use the step deactivation/activation feature with direct loads.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437)

Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Not supported for Harmonic Response Analysis.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

By default, at least two frequency entries are required when defining a frequency dependent
tabular load. The Force boundary condition in a Harmonic Response (Full, linked MSUP, or
standalone) can be defined in such a way that it is fully frequency dependent. That is, the
magnitude of the load as well as the Phase Angle of the load can be dependent upon the
frequency definitions.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Not supported for Harmonic Response Analysis.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Force:

1. Select the Force option from the Environment Context tab. Or, right-click the Environment tree object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Force.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Select the method used to define the force: Vector (default), Vector: Real - Imaginary, Components,
or Components: Real - Imaginary.

4. Specify the Applied By property: Surface Effect (default) and Direct.

5. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System directional loading, and/or Direction of the load based
on the above selections.

Note:

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Compon-
ents (p. 205). The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence,
define these displayed values. These are the values sent to the solver.

6. For Harmonic analyses, specify a Phase Angle as needed.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-

lection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Force.

Define By, options include:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Vector: A magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires
the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Direction

– Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

• Vector: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only): Real and
imaginary magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires
the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude - Real

– Magnitude - Imag

– Direction

• Components: Option to define the loading type as Components (in the

global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires
the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Y Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Z Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

Note:

Selection of a Coordinate System rotated out of the global

Cartesian X-Y plane is not supported in a 2D analysis.

• Components: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only): Option

to define the loading type as real and imaginary components (in the global
coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires the
specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the X direction.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– X Component - Imaginary: Defines magnitude (Imaginary) in the X
direction.

– Y Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the Y direction.

– Y Component - Imaginary: Defines magnitude (Imaginary) in the Y

direction.

– Z Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the Z direction.

– Z Component - Imaginary: Defines (Imaginary) magnitude in the Z

direction.

Applied By: This property defines how the load is applied. Either by
creating surface effect elements or by direct application on the scoped
geometry. Options include:

• Surface Effect (default)

• Direct

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• When you set the Applied By property to Surface Effect, a Force is applied using the using the
SFE,,PRES command by creating the applicable elements as listed below.

• Based on the selected topology, element types include:

– SURF154 - 3D structural analyses for face selection.

– SURF156 - 3D structural analyses for edge selection.

– SURF153 - 2D structural analyses for edge selection.

– FOLLW201 - 2D and 3D for vertex selection.

• When you set the Applied By property to Direct, a Force is applied using the using the SFCONTROL
and SFE,,PRES commands on the solid elements (SOLID185, SOLID186, SOLID187, SOLID226 and
SOLID227).

Remote Force
A Remote Force is equivalent to a regular force load on a face (p. 1210) or a force load on an
edge (p. 1210), plus some moment (p. 1232).

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

A Remote Force can be used as an alternative to building a rigid part and applying a force load
to it. The advantage of using a remote force load is that you can directly specify the location in
space from which the force originates.

A Remote Force is classified as a remote boundary condition. Refer to the Remote Boundary Con-
ditions (p. 1416) section for a listing of all remote boundary conditions and their characteristics.

A Remote Force can be applied to a face, edge, or vertex of a 3D model, or to an edge or vertex
of a 2D model.

Analysis Types
Remote Force is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics (p. 256)

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Rigid Dynamics (p. 340)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported(not supported for Explicit Dynamics).

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Remote Force boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Remote Force.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported 3D Only.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

– Cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

– Vertex selections do not support the Behavior option.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Vector: Supported. While loads are associative with geometry changes, load directions are not. This
applies to any load that requires a vector input.

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Components (p. 205).
The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence, define these displayed
values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Vector: Real - Imaginary. Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

• Components: Supported.

• Components: Real - Imaginary. Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

By default, at least two frequency entries are required when defining a frequency dependent
tabular load.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Boundary Condition Application

You apply a Remote Force as you would apply a force load (p. 1210) except that the location of the
load origin can be replaced anywhere in space either by picking or by entering the XYZ locations
directly or by scoping a geometric entity using the Location property. Note that when you first
define the properties of the Remote Force, the application automatically sets the default location
of the Location property at the centroid of the scoped geometry selection(s). This setting is main-
tained even if you re-specify your geometry scoping. It is necessary to manually change the Location
property's definition.

The location and the direction of a remote force can be defined in the global coordinate system
or in a local coordinate system (p. 877).

To apply a Remote Force:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Remote Force. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Remote Force.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote Point (p. 789)
and then specify the geometry.

3. Select geometric entities on your model.

4. Specify a coordinate system as needed. The default selection is the Global Coordinate System. You
can also specify a user-defined or local coordinate system.

5. Select the method used to define the remote force: Vector (default), Vector: Real - Imaginary, Com-
ponents, or Components: Real - Imaginary.

6. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System directional loading, and/or Direction of the load based
on the above selections.

7. For Harmonic analyses, specify a Phase Angle as needed.

8. Select the Behavior of the geometry.

9. As needed, enter a Pinball Region value. The default value is All.

10. If you are performing a Harmonic MSUP analysis that is linked to upstream system, you can set the
Loading Application property to either Load Vector (default) or Table. This property selection enables
you to specify between applying the load using load vectors or tables in the harmonic analysis. The
option is not available if you scope the load to a Remote Point or a vertex.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry
Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

• Remote Point: Indicates that the geometry is defined by a Remote

Point (p. 789).

– Remote Points: This field provides a drop-down list of available

user-defined Remote Points.

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

The following properties are used to define the location of the load’s
origin:

• X Coordinate

• Y Coordinate

• Z Coordinate

Location: This property specifies the location of the load's origin. The
default location is the centroid of your geometry selection(s). You can
define this property manually using geometry entity selections as well
as by making entries in the above coordinate properties.
Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Remote
Force.

Define By, options include:

• Vector: A magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry).

Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Direction

• Vector: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis only): Real and imaginary

magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires the
specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude - Real

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Magnitude - Imag

– Direction

• Components: Option to define the loading type as Components (in

the global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied).
Requires the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Y Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Z Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

• Components: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only):

Option to define the loading type as real and imaginary components
(in the global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied).
Requires the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– X Component - Real

– X Component - Imaginary

– Y Component - Real

– Y Component - Imaginary

– Z Component - Real

– Z Component - Imaginary

Note:

Selection of a Coordinate System rotated out of the

global Cartesian X-Y plane is not supported in a 2D
analysis.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Behavior (p. 795): This option dictates the behavior of the attached
geometry. If the Scope Method property is set to Remote Point, the
boundary condition will then assume the Behavior defined in the
referenced Remote Point as well as other related properties. Options
include:

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Rigid: Does not allow the scoped geometry to deform. This is the only
available option for Explicit Dynamics analyses.

• Deformable: Allows the scoped geometry to deform.

• Coupled: Allows the scoped geometry to have the same DOF solution
on its underlying nodes as the remote point location.

• Beam: This option specifies a connection from the remote load to the
model using linear massless beam elements. It is not a valid option
for a Modal Superposition Harmonic Response analysis unless a
Remote Point references the load.

Material: This property is available when the Behavior property is set

to Beam. Select a material to define material properties for the beams
used in the connection. Density is excluded from the material definition.

Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property is set

to Beam. Specify a radius to define the cross section dimension of the
circular beam used for the connection.

Follower Load (Rigid Dynamics (p. 340) analysis only): When set to No
(default), the force direction doesn't change during the simulation.
When set to Yes, the force direction is updated with the underlying
body.
Step Controls RPM Varying: Option include No (default) and Yes. When you select
No, the Remote Load is applicable at all defined RPM steps. When set
(Harmonic to Yes, only the RPM Step selected in RPM Selection property is
Response analysis applicable.
with multiple
RPMs Only) RPM Selection: This property displays when the RPM Varying property
is set to Yes. Select your desired RPM Value from available RPM Steps
defined in Analysis Settings to use the Remote Load.
Advanced Pinball Region: Modify the Pinball setting to reduce the number of
elements included in the solver.

Note:

The Pinball Region property is not supported for the

Samcef and ABAQUS solvers.

Loading Application (linked MSUP Harmonic analysis only): Options

include Load Vector (default) and Table. Using the Load Vector
option, the scale factor specified through load magnitude is applied
to the load vector in MSUP Harmonic analysis. Using the Table option,

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
the load magnitude is specified in tabular data format and is directly
applied to the selected scoping in the MSUP Harmonic analysis.

Note:

The option is not available if you scope the load to a

Remote Point or a vertex.

Bearing Load
The Bearing Load boundary condition simulates radial forces only. It is applied on the interior of a
cylinder in the radial direction using a coordinate system. If the Mechanical application detects a
portion of the load to be in the axial direction, the solver stops the solution and issues an appropriate
error message.

Note:

• If your CAD system split the target cylinder into two or more faces, select all of the faces
when defining the Bearing Load.

• When analyzing more than one cylinder, be sure that you scope each cylinder with its
own Bearing Load boundary condition. Scoping a single Bearing Load to multiple cylin-
ders, as illustrated below, divides the load among the multiple cylindrical faces by area
ratio. The example shows two cylinders where the length on the right cylinders is twice
the length of the left cylinder. For the single bearing load applied to the two cylinders,
the reactions are proportional to each cylinder's area as a fraction of the total load area.
This can be seen by the Reaction Force results 100.26N versus 204.33N).

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Although loading across multiple steps may appear as an application of tabular loading,
you cannot set the magnitude of a bearing load in terms of either tabular or functional
data. You must set a constant or ramped magnitude for each step such that one value
corresponds to each step.

Analysis Types
Bearing Load is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. For vector-based loading on a cylindrical face or geometric axis, you define
the radial direction by selecting a different piece of geometry on your model that allows you to modify
the Direction in the desired direction.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• 2D Simulation: Supported. The Bearing Load boundary condition applies a variable distribution of force
to a circular edge.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Bearing Load boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Bearing Load.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported. If the loaded face enlarges (e.g., due to a change in parameters), the total load applied
to the face remains constant, but the pressure (force per unit area) decreases.

• Edge: Supported - 2D Simulation Only

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Vector: Supported. You define the radial direction for your vector load by selecting a piece of geometry
on your model that provides the ability to specify the direction correctly.

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Components (p. 205).
The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence, define these displayed
values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Components: Supported. While loads are associative with geometry changes, load direction are not.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

Note:

Although loading across multiple steps may appear as an application of tabular

loading, you cannot set the magnitude of a bearing load in terms of either tabular
or functional data. You must set a constant or ramped magnitude for each step
such that one value corresponds to each step.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Bearing Load:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Bearing Load. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Bearing Load.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Select the method used to define the bearing load: Vector (default) or Components.

4. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System directional loading, and/or Direction of the load based
on the above selections.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-

lection. Displays the type of geometry (Face, Edge, etc.) and the number
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Face, 2 Edges) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined
Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Bearing Load.

Define By, options include:

• Vector: A magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires

the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Direction

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Components: Option to define the loading type as Components (in the
global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires
the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Force is applied using the SF,,PRES command.

• Element types include:

– SURF154: 3D structural analyses.

– SURF153: 2D structural analyses.

Bolt Pretension
This boundary condition applies a pretension load to a cylindrical face, to a straight edge of a line
body, to a single body, or to multiple bodies, or to a Beam Connection (p. 1045), typically to model
a bolt under pretension.

Analysis Types
Bolt Pretension is applicable to pure structural or thermal-stress analyses:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, loading definitions and values, and solve behavior.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported (Body scoping only).

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Be sure that a sufficiently fine mesh exists on a face or body that contains a Bolt Pretension
boundary condition so that the mesh can be correctly partitioned along the axial direction (that is,
at least two elements long).

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Bolt Pretension boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported - Line Body Only.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Bolt Pretension.

• Body: Supported.

– Body scoping of a Bolt Pretension load can be to more than one body. In this case all the scoped
bodies are cut. There is still only a single Bolt Pretension load created but this feature allows you to
apply a bolt load to a bolt that has been cut into several bodies. This feature is illustrated in the fol-
lowing figure.

– Body scoping requires a local Coordinate System object in the tree. The application of the boundary
condition is at the origin and along the z-axis (3D) or x-axis (2D) of the local coordinate system. You
can place the coordinate system anywhere in the body and reorient the required axis.

– Use caution when defining bolt loads by bodies and a coordinate system because the entire body is
sliced along the local cutting plane.

• Face: Supported.

– If you try to apply a pre-load on the same face more than once, all definitions except the first one are
ignored.

– Face selection simulates one Bolt Pretension load through multiple split faces of a body. When
simulating Bolt Pretension using Face selection scoping on a body with multiple split faces, you need
to scope/apply only one the Bolt Pretension boundary condition to only one split face. Even though
you select only part of the cylinder body, the Bolt Pretension boundary condition slices though the
whole cylinder body.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

– Care should be used when applying a Bolt Pretension boundary condition to a cylindrical face that
has bonded contact. There is a possibility that if you apply a Bolt Pretension boundary condition to
a cylinder that had a bonded contact region, the bonded contact will block the ability of the Bolt
Pretension to deform properly.

– The Bolt Pretension boundary condition should be applied to cylindrical faces that contain the
model volume (that is, do not try to apply the Bolt Pretension load to a hole).

– The Bolt Pretension boundary condition does not support scoping to a Virtual Cell (p. 2246) (merged
faces).

• Edge: Supported. An option for applying the boundary condition to a line body is to apply it to a single
straight edge on the body. The direction of the boundary condition is inferred from the direction of the
edge.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Beam Connection (p. 1045): Supported. Note the following when using a beam connection with a pretension
load:

– When you select Beam Connection as your Scoping Method, a corresponding Beam Connection
property displays in the Details view. This property provides a drop-down list of available beam
connections. In addition, when you specify Beam Connection as your Scoping Method, the Coordin-
ate System property is unavailable in the Details view.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

– You can drag and drop Beam Connection objects onto the Environment to automatically created
Bolt Pretension objects (loading conditions).

– A Bolt Pretension probe (p. 1606) can be scoped to Bolt Pretensions defined via a Beam Connection
while the Bolt Tool does not.

Important:

For this beam connection scoping scenario, the solver creates two beam elements. As
a result, beam probes do not support the Result Selection property options Shear
Force (At I/J) and Moment (At I/J). If selected, the application issues a warning message
indicating that the results reported at location J are midspan values.

• Pretension Section

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Load: Applies a force as a preload. A Preload field is displayed where you enter the value of the load
in force units.

• Adjustment: Applies a length as a pre-adjustment (for example, to model x number of threads). A

Preadjustment property displays when Adjustment is selected. Enter the value of the adjustment in
length units. It applies the Preadjustment from the solved deformation value of the previous step to
the specified Adjustment value of the current step.

• Lock: Fixes all displacements. You can set this state for any step except the first step.

• Open: Use this option to leave the Bolt Pretension load open so that the load has no effect on the
applied step, effectively suppressing the load for the step. Note that in order to avoid convergence issues
from having under-constrained conditions, a small load (0.01% of the maximum load across the steps)
is applied. You can set this state for any step.

• Increment: Applies a length as an incremental adjustment. An Increment field is displayed where you
enter the value of the Adjustment in length units. When applied, the specified value gets added to the
solved deformation value from the previous step. You can choose this option for any step except the
first step.

Note:

If a solution restart is performed from a substep of a load step that has an Incre-
ment specified, the increment value gets added to the solved deformation value at
the beginning of the selected restart sub-step.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Bolt Pretension is defined by constant loading data only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Bolt Pretension:

1. On the EnvironmentContext tab: click Loads > Bolt Pretension. Or, right-click the Environment
object or within the Geometry window, and select Insert > Bolt Pretension.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection, Named Selection, Beam Connection, or
Pretension Section and then specify the desired cylindrical body/bodies, connection, or section.

3. As needed, specify a desired Coordinate System. The Coordinate System property only displays
when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selectionand a solid body is specified as the geometry.

4. Using the Defined By property, specify how the boundary condition is defined: by Load, Adjustment,
or Open.

5. Specify a Preload or Preadjustment value as needed.

6. Specify the Solve Behavior property as either Combined (default) or Individual. The Solve Behavior
property displays when the Scoping Method is set to either Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Properties/Descriptions
Scope Scoping Method: The options for this property include Geometry
Selection (default), Named Selections and Beam Connection.

Geometry: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set to

Geometry Selection. In this case, use selections filter to pick geometry,
click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection: This property displays when the Scoping Method

is set to Named Selection. Select a desired Named Selection from
the drop-down menu.

Beam Connection: This property displays when the Scoping Method

is set to Beam Connection. It enables you to scope the pretension
load to a Beam Connection (p. 1045) available from the drop-down menu
of user-defined beam connections.

Pretension Section: This property displays when the Scoping Method

is set to Pretension Section. It enables you to scope the pretension
load to a Pretension Section available from the drop-down menu.

Coordinate System (Body scoping only): This property provides a

drop-down list of selectable coordinate systems. Only coordinate
systems specified in the XY Plane are supported. The Global
Coordinate System is the default setting. This property is not available
for Beam Connection scoping.
Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Bolt
Pretension.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Define By: The options for this property include:

• Load

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Properties/Descriptions
• Adjustment

• Lock

• Open

• Increment

Preload: Visible when the Define By is set to Load.

Preadjustment: Visible when the Define By is set to Adjustment.

Increment: Visible when the Define By is set to Increment.

Advanced Solve Behavior: This property (and category) displays when the
Scoping Method property is set to either Geometry Selection (default)
or Named Selections. This property enables you to specify how the
application solves your Bolt Pretension boundary condition. The
options for this property include:

• Combined (default): This option treats the scoped geometric entities

as one single bolt and solves the preload as a single load shared by
the scoped entities. This option supports multiple body selections,
multiple edge selections, from same or different line bodies, but only
one face selection per Bolt Pretension boundary condition.

• Individual: Using this option, the specified preload value is applied

to each scoped entity and solved as an individual preload for each
scoped entity. Note that this option:

– Supports multiple cylindrical surface selections, however these

faces cannot belong to the same body.

– Does not support the use of Bolt Probes.

The following example shows a Bolt Pretension load as a preload force and as a pre-adjustment
length:

The following animation shows total deformation:

The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. View online if you are reading the PDF version of
the help. Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released
product.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Moment
This boundary condition distributes a moment "about" (the vector of ) an axis across one or more
flat or curved faces, or about one or more edges or vertices. Use the right-hand rule to determine
the sense of the moment.

A Moment is classified as a remote boundary condition. Refer to the Remote Boundary Condi-
tions (p. 1416) section for a listing of all remote boundary conditions and their characteristics.

Analysis Types
Moment is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Moment boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Note:

Face and edge selections for the moment load can span multiple parts, however, multiple
vertex selections must be of the same part type (solid, 3D surface or line bodies) or the
selection is ignored.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Moment.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported - 3D only. If a face enlarges (e.g., due to a change in parameters), the total load applied
to the face remains constant, but the load per unit area decreases.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported. This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Vector – Supported. While loads are associative with geometry changes, load directions are not.

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Components (p. 205).
The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence, define these displayed
values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Vector: Real - Imaginary. Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

• Components – Supported.

• Components: Real - Imaginary. Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only.

By default, at least two frequency entries are required when defining a frequency dependent
tabular load.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Moment:

1. Select the Moment option from the Environment Context tab. Or, right-click the Environment tree
object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Moment.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote Point and
then specify the geometry.

Note:

When specifying the Scoping Method, faces and edges can be scoped to either the
geometry where the load is to be applied (Geometry Selection), to a Named Selec-
tion, or to a Remote Point (p. 789). Vertices cannot be scoped to Remote Point.

3. Select the method used to define the moment: Vector (default), Vector: Real - Imaginary, Components,
or Components: Real - Imaginary.

4. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System directional loading, and/or Direction of the load based
on the above selections.

5. For Harmonic analyses, specify a Phase Angle as needed.

6. Select the Behavior of the geometry.

7. As needed, enter a Pinball Region value. The default value is All.

8. If you are performing a Harmonic MSUP analysis that is linked to upstream system, you can set the
Loading Application property to either Load Vector (default) or Table. This property selection enables
you to specify between applying the load using load vectors or tables in the harmonic analysis. The
option is not available if you scope the load to a Remote Point or a vertex.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-

lection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a
Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

• Remote Point

– Remote Point: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Remote Point.
This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Remote
Points.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Moment.

Define By (3D Only), options include:

• Vector: A magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires

the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Direction

• Vector: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis only): Real and imaginary

magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires the
specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude - Real

– Magnitude - Imag

– Direction

• Components: Option to define the loading type as Components (in the

global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires
the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Y Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Z Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

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Category Fields/Options/Description
• Components: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only): Option
to define the loading type as real and imaginary components (in the global
coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires the
specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– X Component - Real

– X Component - Imaginary

– Y Component - Real

– Y Component - Imaginary

– Z Component - Real

– Z Component - Imaginary

Magnitude (2D Only).

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Behavior (p. 795): This option dictates the behavior of the attached
geometry. If the Scope Method property is set to Remote Point, the
boundary condition will then assume the Behavior defined in the
referenced Remote Point as well as other related properties. Options
include:

• Rigid: Does not allow the scoped geometry to deform.

• Deformable: Allows the scoped geometry to deform.

• Coupled: Allows the scoped geometry to have the same DOF solution on
its underlying nodes as the remote point location.

• Beam: This option specifies a connection from the remote load to the
model using linear massless beam elements. It is not a valid option for a
Modal Superposition Harmonic Response analysis unless a Remote Point
references the load.

Material: This property is available when the Behavior property is set

to Beam. Select a material to define material properties for the beams
used in the connection. Density is excluded from the material definition.

Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property is set

to Beam. Specify a radius to define the cross section dimension of the
circular beam used for the connection.
Step Controls RPM Varying: Option include No (default) and Yes. When you select
No, the Remote Load is applicable at all defined RPM steps. When set
(Harmonic to Yes, only the RPM Step selected in RPM Selection property is
Response analysis applicable.
with multiple
RPMs Only)

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
RPM Selection: This property displays when the RPM Varying property
is set to Yes. Select your desired RPM Value from available RPM Steps
defined in Analysis Settings to use the Remote Load.
Advanced Pinball Region

Loading Application (linked MSUP Harmonic analysis only): Options

include Load Vector (default) and Table. Using the Load Vector
option, the scale factor specified through load magnitude is applied
to the load vector in MSUP Harmonic analysis. Using the Table option,
the load magnitude is specified in tabular data format and is directly
applied to the selected scoping in the MSUP Harmonic analysis.

Note:

The option is not available if you scope the load to a

Remote Point or a vertex.

Generalized Plane Strain

This boundary condition is used during 2D simulations (p. 655) involving generalized plane strain
behavior (p. 657).

Analysis Types
The Generalized Plane Strain boundary condition is available for the following analysis types:

• Modal Analysis (p. 283)

• Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Not Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Generalized Plane Strain boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Surface/Shell: Supported - 2D Surface Only.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Generalized Plane Strain.

• Body: Supported - All Bodies.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types and Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): The Generalized Plane Strain boundary
condition is defined as a constant.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Generalized Plane Strain:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Generalized Plane
Strain. Or, right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Gen-
eralized Plane Strain.

2. The Geometry selection for this boundary condition is, by default, set to All Bodies and is a read-only
property.

3. Define the X Coordinate of Reference Point and the Y Coordinate of Reference Point. These entries
are distance values defining the starting point in space.

4. Define the properties for the Condition Along Fiber Direction, that includes options for the Boundary
Condition property and a Magnitude as applicable.

• Free - No magnitude.

• Force - Enter magnitude.

• Displacement - Enter magnitude.

5. Define the properties for the Condition for Rotation About X-axis and the Condition for Rotation
About Y-axis. The options for the include Boundary Condition property are listed below. Magnitude
is defined when applicable.

• Free - No magnitude.

• Moment - Enter magnitude.

• Rotation - Enter magnitude.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Geometry: Read-only field that displays geometry selection - All
Bodies
Definition Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.
Global Coordinate System is the default.

X Coordinate of Reference Point

Y Coordinate of Reference Point

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.
Condition for Rotation Boundary Condition, options include:
About X-axis
• Free: No magnitude.

• Moment: Enter magnitude.

• Rotation: Enter magnitude.

Magnitude
Condition for Rotation Boundary Condition, options include:
About Y-axis
• Free: No magnitude.

• Moment: Enter magnitude.

• Rotation: Enter magnitude.

Magnitude

Note:

You may wish to review the Generalized Plain Strain Probes (p. 1606) section of the Help
for additional information about this boundary condition.

Line Pressure
For 3D simulations, a line pressure load applies a distributed force using force density loading in
units of force per length. You can define force density as a vector, an axial component, or tangentially.
Tangential loads can be applied to one edge only whereas vector and component loads and can
be applied to one or more edges.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

If a pressurized edge enlarges due to a change in CAD parameters, the total load applied to the
edge increases, but the pressure (force per unit length) remains constant.

Analysis Types
Line Pressure is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Line Pressure boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Line Pressure.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Vector: Supported.

The vector load definition displays in the Annotation legend with the label Components (p. 205).
The Magnitude and Direction entries, in any combination or sequence, define these displayed
values. These are the values sent to the solver.

• Tangential: Supported (scoped to one edge only).

• Components: Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

This is the only option supported for Explicit Dynamics.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Supported for Tangential loading only.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Supported for Tangential loading only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Line Pressure:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Line Pressure. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Line Pressure.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Select the method used to define the Line Pressure: Vector (default), Tangential, or Components.

4. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System, and/or Direction of the Line Pressure based on the above
selections.

5. For Harmonic analyses, specify a Phase Angle as needed.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-

lection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Line
Pressure.

Define By, options include:

• Vector: A magnitude and direction (based on selected geometry). Requires

the specification of the following inputs:

– Magnitude

– Direction

• Tangential (scoped to one edge only)

• Components: Option to define the loading type as Components (in the

global coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires
the specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only).

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Line pressure is applied using the SFE command and the SURF156 element type.

• Magnitude (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as one or more tables in the input
file.

PSD Base Excitation

PSD Base Excitation loads are used exclusively in random vibration analyses (p. 291) to provide ex-
citation in terms of spectral value vs. frequency to your choice of the supports that were applied
in the prerequisite modal analysis (p. 283). The Boundary Condition setting in the Details view in-
cludes a drop-down list where you can specify any of the following supports for excitation that are
defined in the modal analysis: Fixed Support, Displacement, Remote Displacement, and Body-
to-Ground Spring. If multiple fixed supports or multiple remote displacements are defined in the
modal analysis, you can apply the excitation load to all fixed supports or all remote displacements
or all of both loads using one of the following options:

• All Fixed Supports

• All Remote Displacements

• All Fixed and Remote Displacements

• All Supports (including Fixed, Remote Displacement, Displacement, and Grounded Springs)

Note:

• Only fixed degrees of freedom of the supports are valid for excitations.

• Boundary conditions defined with a local coordinate system are not supported.

You can also specify the excitation direction (X Axis, Y Axis, or Z Axis).

The user-defined PSD data table is created in the Tabular Data window. You can create a new PSD
table or import one from a library that you have created, via the fly-out of the Load Data option
in the Details view.

Note:

Only positive table values can be input when defining this load.

When creating PSD loads for a Random Vibration analysis in the Mechanical application, Workbench
evaluates your entries by performing a "Goodness of Fit" to ensure that your results will be depend-
able.

Click the fly-out of the Load Data option and choose Improved Fit after entering data points for
viewing the graph and updating the table. Interpolated points are displayed if they are available

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

from the goodness of fit approximation. Once load entries are entered, the table provides one of
the following color-code indicators per segment:

• Green: Values are considered reliable and accurate.

• Yellow: This is a warning indicator. Results produced are not considered to be reliable and accurate.

• Red: Results produced are not considered trustworthy. If you choose to solve the analysis, the Mechan-
ical APDL application executes the action, however; the results are almost certainly incorrect. It is recom-
mended that you modify your input PSD loads prior to the solution process.

Four types of base excitation are supported:

• PSD Acceleration

• PSD G Acceleration

• PSD Velocity

• PSD Displacement

The direction of the PSD base excitation is defined in the nodal coordinate of the excitation points.

Multiple PSD excitations (uncorrelated) can be applied. Typical usage is to apply three different
PSDs in the X, Y, and Z directions. Correlation between PSD excitations is not supported.

RS Base Excitation
RS Base Excitation loads are used exclusively in response spectrum analyses (p. 298) to provide ex-
citation in terms of a spectrum. For each spectrum value, there is one corresponding frequency.
Use the Boundary Condition setting in the Details view to apply an excitation to all of the fixed
supports that were applied in the prerequisite modal analysis (p. 283).

Note:

Only fixed DOFs of the supports are valid for excitations.

You can also specify the excitation in a given direction (X Axis, Y Axis, or Z Axis).

The user-defined RS data table is created in the Tabular Data window. You can create a new RS
table or import one from a library that you have created, via the fly-out of the Load Data option
in the Details view.

Note:

Only positive table values can be used when defining this load.

Three types of base excitation are supported:

• RS Acceleration

• RS Velocity

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• RS Displacement

You should specify the direction of the RS base excitation in the global Cartesian system.

Multiple RS excitations (uncorrelated) can be applied. Typical usage is to apply 3 different RS excit-
ations in the X, Y, and Z directions. Correlation between RS excitations is not supported.

The following additional settings are included in the Details view of an RS Base Excitation load:

• Scale Factor: Scales the entire table of input excitation spectrum for a Single Point response spectrum.
The factor must be greater than 0.0. The default is 1.0.

• Missing Mass Effect: Set to Yes to include the contribution of high frequency modes in the total response
calculation. Including these modes is normally required for nuclear power plant design.

The responses contributed by frequency modes higher than those of rigid responses, specifically
frequency modes beyond Zero Period Acceleration (ZPA) are called residual rigid responses. The
frequency modes beyond ZPA are defined as frequency modes at which the spectral acceleration
returns to the Zero Period Acceleration. In some applications, especially in the nuclear power
plant industry, it is critical and required to include the residual rigid responses to the total re-
sponses. Ignoring the residual rigid responses will result in an underestimation of responses in
the vicinity of supports. There are two methods available to calculate residual rigid responses:
the Missing Mass and Static ZPA methods. The Missing Mass method is named based on the fact
that the mass associated with the frequency modes higher than that of ZPA are missing from
the analysis. As a result, the residual rigid responses are sometimes referred to missing mass re-
sponses. When set to Yes, the Missing Mass Effect is used in a response spectrum analysis.

• Rigid Response Effect: Set to Yes to include rigid responses to the total response calculation. Rigid
responses normally occur in the frequency range that is lower than that of missing mass responses, but
higher than that of periodic responses.

In many cases, it is impractical and difficult to accurately calculate all natural frequencies and
mode shapes for use in the response spectrum evaluation. For high-frequency modes, rigid re-
sponses basically predominate. To compensate for the contribution of higher modes to the re-
sponses, the rigid responses are combined algebraically to the periodic responses, which occur
in the low-frequency modes that are calculated using one the methods above. The most widely
adopted methods to calculate the rigid responses are the Gupta and Lindley-Yow methods. These
two methods are available for a response spectrum analysis under Rigid Response Effect Type
when Rigid Response Effect is set to Yes.

Joint Load
When you are using joints in a Transient Structural (p. 507), Explicit Dynamics (p. 256), or Rigid
Dynamics (p. 340) analysis, you use a Joint Load object to apply a kinematic driving condition to
a single degree of freedom on a Joint object. Joint Load objects are applicable to all joint
types (p. 962) except fixed, general, universal, and spherical joints. For translation degrees of freedom,
the Joint Load can apply a displacement, velocity, acceleration, or force. For rotation degrees of
freedom, the Joint Load can apply a rotation, angular velocity, angular acceleration, or moment.
The directions of the degrees of freedom are based on the reference coordinate system of the joint
and not on the mobile coordinate system.

A positive joint load will tend to cause the mobile body to move in the positive degree of freedom
direction with respect to the reference body, assuming the mobile body is free to move. If the
mobile body is not free to move then the reference body will tend to move in the negative degree

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

of freedom direction for the Joint Load. One way to learn how the mechanism will behave is to
use the Configure (p. 1015) feature. For the joint with the applied Joint Load, dragging the mouse
will indicate the nature of the reference/mobile definition in terms of positive and negative motion.

To apply a Joint Load:

1. Highlight the Transient environment object and insert a Joint Load from the right mouse button
context menu or from the Loads drop-down menu in the Environment Context tab.

2. From the Joint drop-down list in the Details view of the Joint Load, select the particular Joint object
that you would like to apply to the Joint Load. You should apply a Joint Load to the mobile bodies
of the joint. It is therefore important to carefully select the reference and mobile bodies while defining
the joint.

3. Select the unconstrained degree of freedom for applying the Joint Load, based on the type of
joint (p. 962). You make this selection from the DOF drop-down list. For joint types that allow multiple
unconstrained degrees of freedom, a separate Joint Load is necessary to drive each one. Further
limitations apply as outlined under Joint Load Limitations (p. 1247) below. Joint Load objects that include
velocity, acceleration, rotational velocity or rotational acceleration are not applicable to static struc-
tural analyses.

4. Select the type of Joint Load from the Type drop-down list. The list is filtered with choices of Dis-
placement, Velocity, Acceleration, and Force if you selected a translational DOF in step 3. The
choices are Rotation, Rotational Velocity, Rotational Acceleration, and Moment if you selected a
rotational DOF.

Note:

If you are using the Mechanical APDL solver and scoping the Joint Load to a General
joint that has the Rotation property set to Free All, then the Moment option is
not listed in the Type property drop-down list.

5. Specify the magnitude of the Joint Load type selected in step 4 as a constant, in tabular format, or
as a function of time using the same procedure as is done for most loads in the Mechanical application.
Refer to Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437) for further information.

Tip:

On Windows platforms, an alternative and more convenient way to accomplish

steps 1 and 2 above is to drag and drop the Joint object of interest from under the
Connections object folder to the Transient object folder. When you highlight the
new Joint Load object, the Joint field is already completed and you can continue
at step 3 with DOF selection.

6. As applicable, specify the load step at which you want to lock the joint load by entering the value of
the step in the Lock at Load Step field. The default value for this option is zero (0) and is displayed
as Never. This feature immobilizes movement of the joint’s DOFs. For example, this option is beneficial

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

when you want to tighten a bolt to an initial torque value (via a Moment Joint Driver on a Revolute
Joint) and then lock that joint during a subsequent load step.

Note:

Mechanical APDL References:

This feature makes use of the %_FIX% parameter on the DJ command.

When a joint driver with a force or moment load is deactivated, then the lock
constraint on the joint is also deleted using the DJDELE command. This happens
if the locking occurs before the deactivation.

Joint Load Limitations

Some joint types have limitations on the unconstrained degrees of freedom that allow the application
of joint loads as illustrated in the following table:

Joint Type Unconstrained Degrees of Allowable Degrees of Freedom for

Freedom Applying Joint Loads
Fixed (p. 963) None Not applicable
Revolute (p. 963) ROTZ ROTZ
Cylindrical (p. 963) UZ, ROTZ UZ, ROTZ
Translational (p. 964) UX UX
Slot (p. 965) UX, ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ UX
Universal (p. 965) ROTX, ROTZ None
Spherical (p. 966) ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ None
Planar (p. 966) UX, UY, ROTZ UX, UY, ROTZ
General (p. 973) UX, UY and UZ, Free X, Free All unconstrained degrees of
Y, Free Z, and Free All freedom
Bushing (p. 967) UX, UY, UZ, ROTX, ROTY, All unconstrained degrees of
ROTZ freedom
Point on Curve (p. 974) UX UX

Note:

Where applicable, you must define all three rotations for a Joint Load before proceeding
to a solve.

Thermal Condition
You can insert a known temperature (not from data transfer) boundary condition in an analysis by
inserting a Thermal Condition object and specifying the value of the temperature in the Details
view under the Magnitude property. If the load is applied to a surface body, by default the tem-
perature is applied to both the top and bottom surface body faces. You do have the option to apply
different temperatures to the top and bottom faces by adjusting the Shell Face entry in the details
view. When you apply a thermal condition load to a solid body, the Shell Face property is not

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

available in the Details view. You can add the thermal condition load as time-dependent (p. 124) or
spatially varying (p. 1435).

Note:

• When a Thermal Condition is specified on the Top or Bottom shell face of a surface body,
the opposite face defaults to the environment temperature unless it is otherwise specified
from another load object.

• For an assembly of bodies with different topologies (solid body, line, shell, beam), you must
define a separate Thermal Condition load for each topology, that is, you must define one
load scoped to line bodies, define a second load scoped to surface bodies, and so on.

• For each load step, if an Imported Body temperature load and a Thermal Condition load are
applied on common geometry selections, the Imported Body temperature load takes preced-
ence. See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when multiple load
objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

• If the Thermal Condition is applied to a shell face that has a Layered Section (p. 645) applied
to it, you must set Shell Face to Both in order to solve the analysis.

Analysis Types
Thermal Condition is available for the following analysis types:

• Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257)

• Electric Analysis (p. 253)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Thermal Condition boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Thermal Condition.

• Body: Supported. The Thermal Condition is a body-based boundary condition.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The Thermal Condition boundary condition’s loading is defined by Magnitude
only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant (only option for Eigenvalue Buckling analyses).

• Tabular (Time Varying).

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying).

• Function (Time Varying).

• Function (Spatially Varying).

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Thermal Condition:

1. On the Environment Context tab open the Loads drop-down menu and select Thermal Condition.
Or, right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Thermal
Condition.

2. Define the Scoping Method. This property has two options: Geometry Selection and Named Selection.
For either scoping type, you must use the body selection filter (on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)) for
geometry selection or Named Selection definition. Only solid bodies, surface body faces, or line bodies
can be selected or defined.

For surface bodies, in the Details view, the Shell Face property provides a drop-down list. Select
Top, Bottom, or Both (default) to apply the thermal boundary condition to the selected face.
For bodies that have one or more layered section objects, you need to specify Both for Shell
Face or the Thermal Condition will be under-defined and an error message will be generated.

3. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System, and/or Direction of the thermal boundary condition
based on the above selections.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to Geo-

metry Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and
the number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which
the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Thermal
Condition.

Magnitude: Temperature value. The default is 22 degrees Celsius.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Temperatures are applied using the BF command. For surface bodies, with Top or Bottom Shell Face
selection, temperatures are applied using the BFE command.

• Magnitude (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Temperature
This boundary condition simulates a uniform, time-dependent, or spatially varying temperature
over the selected geometry.

A spatially varying load allows you to vary the magnitude of a temperature in a single coordinate
direction and as a function of time using the Tabular Data or Function features. See the Defining

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Boundary Condition Magnitude (p. 1437) section for the specific steps to apply tabular and/or function
loads.

Note:

For each load step, if an Imported Temperature load and a Temperature load are applied
on common geometry selections, the Imported Temperature load takes precedence. See
Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when multiple load objects
of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

Analysis Types
Temperature is available for the following analysis types:

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported - Plane Stress and Axisymmetric behaviors only.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Temperature boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Temperature.

• Body: Supported. When scoping a load to a body, you need to specify whether the temperature is applied
to Exterior Faces Only or to the Entire Body using the Apply To option.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

• Nodes: Supported.

• Element Face: Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Element: Supported.

Note:

The same temperature value is applied when multiple faces, edges, vertices, nodes, ele-
ment faces, and elements are selected.

Loading Types: The Temperature boundary condition’s loading is defined by Magnitude only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant.

• Tabular (Time Varying).

• Tabular (Spatially Varying).

• Function (Time Varying).

• Function (Spatially Varying).

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Temperature:

1. Select the Temperature option from the Environment Context tab. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Temperature.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Magnitude for the Temperature.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to
Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections.

Apply To (Body scoping only), options include:

• Exterior Faces Only

• Entire Body

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Temperature.

Magnitude: Temperature value. The default is 22o Celsius.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Temperatures are applied using the D command.

• Magnitude (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Convection
This boundary condition causes convective heat transfer (p. 1253) to occur through one or more flat
or curved faces (in contact with a fluid).

The bulk fluid temperature is measured at a distance from the face outside of the thermal boundary
layer. The face temperature refers to the temperature at the face of the simulation model.

Convective Heat Transfer

Convection is related to heat flux by use of Newton's law of cooling:

q/A = h(ts - tf)

where:

• q/A is heat flux out of the face (calculated within the application)

• h is the film coefficient (you provide)

• t s is the temperature on the face (calculated within the application)

• t f is the bulk fluid temperature (you provide)

When the fluid temperature exceeds face temperature, energy flows into a part. When the face
temperature exceeds the fluid temperature, a part loses energy.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

If you select multiple faces when defining convection, the same bulk fluid temperature and film
coefficient is applied to all selected faces.

Analysis Types
Convection is available for the following analysis types:

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported: Plane Stress and Axisymmetric behaviors only.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Convection boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Convection.

• Body: Supported (3D Only).

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported (2D Only).

• Vertex: Not Supported. This selection specifies the reference temperature.

• Nodes: Not Supported. This selection specifies the reference temperature.

• Element Face: Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Options:

• Film Coefficient: The film coefficient (also called the heat transfer coefficient or unit thermal conduct-
ance) is based on the composition of the fluid in contact with the face, the geometry of the face, and
the hydrodynamics of the fluid flow past the face. It is possible to have a time, temperature or spatially
dependent film coefficient. Refer to heat transfer handbooks or other references to obtain appropriate
values for film coefficient.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Coefficient Type: This field is available when the film coefficient is temperature dependent. Its value
can be evaluated at the average film temperature (average of surface and bulk temperatures), the surface
temperature, the bulk temperature, or the absolute value of the difference between surface and bulk
temperatures.

Note:

If you change the units from Celsius to Fahrenheit, or Fahrenheit to Celsius, when the
convection coefficient type Difference between surface and bulk is in use, the dis-
played temperature values indicate a temperature difference only. The addition or
subtraction of 32o for each temperature in the conversion formula offset one another.
In addition, switching to or from the Difference between surface and bulk Coefficient
Type option from any other option, clears the values in the Convection Coefficient
table. This helps to ensure that you enter correct temperature values.

• Ambient Temperature: The ambient temperature is the temperature of the surrounding fluid. It is
possible to have a time or spatially dependent ambient temperature.

• Convection Matrix: Specifies whether to use a diagonal film coefficient matrix or a consistent film
coefficient matrix. The default setting, Program Controlled, allows the solver to determine whether to
use a diagonal or consistent film coefficient matrix.

• Edit Data For: This field allows you to select and edit Film Coefficient or Ambient Temperature. The
Tabular Data window, details view, graph and graphics view will change based on the selection in the
Edit Data For field. For example, when the Film Coefficient property is specified as Tabular or Function
and Edit Data For is Film Coefficient, you will actively edit data for the Film Coefficient in the appro-
priate details view and Tabular Data fields.

• Fluid Flow (available for Steady-State Thermal and Transient Thermal analyses only): Option include
Yes and No (default). Setting this property to Yes activates convection on one or more line bodies
whose Model Type property is set to Thermal Fluid. Also, when set to Yes, the Fluid Flow Scoping
and Display Connection Lines properties display. You use the Fluid Flow Scoping property to specify
a desired edge or edges, vertex, or node using either direct selection or using a Named Selection.

When scoping to:

– Edge(s) on a fluid line body: Convection is accounted for with surface elements SURF151 and
SURF152. The application maps the elements to the fluid elements using a distance-based al-
gorithm. This option uses the two nodes from the mapped fluid element to specify the reference
temperature. Note that, following mesh generation, you can use the Display Connection Lines
property to display the connection lines between the centroid of each element face/edge of
the convection surface(s)/edge(s) to the corresponding closest node on the Fluid Flow scoping.
The closest node is computed using a distance-based algorithm.

– Vertex/Node on a fluid line body. This option uses the specified vertex or node to specify the
reference temperature. You can specify a single node or vertex only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant.

• Tabular (Time Varying).

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Tabular (Spatially Varying).

• Tabular (Temperature Varying): for Film Coefficient.

• Function (Time Varying).

• Function (Spatially Varying).

You can vary the magnitude of film coefficient and ambient temperature in a single coordinate
direction using either tabular data or a function. See the Defining Boundary Condition Mag-
nitude (p. 1437) section for the specific steps to apply tabular and/or function loads.

Note:

• Scaling based on time is not supported for convection.

• The activate/deactivate (p. 1112) option is only available when the Independent Variable
property of the Tabular Data category is set to Time.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Convection:

1. Select Convection from the Environment Context tab. Or, right-click the Environment object, or in
the Geometry window, and select Insert>Convection.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Film Coefficient for the Convection.

4. Modify the Ambient Temperature as needed.

5. Define the Convection Matrix as Program Controlled (default), Diagonal, or Consistent.

6. Set the Fluid Flow property to Yes if applicable. Define your Scoping Method and select the desired
edge/vertex/node through direct selection or by selecting an appropriately defined Named Selection
from the Fluid Flow Scoping property.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Property/Option/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-

lection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Property/Option/Description
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Faces) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined
Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Convec-
tion.

Film Coefficient

Coefficient Type (visible only for temperature dependent Film

Coefficient)

Ambient Temperature (not visible if the Fluid Flow property is set

to Yes.)

Convection Matrix:

• Program Controlled (default)

• Diagonal

• Consistent

Edit Data For: this property displays when the Film Coefficient and/or
Ambient Temperature properties are set to Tabular or Function.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.
Fluid Flow Con- Fluid Flow (Steady-State Thermal and Transient Thermal analyses only):
trols Yes or No (default).

Scoping Method: This property displays when you set the Fluid Flow
property to Yes. This scoping applies to edge, vertex, or node scoping
of the fluid line body. Options include Geometry Selection and Named
Selection.

Fluid Flow Scoping: Based on the above Scoping Method, directly

select desired edge/edges, vertex, or node or select a Named Selections
from the available drop-down list.

Display Connection Lines: This property requires that the mesh be

generated. Options for this property include Yes and No (default).
Selecting Yes displays connection lines between the centroid of each
element face/edge of the convection surface(s)/edge(s) to the

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Property/Option/Description
corresponding closest node on the fluid flow scoping. The closest node
is computed using a distance-based algorithm.

Note:

The display of the connection lines may not be an

accurate representation of the connection in the solver.
The solver, by default and when applicable, uses the
closes two nodes from the scoped fluid elements to
specify the reference temperature.

Function This category displays when the Film Coefficient and/or Ambient
Temperature properties are set to Function. See the Spatial Load and
Displacement Function Data (p. 1442) section of the Help for additional
information.
Tabular Data This category displays when the Film Coefficient and/or Ambient
Temperature properties are set to Tabular. See the Spatial Load Tabular
Data (p. 1441) section of the Help for additional information.
Graph Controls This category displays when based upon the specifications made in the
Function and/or Tabular categories. As applicable, see the Spatial Load
and Displacement Function Data (p. 1442) section or the Spatial Load Tabular
Data (p. 1441) section of the Help for additional information.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Convection loading is applied using the element types SURF152 (3D thermal analyses) and SURF151
(2D thermal analyses).

• Film Coefficient and Ambient Temperature are applied using the SF command.

• Film Coefficient and Ambient Temperature (constant, tabular, and function) are always represented
as tables in the input file.

• Fluid Flow activates the Mechanical APDL element FLUID116 and specifics TEMP (Temperature) as the
degree of freedom.

Radiation
Applies thermal radiation to a surface of a model (an edge in a 2D model). You can define the ex-
change of radiation between a body and the ambient temperature, or between two surfaces.

For thermal related analyses that use the ANSYS solver, the actual calculation of the radiation ex-
change between two surfaces is performed using the Radiosity Solver method. The Radiosity Solver
method accounts for the heat exchange between radiating bodies by solving for the outgoing ra-
diative flux for each surface, when the surface temperatures for all surfaces are known. The surface
fluxes provide boundary conditions to the finite element model for the conduction process analysis
in Workbench. When new surface temperatures are computed, due to either a new time step or

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

iteration cycle, new surface flux conditions are found by repeating the process. The surface temper-
atures used in the computation must be uniform over each surface facet to satisfy the conditions
of the radiation model.

For models that are entirely symmetrical (p. 801), you can account for symmetry using Symmetry
Regions or Cyclic Regions (p. 802). The Radiosity Solver method respects plane or cyclic symmetries.
Using a model's symmetry can significantly reduce the size of the model. The Radiosity Solver
method will take symmetry into account and the Radiation Probe solution results will be valid for
the full model.

Settings for the Radiosity Solver method are available under the Analysis Settings object in the
Radiosity Controls (p. 1132) category.

Related References
See the sections of the Mechanical APDL help listed below for further information related to using
the Radiation load in thermal related analyses that employ the ANSYS solver.

Analysis Types
Radiation is available for the following analysis types:

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Radiation boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Radiation.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported - 3D Only.

• Edge: Supported - 2D Only.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying) - for Ambient Temperature: Supported.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Tabular (Temperature Varying): Supported for Emissivity if Correlation = Surface To Surface.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function: Not Supported.

Loading Types and Loading Definition

The unique loading characteristics and definitions for the Radiation boundary condition are described
below.

Ambient Temperature Radiation

When the Correlation property is specified as To Ambient in the Details view of a Radiation object,
all of the radiation energy is assumed to be exchanged with the surroundings at ambient temper-
1 (p. 1262)
ature, that is, the Form Factor is assumed to be 1.0.

You can set the following additional radiation properties in the Details view:

• Emissivity: The ratio of the radiation emitted by a surface to the radiation emitted by a black body at
the same temperature.

• Ambient Temperature: The temperature of the surrounding space.

Note:
1 (p. 1262)
Radiation exchange between surfaces is restricted to gray-diffuse surfaces. Gray
implies that emissivity and absorptivity of the surface do not depend on wavelength
(either can depend on temperature). Diffuse signifies that emissivity and absorptivity do
not depend on direction. For a gray-diffuse surface, emissivity = absorptivity; and
emissivity + reflectivity = 1. Note that a black body surface has a unit emissivity.

Surface to Surface Radiation

When the Correlation property is specified as Surface to Surface in the Details view of a Radiation
object, the radiation energy is exchanged between surfaces. In this context, “surface” refers to a
face of a shell or solid body in a 3D model, or an edge in a 2D model. You can then specify
Emissivity, Ambient Temperature (defined above), Enclosure, and the Enclosure Type. Emissivity
must be a positive value that is not greater than 1. Emissivity can also be defined by Tabular Data.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

You should assign the same Enclosure number to surfaces radiating to each other 1 (p. 1262). Specify
the Enclosure Type as either Open (default) or Perfect as suited for a simulation of the closed ra-
diation problems. Furthermore, closed radiation problems have no dependence on Ambient
Temperature so that property is removed from the Details view during closed problems.

Caution:

You cannot apply a Surface to Surface Radiation load to a geometric entity that is already
attached to another Radiation load.

When using the Surface to Surface correlation with shell bodies, the Details view also includes a
Shell Face setting that allows you the choice of applying the load to Both faces, to the Top face
only, or to the Bottom face only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Radiation:

1. Select the Radiation option from the Environment Context tab. Or, right-click the Environment tree
object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Radiation.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Modify the Ambient Temperature as needed.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-

lection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the
boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Radi-
ation.

Correlation

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Emissivity

Ambient Temperature (not visible if Correlation property = Surface

to Surface and the Enclosure Type property = Perfect)

Enclosure (only visible if the Correlation property = Surface to

Surface)

Enclosure Type (only visible if the Correlation property = Surface to

Surface)

Note:

If a solver error occurs when the Enclosure Type is set

to Perfect, it is recommended that you change the
setting to Open.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

These help sections mention the underlying commands and elements used for implementation of
the feature in the Mechanical APDL application. They are presented for reference only. To implement
the feature in the Mechanical application, you do not need to interact directly with these commands
and elements.

• Thermal Analysis Guide:

– [1] - Definitions

– Using the Radiosity Solver Method

• Mechanical APDL Theory Reference:

– Radiation

– Radiosity Solution Method

• For a perfectly closed system, the VFSM command is employed. Mechanical performs the VFSM,,N,1
command for this boundary condition with Perfect enclosure number N.

Heat Flow
Heat Flow is available for 3D simulations and 2D simulations for Plane Stress and Axisymmetric beha-
viors only. See the 2D Analyses (p. 655) section of the Help for the required geometry settings for
Plane Stress and Axisymmetric behaviors.

Heat flow simulates the transmission of heat across flat or curved surfaces or edges or across a
vertex or vertices and as a result adds energy to a body over time.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Perfectly Insulated
For a selected face or faces, Heat Flow allows you to specify a Perfectly Insulated load wherein a
"no load" insulated condition is applied to the Face: that is, zero heat flow. An insulated face is a
no load condition meant to override any thermal loads scoped to a body. The heat flow rate is 0
across this face. This load is useful in a case where most of a model is exposed to a given condition
(such a free air convection) and only a couple of faces do not share this condition (such as the base
of a cup that is grounded). This load overrides thermal loads scoped to a body only. See Resolving
Thermal Boundary Condition Conflicts (p. 1446) for a discussion on thermal load precedence.

Selecting multiple faces insulates all of the faces.

Analysis Types
Heat Flow is available for the following analysis types:

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Heat Flow boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Heat Flow.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported 3D Only. If you select multiple faces when defining the heat flow rate, the magnitude
is apportioned across all selected faces.

• Edge: Supported.

– If you select multiple edges when defining the heat flow rate, the magnitude is apportioned across
all selected edges.

– During 2D analyses, the application does not enable you to apply Heat Flow to edges that share to-
pology.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Vertex: Supported. If you select multiple vertices when defining the heat flow rate, the magnitude is
apportioned among all selected vertices.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported for face selections in 3D and edge selections in 2D.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported for face selections in 3D and edge selections in 2D.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Heat Flow:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Heat>Heat Flow. Or, right-click the Environment tree object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Heat Flow.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Magnitude for the Heat Flow.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition is

applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection
tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been applied
using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection.
This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Heat Flow.

Define As: Heat Flow (default) or Perfectly Insulated. Perfectly Insulated

indicates zero heat flow.

Magnitude: Loading value.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

Convection loading is applied using the element types SURF152 (3D thermal analyses) and SURF151
(2D thermal analyses).

• In a 3D analyses, Heat Flow on face selections are applied using the SF,,HFLUX command on SURF152
elements. Heat Flow is represented as a table in the input file. Heat Flow applied to a selected edge
or vertex use the F command.

• In a 2D analyses Heat Flow on edge selections are applied using the SF,,HFLUX command on SURF151
elements. Heat Flow is represented as a table in the input file. Heat Flow on vertex selections are applied
using the F command.

Heat Flux
Heat Flux is available for 3D simulations and 2D simulations for Plane Stress and Axisymmetric beha-
viors only. See the 2D Analyses (p. 655) section of the Help for the required geometry settings for
Plane Stress and Axisymmetric behaviors.

The Heat Flux boundary condition applies a uniform heat flux to the selected geometry. A positive
heat flux acts into a face or edge, adding energy to a body. Heat flux is defined as energy per unit
time per unit area. If you select multiple faces or edges when defining the heat flux, the same value
gets applied to all selected faces.

Analysis Types
Heat Flux is available for the following analysis types:

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. Body and Face selections only.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Edge selections only.

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Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Heat Flux boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Heat Flux.

• Body: Supported - 3D Only.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported - 2D Only.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Heat Flux:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Heat>Heat Flux. Or, right-click the Environment tree object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Heat Flux.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Magnitude for the Heat Flux.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary
condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type -

Heat Flux.

Magnitude: Heat flux density value.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Heat Flux is applied using the SF command and SURF152 (3D thermal analyses) and SURF151 (2D
thermal analyses) element types.

• Heat Flux (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Internal Heat Generation

Available for 3D simulations, and 2D simulations for Plane Stress and Axisymmetric behaviors only.
See the 2D Analyses (p. 655) section of the Help for the required geometry settings for Plane Stress
and Axisymmetric behaviors.

Applies a uniform generation rate internal to a body. A positive heat generation acts into a body,
adding energy to it. Heat generation is defined as energy per unit time per unit volume.

If you select multiple bodies when defining the heat generation, the same value gets applied to
all selected bodies. If a body enlarges due to a change in CAD parameters, the total load applied
to the body increases, but the heat generation remains constant.

Note:

For each load step, if an Imported Heat Generation load and an Internal Heat Generation
load are applied on common geometry selections, the Imported Heat Generation load

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

takes precedence. See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when
multiple load objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

Analysis Types
Internal Heat Generation is available for the following analysis types:

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Internal Heat Generation boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Internal Heat Generation.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

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• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply Internal Heat Generation:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Heat>Internal Heat Generation. Or, right-click the Environ-
ment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Internal Heat Generation.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Magnitude value.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - In-
ternal Heat Generation.

Magnitude

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

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• Heat Generation is applied using the BFE command.

• Heat Generation (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Mass Flow Rate

Mass Flow Rate is available for 3D simulations and 2D simulations for Plane Stress and Axisymmetric
behaviors only. See the 2D Analyses (p. 655) section of the Help for the required geometry settings
for Plane Stress and Axisymmetric behaviors.

You apply the Mass Flow Rate boundary condition on the edges of Line Bodies (p. 650) whose
Model Type property is specified as Thermal Fluid. This loading is needed to account for heat
distribution which occurred due to the mass transportation of the fluid (mass/time).

Analysis Types
Mass Flow Rate is available for the following analysis types:

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Mass Flow Rate boundary condition include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Mass Flow Rate.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

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Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply Mass Flow Rate:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Mass Flow Rate. Or, right-click the Environment tree object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Mass Flow Rate.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Magnitude value.

Note:

The positive direction for Mass Flow Rate corresponds to the direction of the scoped
edge. If you are scoping multiple edges, turn on the Direction option via the Edge
group (p. 38) to display the fluid flow direction of the edges in the Geometry window.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to

Geometry Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Edge) and
the number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Edge, 2 Edges)
to which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method property is

set to Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of
edge-based Named Selections that are based on the target line
body or line bodies.

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Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type -
Mass Flow Rate.

Magnitude: speed of the flow.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Mass Flow Rate is applied using the SFE command directly on FLUID116 elements representing Thermal
Fluid line bodies.

• Mass Flow Rate (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Voltage
A voltage load simulates the application of an electric potential to a body.

Analysis Types
Voltage is available for the following analysis types:

• Electric Analysis (p. 253)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

• Magnetostatic Analysis (p. 335)

For each analysis type, you define the voltage by magnitude and phase angle in the Details view,
according to the following equation.

V = Vocos(ωt+φ)

Vo is the magnitude of the voltage (input value Voltage), ω is the frequency, and φ is the phase
angle. For a static analysis, ωt = 0.

Magnetostatic Analysis Requirements

See Voltage Excitation for Solid Source Conductors (p. 1282).

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Voltage boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Voltage.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Caution:

During an Electric/Thermal-Electric Analysis, voltage loads cannot be applied to a face,

edge, or vertex that is shared with another voltage or current load or a Coupling (p. 1376).

Boundary Condition Application

To apply Voltage:

1. Select the Voltage option from the Environment Context tab.. Or, right-click the Environment tree
object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Voltage.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Magnitude value.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

4. Enter a Phase Angle value.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection (default): Default setting, indicating that the

boundary condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which
are chosen using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type -

Voltage.

Magnitude

Phase Angle

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Voltages are applied using the D command.

• Magnitude (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Current
A current load simulates the application of an electric current to a body.

Analysis Types
Current is available for the following analysis types:

• Electric Analysis (p. 253)

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

• Magnetostatic Analysis (p. 335)

For each analysis type, you define the current by magnitude and phase angle in the Details view,
according to the following equation.

I = Iocos(ωt+φ)

Io is the magnitude of the current (input value Current), ω is the frequency, and φ is the phase
angle. For a static analysis, ωt = 0.

Magnetostatic Analysis Requirements

See Current Excitation for Solid Source Conductors (p. 1283) and Current Excitation for Stranded
Source Conductors (p. 1285).

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Current boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Current.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported. An applied current assumes that the body surfaces are equipotential.

• Edge: Supported. An applied current assumes that the edges are equipotential.

• Vertex: Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Element: Not Supported.

Note:

• Current loads assume that the scoped entities are equipotential, meaning they behave as
electrodes where the voltage degrees of freedom are coupled and solve for a constant po-
tential.

• During an Electric or Thermal Analysis, it is assumed that the material properties of the body
provide conductance. A positive current applied to a face, edge, or vertex flows into the
body. A negative current flows out of the body.

Caution:

Current loads cannot be applied to a face, edge, or vertex that is shared with another
voltage or current load or a Coupling (p. 1376).

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply Current:

1. Select the Current option from the Environment Context tab.. Or, right-click the Environment tree
object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Current.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Enter a Magnitude value.

4. Enter a Phase Angle value.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection (default): Default setting, indicating that the

boundary condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which
are chosen using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Current.

Magnitude

Phase Angle

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Currents are applied using a combination of F,,AMPS and CP,,VOLT commands when used in Magneto-
static analyses.

• F,,AMPS and CE commands when used in Electric or Thermal-Electric analyses.

• Magnitude (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Electromagnetic Boundary Conditions and Excitations

You can apply electromagnetic excitations and boundary conditions when performing a Magneto-
static analysis in the Mechanical application. A boundary condition is considered to be a constraint
on the field domain. An excitation is considered to be a non-zero boundary condition which causes
an electric or magnetic excitation to the system. Boundary conditions are applied to the field domain
at exterior faces. Excitations are applied to conductors.

• Magnetic Flux Boundary Conditions (p. 1278)

• Conductor (p. 1279)

– Solid Source Conductor Body (p. 1280)

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

→ Voltage Excitation for Solid Source Conductors (p. 1282)

→ Current Excitation for Solid Source Conductors (p. 1283)

– Stranded Source Conductor Body (p. 1284)

→ Current Excitation for Stranded Source Conductors (p. 1285)

Magnetic Flux Boundary Conditions

Available for 3D simulations only.

Magnetic flux boundary conditions impose constraints on the direction of the magnetic flux on
a model boundary. This boundary condition may only be applied to faces. By default, this feature
constrains the flux to be normal to all exterior faces.

Selecting Flux Parallel forces the magnetic flux in a model to flow parallel to the selected face.
In the figure below, the arrows indicate the direction of the magnetic flux. It can be seen that
the flux flows parallel to the xy plane (for any z coordinate).

A flux parallel condition is required on at least one face of the simulation model. It is typically
applied on the outer faces of the air body to contain the magnetic flux inside the simulation
domain or on symmetry plane faces where the flux is known to flow parallel to the face.

To set this feature, right-click the Magnetostatic environment item in the tree and select Mag-
netic Flux Parallel from the Insert context menu or click the Magnetic Flux Parallel option on
the Context tab. It can only be applied to geometry faces and Named Selections (faces).

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Half-symmetry model of a keepered magnet system. Note that the XY-plane is a Flux Parallel
boundary. The flux arrows flow parallel to the plane.

Half-symmetry model of a keepered magnet system. Note that the YZ-plane is a Flux Normal
boundary. The flux arrows flow normal to the plane. This is a natural boundary condition and
requires no specification.

Note:

Applying the flux parallel boundary conditions to the exterior faces of the air domain
may artificially capture more flux in the simulation domain than what physically occurs.
This is because the simulation model truncates the open air domain. To minimize the
effect, ensure the air domain extends far enough away from the physical structure.
Alternatively, the exterior faces of the air domain may be left with an unspecified face
boundary condition. An unspecified exposed exterior face imposes a condition whereby
the flux flows normal to the face. Keep in mind that at least one face in the model
must have a flux parallel boundary condition.

Conductor
Available for 3D simulations only.

A conductor body is characterized as a body that can carry current and possible excitation to the
system.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Solid CAD geometry is used to model both solid source conductors and stranded source conduct-
ors. In solid conductors, such as bus bars, rotor cages, etc., the current can distribute non-uniformly
due to geometry changes, hence the program performs a simulation that solves for the currents
in the solid conductor prior to computing the magnetic field.

Stranded source conductors can be used to represent wound coils. Wound coils are used most
often as sources of current excitation for rotating machines, actuators, sensors, etc. You may directly
define a current for each stranded source conductor body.

• Solid Source Conductor Body (p. 1280)

• Stranded Source Conductor Body (p. 1284)

Solid Source Conductor Body

This feature allows you to tag a solid body as a solid source conductor for modeling bus bars,
rotor cages, etc. When assigned as a solid source conductor, additional options are exposed
for applying electrical boundary conditions and excitations to the conductor. These include
applying an electrical potential (voltage) or current.

To set this condition, right-click the Magnetostatic environment object in the tree and select
Source Conductor from the Insert drop-down menu, or click the Source Conductor option
from the Context tab. Select the body you want to designate as a conductor body, then use
the Details view to scope the body to the conductor and set Conductor Type to Solid. The
default Number of Turns is 1, representing a true solid conductor.

A solid source conductor can be used to represent a stranded coil (p. 1284) by setting the
Number of Turns to > 1. The conductor still computes a current distribution according to the
physics of a solid conductor, but in many cases the resulting current density distribution will
not significantly affect the computed magnetic field results. This “shortcut” to modeling a
stranded conductor allows you to circumvent the geometry restrictions imposed by the stranded
conductor bodies and still obtain acceptable results.

After defining the conductor body, you may apply voltage and current conditions to arrive at
the desired state.

Note:

Conductors require two material properties: relative permeability and resistivity.

They also must not terminate interior to the model with boundary conditions that
would allow current to enter or exit the conductor. Termination points of a conductor
may only exist on a plane of symmetry.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Only bodies can be scoped to a conductor. Solid conductor bodies must have at
least one voltage excitation and either a second voltage excitation or a current ex-
citation. Also, two solid conductor bodies may not 'touch' each other, i.e. they must
not share vertices, edges, or faces.

To establish current in the conductor, you must apply excitation to at least two locations on
the conductor, typically at terminals. For example, you could:

• apply a voltage drop at two terminals of a conductor body residing at symmetry planes.

• ground one end of a conductor (set voltage to zero) and apply the net current at the terminal's
other end.

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Voltage Excitation for Solid Source Conductors

This feature allows you to apply an electric potential (voltage) to a solid source conductor body.
A voltage excitation is required on a conductor body to establish a ground potential. You may
also apply one to apply a non-zero voltage excitation at another location to initiate current
flow. Voltage excitations may only be applied to faces of the solid source conductor body and
can be defined as constant or time-varying.

To apply a voltage excitation to a solid source conductor body, right-click the Conductor object
under the Magnetostatic environment object in the tree whose Conductor Type is set to
Solid, and select Voltage from the Insert drop-down menu, or click the Voltage option on
the Context tab.

You define the voltage by magnitude and phase angle in the Details view, according to the
equation below.

V = Vocos(ωt+ϕ)

Vo is the magnitude of the voltage (input value Voltage), ω is the frequency, and ϕ is the phase
angle. For a static analysis, ωt = 0.

Note:

Voltage excitations may only be applied to solid source conductor bodies and at
symmetry planes.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

An applied voltage drop across the terminals of a conductor body will induce a current. In this
simple example, the current in the conductor is related to the applied voltage drop, using the
equations shown below. ΔV = applied voltage drop, I = current, ρ = resistivity of the conductor
(material property), L = length of the conductor, and Area = cross section area of the conductor.

ΔV = IR

R = (ρ*L)/Area

Current Excitation for Solid Source Conductors

This feature allows you to apply a current to a solid source conductor (p. 1280) or stranded source
conductor (p. 1284) body. Use this feature when you know the amount of current in the conductor.

To apply a current excitation to a conductor body, right-click the Conductor object under the
Magnetostatic environment object in the tree whose Conductor Type is set to Solid, and
select Current from the Insert drop-down menu, or click the Current option on the Context
tab. A positive current applied to a face flows into the conductor body. A negative current
applied to a face flows out of the conductor body. For a stranded source conductor, positive
current is determined by the y-direction of a local coordinate system assigned to each solid
body segment that makes up the conductor.

You define the current by magnitude and phase angle in the Details view, according to the
equation below.

I = Iocos(ωt+ϕ)

Io is the magnitude of the current (input value Current), ω is the frequency, and ϕ is the phase
angle. For a static analysis, ωt = 0.

Note:

Current excitations may only be applied to a face of a solid source conductor body
at symmetry planes. An excitation must be accompanied by a ground potential set
at another termination point of the conductor body on another symmetry plane.
No current may be applied to a conductor body face that is interior to the model
domain. The symmetry plane on which the current excitation is applied must also
have a magnetic flux-parallel boundary condition.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

An applied current to a conductor face will calculate and distribute the current within the
conductor body. A ground potential (voltage = 0) must be applied to a termination point of
the conductor body.

Both the applied current and voltage constraints must be applied at a symmetry plane.

Stranded Source Conductor Body

This feature allows you to tag solid multiple bodies as a stranded source conductor for modeling
wound coils. When assigned as a stranded source conductor, additional options are exposed
for applying electric boundary conditions and current excitation to the conductor.

Model a stranded source conductor using only isotropic materials and multiple solid bodies.
Local coordinate systems assigned to these bodies (via the Details view) are the basis for de-
termining the direction of the current that you later apply to a stranded source conductor. The
model should include a separate solid body to represent each directional “turn” of the conductor.
Assign a local coordinate system to each body with the positive current direction as the y-dir-
ection for each of the local coordinate systems. An illustration is shown below.

After creating the body segments and assigning coordinate systems, right-click the Magneto-
static environment object in the tree and select Source Conductor from the Insert drop-down
menu, or click the Source Conductor option on the Context tab. Select all body segments,
then scope the bodies to the conductor and, in the Details view, set Conductor Type to
Stranded, then enter the Number of Turns and the Conducting Area (cross section area of
conductor). The stranded conductor is now ready for you to apply a current. A step-by-step
example is presented in the Current Excitation for Stranded Source Conductors (p. 1285) section.

Note:

Conductors require two material properties: relative permeability and resistivity.

They also must not terminate interior to the model with boundary conditions that

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

would allow current to enter or exit the conductor. Termination points of a conductor
may only exist on a plane of symmetry.

Current Excitation for Stranded Source Conductors

Stranded source conductor bodies are applicable to any magnetic field problem where the
source of excitation comes from a coil. The coil must have a defined number of coil "turns."
Stranded source body geometry is limited to straight geometry or circular arc geometry sections
with constant cross-section (see below)

Source loading for a coil is by a defined current (per turn) and a phase angle according to the
equation below.

Io is the magnitude of the current (input value Current), ω is the frequency, and ϕ is the phase
angle. For a static analysis, ωt = 0. The direction of the current is determined by the local co-
ordinate systems you assign to each of the solid bodies that make up the stranded source
conductor. A positive or negative assigned value of current will be with respect to that orient-
ation.

Use the following overall procedure to set up a Stranded Source Conductor and apply a current
to the conductor:

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1. Define local coordinate systems that have the y-direction point in the direction of positive current
flow.

• Use Cartesian coordinate systems for straight geometry sections and cylindrical coordinate
systems for “arc” geometry sections.

2. Assign a local coordinate system to each stranded source conductor body in the Details view of
the body under the Geometry folder.

3. Right-click the Magnetostatic environment object in the tree and select Source Conductor from
the Insert drop-down menu, or click the Source Conductor option on the Context tab.

• Scope the Source Conductor to all of the solid bodies.

• Set Conductor Type to Stranded.

• Enter the Number of Turns and Conducting Area for the conductor.

For the Conducting Area, select a face that represents the conductor's cross-sectional
area and read the surface area that displays in the Status Bar (p. 6) located at the bottom
of the screen display.

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The Source Conductor graphic and Details view listing is shown below.

4. Right-click the Conductor object in the tree and select Current from the Insert drop-down menu,
or click the Current option on the Context tab.

• Set Magnitude as constant or time-varying.

• Set Phase Angle.

The Current automatically is scoped to the same bodies as the Source Conductor.

The displayed current arrows give you visual validation that the current direction has
been properly defined by the assigned local coordinate systems for each conductor body.

Changing either the Type of Source Conductor or any coordinate system will invalidate
the setup.

Motion Load
The application interacts with motion simulation software such as Dynamic Designer™ from MSC,
and MotionWorks from Solid Dynamics. This is not the motion feature that is built into the Mechan-
ical application. See the Rigid Dynamics Analysis (p. 340) and Transient Structural Analysis (p. 507)
sections for information on the motion features built into the Mechanical application.

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Motion simulation software allows you to define and analyze the motion in an assembly of bodies.
One set of computed results from the motion simulation is forces and moments at the joints between
the bodies in the assembly. See Inserting Motion Loads (p. 1289) for the procedure on inserting these
loads. These loads are available for static structural analyses.

Single Body Capability

Insert Motion Loads is intended to work only with a single body from an assembly. If more than
one body is unsuppressed in the Model during Import, you will receive an error message stating
that only one body should be unsuppressed.

Frame Loads File

The application reads a text file produced by the motion simulation software. This file contains the
load information for a single frame (time step) in the motion simulation. To study multiple frames,
create multiple environment objects for the Model and import each frame to a separate environment.
The frame loads file includes joint forces and inertial forces which "balance" the joint forces and
gravity.

Inertial State
If the part of interest is a moving part in the assembly, the frame loads file gives the inertial state
of the body. This includes gravitational acceleration, translational velocity and acceleration, and
rotational velocity and acceleration. Of these inertial "loads" only the rotational velocity is applied
in the environment. The remaining loads are accounted for by solving with inertia relief (see below).

If the part of interest is grounded (not allowed to move) in the motion simulation, corresponding
supports need to be added in the environment before solving.

Joint Loads
For each joint in the motion simulation, the frame loads file reports the force data - moment, force,
and 3D location - for the frame. Features are also identified so that the load can be applied to the
appropriate faces, edges, or vertices within the application. These features are identified by the
user in the motion simulation software before exporting the frame loads file. For all non-zero mo-
ments and forces, a corresponding "Moment" and "Remote Force" are attached to the face(s), edge(s)
or vertex(ices) identified in the frame loads file.

The Remote Force takes into account the moment arm of the force applied to the joint.

Solving with Inertia Relief

Inertia relief is enabled when solving an environment with motion loads. Inertia relief balances the
applied forces and moments by computing the equivalent translational and rotational velocities
and accelerations. Inertia relief gives a more accurate balance than simply applying the inertia loads
computed in the motion simulation.

If Weak Springs are enabled, the computed reaction forces in the weak springs should be negligible.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

This option will automatically be turned on if you import any motion loads.

Note:

Material properties have to be manually set to match density used in motion analysis.

Modifying Parts with Motion Loads

If you modify a part having a motion load, you should rerun the solution in the motion simulator
software (e.g., Dynamic Designer) and re-export the loads to the Mechanical application. Then, in
the Mechanical application, you must update the geometry, delete the load (from the Environment
object) and re-insert the motion load.

Modifying Loads
You can modify loads that have been inserted, but you should only do so with great care. Modifying
loads in the Mechanical application after importing from the motion simulation software will nullify
the original loading conditions sets in the motion simulation software. Therefore, you need to ex-
amine your results in the Mechanical application carefully.

Inserting Motion Loads

You must make sure the files and data are up to date and consistent when analyzing motion loads.
Use the following procedure to ensure that the correct loads are applied for a given time frame.

To insert motion loads after solving the motion simulation:

1. Advance the motion simulation to the frame of interest.

2. Export the frame loads file from the motion software.

3. Attach the desired geometry.

4. Choose any structural New Analysis type except Rigid Dynamics and Random Vibration.

5. Suppress all bodies except the one of interest.

6. Click the environment object in the tree, then right-click and select Insert> Motion Loads.

7. Select the Frame Load file that you exported from Dynamic Designer.

8. Click Solve. If more than one body is unsuppressed in the Model corresponding to the environment
object, you will receive an error message at the time of solution stating that only one body should
be unsuppressed.

9. View the results.

The exported loads depend on the part geometry, the part material properties, and the part's location
relative to the coordinate system in the part document. When any of these factors change, you
must solve the motion simulation again by repeating the full procedure. Verify that material prop-
erties such as density are consistent in the motion simulation and in the material properties.

Insert Motion Loads is intended to work with a single body only. Results with grounded bodies
(bodies not in motion in the mechanism) are not currently supported.

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If an assembly feature (such as a hole) is added after Dynamic Designer generates its Joint attach-
ments for FEA, the attachments may become invalid. These attachments can be verified by opening
the Properties dialog box for a Joint and selecting the FEA tab. An invalid attachment will have a
red "X" through the icon. To correct this problem, manually redefine the joint attachments using
the FEA tab in the Joint Properties dialog.

A .log file is created when motion loads are imported. This troubleshooting file has the same name
(with an .log extension) and file location as the load file. If the .log file already exists, it is overwritten
by the new file.

Fluid Solid Interface

A Fluid Solid Interface boundary condition is used to identify the interface where the transfer of
loads to and from external fluid solvers CFX or Fluent occur.

Analysis Types
Fluid Solid Interface is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

Note:

• A Static Structural (p. 434) analysis coupled with other physics is intended to work with one
substep (specified in the Analysis Settings). When a Fluid Solid Interface is present, program
controlled sub-stepping will always use one substep regardless of any nonlinearities present.
See Steps and Step Controls for Static and Transient Analyses (p. 1165) under the Configuring
Analysis Settings (p. 1109) section of the Help.

• When one or more FSI loads are present:

– Any components defined in the Mechanical APDL input file are exported using the CM-
WRITE command to the file, file.cm, before the solution is completed. This aids the
post-processing of results in CFD-Post.

– The Environment object provides the context menu (right-click) option, Write System
Coupling Files. For supported analysis types, this option creates an input (.dat) file as
well as a System Coupling Participant (.scp) file for you to use when you are running a
System Coupling analysis (p. 590) using System Coupling in one of its user interfaces.

• There is currently a limitation associated with making a name change to your Fluid Solid
Interface object in Mechanical. The Setup cell on the Project Schematic for System Coupling

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is not automatically updated. You need to perform an action in the application in order to
update the Setup cell so that it receives the new name.

Mechanical Structural - Fluent

Fluid-solid interfaces define the interfaces between the solid or shell elements in the Mechanical
system and the fluid in the Fluent system. These interfaces are defined on faces in the Mechanical
model. Data is exchanged across these interfaces during the execution of the simulation using the
System Coupling (p. 590) component of Workbench. System Coupling is the mechanism allowing
the Mechanical application and Fluent to send boundary condition results back and forth to one
another (one or two-way communication is available).

Mechanical's Static Structural and Transient Structural systems can be coupled with Fluent for a
fluid force and structural displacement analysis, or a fluid-thermal-structural analysis. For more in-
formation about settings and elements needed for the thermal-structural analysis, see Thermal-
Fluid-Structural Analyses using System Coupling (p. 597).

The integer Interface Number, found in the Details view, is incremented by default each time a
new interface is added. This value can be overridden if desired.

Mechanical Acoustics
Fluid-solid interfaces define the interfaces between the acoustic and the structural regions. These
interfaces are defined on acoustic regions faces. You can use the contextual (right-click) menu option
Create Automatic > FSI on the environment object to automatically identify fluid solid interfaces.

Mechanical Thermal - Fluent

Fluid-solid interfaces define the interfaces between the thermal solid or shell elements in the
Mechanical system and the fluid in the Fluent system. These interfaces are defined on faces in the
Mechanical model. Data is exchanged across these interfaces during the execution of the simulation
as described in Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) - One-Way Transfer Using System Coupling (p. 596).

For transferring temperature and heat flows from Mechanical, interfaces may only be defined on
the following types of faces:

• On faces having heat fluxes.

• On faces having convections.

• On faces with a temperature load.

• On faces without any loads specified (adiabatic). In this case, only temperatures are exchanged.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

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• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Fluid Solid Interface boundary condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Fluid Solid Interface.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Fluid Solid Interface:

1. Based on the analysis type, from the Environment Context tab, select the Fluid Solid Interface option
from either the Loads or Conditions drop-down menu. Or, right-click the Environment tree object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Fluid Solid Interface.

2. Define the scoping for the object. Face scoping is supported either through geometry picking or the
use of a Named Selection.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition is

applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection
tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Face) and the number of geometric entities (for
example: 2 Faces) to which the boundary has been applied using the selection
tools.

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Category Fields/Options/Description
• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named
Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection.
This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Fluid Solid
Interface.

Interface Number: Incremental value for each new interface. This value can be
overridden if desired.

Export Results: Thermal analyses only. The default value for this property is No.
When this property is set to Yes, thermal data is written to .axdt files for use
with External Data and System Coupling (p. 590), which can connect to Fluent
to transfer thermal data to a CFD analysis for a one-way transfer of static data.
The file format for an External Data File (.axdt) is described in the External Data
File Format Help section in the Workbench User Guide.

Data to Transfer [Expert]: The default for this property is Program Controlled.
When set to All System Coupling Data Transfers, the fluid solid interface
regions can participate in force, displacement, and thermal coupling through
System Coupling. You need to set All System Coupling Data Transfers for
Mechanical to participate in a thermal-structural analysis.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

System Coupling Region

The System Coupling Region condition is used to expose surface and volume regions for use in
couplings to other products using System Coupling.

Analysis Types
System Coupling Region is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

Mechanical Structural - AEDT/Maxwell

System Coupling Region interfaces define the interfaces between thermal solids in the Mechanical
system by making available thermal stress to the Maxwell system. These interfaces are defined on
bodies alone in the Mechanical model. Data is exchanged across these interfaces during the solution

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

process between the systems. To enable coupling steps, see Completing Participant Setups in the
System Coupling User's Guide.

To transfer temperature and heat flow loading conditions from Mechanical, you must define the
interfaces faces only and on volumes with thermal stresses. When scoped to a face, a system
coupling region boundary condition is used to identify the interface where the transfer of loads to
and from external fluid solvers CFX or Fluent occur. And, when scoped to a body, it enables the
exchange of thermal stress information from the external Maxwell solver.

Additional System Coupling references (p. 1296) are available at the end of the section.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the System Coupling Region boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for System Coupling Region.

• Body: Supported (Thermal analyses only).

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a System Coupling Region:

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1. On the Environment Context tab: right-click and select Insert > System Coupling Region. You can
also right-click in the Geometry window when the Environment object is active and select Insert >
System Coupling Region.

Note:

This object is inserted into the Outline differently based on the analysis type. During
structural analyses, it is inserted via the Loads drop-down menu and during thermal
analyses it is inserted via the Conditions drop-down menu.

2. Define the scoping for the object. Body and Face scoping is supported either through geometry picking
or the use of a Named Selection.

The Environment object provides the context menu (right-click) option, Write System Coupling
Files. For supported analysis types, this option creates an input (.dat) file as well as a system
coupling (.scp) file for you to use when you are running a System Coupling (p. 590) analysis using
System Coupling in one of its user interfaces.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition is

applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection
tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body) and the number of geometric entities (1
Body) to which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection.
This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - System Coupling
Region.

Interface Number: Incremental value for each new interface. This value can be
overridden if desired.

Export Results: Thermal analyses only. The default value for this property is No.
When this property is set to Yes, thermal data is written to .axdt files for use
with External Data and System Coupling (p. 590), which can connect to Fluent
to transfer thermal data to a CFD analysis for a one-way transfer of static data.
The file format for an External Data File (.axdt) is described in the External Data
File Format Help section in the Workbench User Guide.

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Category Fields/Options/Description
Data to Transfer [Expert]: The default for this property is Program Controlled.
When set to All System Coupling Data Transfers, the system coupling interface
regions can participate in force, displacement, and thermal coupling through
System Coupling. You need to set All System Coupling Data Transfers for
Mechanical to participate in a thermal-structural analysis.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

System Coupling Region References

Note the following additional references for the use of the System Coupling Region:

• Supported data transfers: System Coupling Data Transfer Quantities.

• Coupling condition: Completing Participant Setups.

• Additional Participant Setup Considerations: Material, Topological, and Motion Settings.

• Geometry Alignment: Setting Geometry Transformations for Models with Different Orientations.

• Settings for transforming geometries Coordinate Transformation (singleton).

Rotating Force
The Rotating Force boundary condition is available for a Full Harmonic Response analysis when
the Coriolis Effect property in the Rotodynamics Controls category of the Analysis Setting is set
to On. The default setting is Off. If the analysis does not specify the Solution Method as Full and
the Coriolis Effect property is not turned on, the boundary condition is not valid.

You specify a Rotating Force as a force rotating synchronously or asynchronously.

When you set the Calculated From property to Unbalanced Mass, the force is a specific synchronous
force due to Mass Unbalance. The application calculates the actual unbalanced rotating force as
show here:

FUnb = m * r * Ω2 = Unb * Ω2

Where:

FUnb = Actual Unbalanced Force due to Unbalanced Mass.

m = Magnitude of mass unbalance (input value from Mass field).

r = Distance from the mass unbalance to the spin axis (input value from Rotating Radius field).

Unb = Unbalanced Force or Mass Unbalance = m * r (computed value shown in Unbalanced Force
field).

Ω = Rotational velocity of the structure.

When you set the Calculated From property to Direct Input, the force is a general harmonic rotating
forces and it can be applied synchronously or asynchronously based on the value of the Synchronous
Ratio property.

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See the General Asynchronous Rotating Force and Specific Synchronous Forces: Mass Unbalance
topics of the Harmonic Analysis with Rotating Forces on Rotating Structures section in the Mechan-
ical APDL Theory Reference for specific technical information.

Tips and Hints

Note the following:

• The axis of the Rotating Force should coincide with or be aligned with one of the Global Coordin-
ate (X, Y, or Z) axes.

• You can create either a specific synchronous configuration or a general rotating asynchronous
configuration, but not a combination of the two. A combination would require that two SYNCHRO
commands be issued on two different components. The Mechanical ANSYS Parametric Design
Language (MAPDL) Solver does not support the use of multiple SYNCHRO commands. The
solver overwrites any existing SYNCHRO definitions when the command is issued.

• A node Hit Point Coordinate (via Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)) is the location where you apply the
rotating force.

• The Hit Point is calculated by projecting the location vector of an unbalanced mass onto the axis
of rotation.

• If the application does not find a Hit Point when you set the Hit Point Selection property to Mesh
Node, try the Remote Point option. That option enables you to define a Remote Point at the desired
location.

Note:

By default, the application scopes the Rotating Force boundary condition to All Bodies.
This includes connections (i.e., bearings, springs, beams, etc.).

Important:

The Rotating Force boundary condition does not support multiple spool or rotor/stator
problems.

Analysis Types
This boundary condition is only available for Harmonic Response (p. 266) analyses using the Full
Solution Method.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

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Geometry Types and Topology: This boundary condition is always applied to all bodies of a
model.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437). The Rotating Force boundary condition is defined as a constant.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Rotating Force:

1. On the Environment Context tab, open the Loads drop-down menu and select Rotating Force. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or within the Geometry window and select Insert>Rotating
Force.

Note:

By default, the application scopes the Rotating Force boundary condition to All
Bodies.

2. Define the Rotating Force using Calculated From property. Options include Unbalanced Mass and
Direct Input. The default setting is Unbalanced Mass.

3. Using the properties of the Location category to specify the location of the unbalanced mass or rotating
force.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Define By: a read-only field displaying how the object is scoped - Geometry
Selection.

Geometry: a read-only field displaying the geometries that the object is scoped
to - All Bodies.

Axis: specify the rotating axis of the scoped geometry and its direction of
rotation.
Location Define By: specify as Coordinates, Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or
Remote Point.

Note:

These selections specify the Location property data.

Based on the selection made, the next property is:

• Coordinate System: A drop-down list of available coordinate systems when the

Define By property is set to Coordinates. Otherwise it is read-only.

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Category Fields/Options/Description
• Geometry: Visible when the Define By property is set to Geometry Selection.
Displays the type of geometry and the number of geometric entities (for example:
1 Face, 2 Edges) based on specified Location.

• Named Selection: Visible when the Define By property is set to Named Selection.
This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

• Remote Points: Visible when the Define By property is set to Remote Point. This
field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Remote Points.

X Coordinate: Input field when the Define By property is set to Coordinates.

Otherwise it is read-only.

Y Coordinate: Input field when the Define By property is set to Coordinates.

Otherwise it is read-only.

Z Coordinate: Input field when the Define By property is set to Coordinates.

Otherwise it is read-only.

Location: By default, this property is at the centroid of the scoping specified

by the Define By property.
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Rotating Force.

Calculated From: Options include Unbalanced Mass (default) and Direct Input.

Mass: Input field when the Calculated From property is set to Unbalanced
Mass.

Rotating Radius: This property displays when you set the Calculated From
property to Unbalanced Mass. The Location property automatically updates
based on this field's entries and this field automatically updates based on Loc-
ation property entries. This field becomes read-only when the Defined By
property is set to Remote Point.

Unbalanced Force: Visible and read-only when the Calculated From property
is set to Unbalanced Mass. Unbalanced Force = Mass * Rotating Radius.

Synchronous Ratio: Input field when the Calculated From property is set to
Direct Input. The default value is 1.

Magnitude: Input field when the Calculated From property is set to Direct
Input.

Phase Angle: Specify a phase shift angle that defines how the load can be out
of phase with another load.

Boundary conditions supported with the Phase Angle property allow you to
specify a phase shift that defines how the loads can be out of phase with one
another. You can specify the preferred unit for phase angle (in fact all angular
inputs) to be degrees or radians using the Units option on the Home tab.

Hit Point Selection: options include Mesh Node (default) and Remote Point.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Remote Point for Hit Point: Visible when the Hit Point Selection property is
set to Remote Point. This field provides a drop-down list of available Remote
Points.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Information This category provides read-only information for the following properties:

Hit Points
Hit Point represents a point on the axis where the Rotating Force (F
Command) will be applied. Hit Point coordinates are always coordinates with
respect to Global Coordinate System.

• Hit Point: Node Id: this information property displays the node
identifier at the Hit Point location. It has certain requirements and
conditions, including:

– The Hit Point Selection property needs to be set to Mesh Node

– A valid mesh must be generated.

– A valid node needs to exist at the Hit Point location. If no node

is found, then no information is displayed.

– When the Hit Point Selection property is set to the Remote Point
option, this property requires a valid Remote Point and then
displays the Named Selection created in ds.dat file.

• Hit Point: Location X

• Hit Point: Location Y

• Hit Point: Location Z

Axis Locations
Axis Location coordinates are always with respect to Global Coordinate
System.

• Axis Location X

• Axis Location Y

• Axis Location Z

Axis Components
Axis coordinates and Components gives information of where and how the
axis is oriented. Axis Components are always unit vectors with respect to
Global Coordinate System.

• Axis Component X

• Axis Component Y

• Axis Component Z

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• The CORIOLIS command is issued to account for gyroscopic damping effect resulted from rotational
velocity defined via CMOMEGA.

• The SYNCHRO command is issued based on specific synchronous/general asynchronous definition of

all of the Rotating Forces.

• The CMOMEGA command is issued based on axis definition of all of the Rotating Forces.

• The F command is applied at Hit Point location based on specific synchronous/general asynchronous
definition of Rotating Force.

Mass Source
A Mass Source excitation is used to create a sound wave.

Analysis Types
The Mass Source excitation is only available for a Harmonic Acoustics analysis.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the excitation, including the application requirements,
support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Mass Source excitation include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Mass Source.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The Mass Source boundary condition’s loading is defined by Magnitude only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Frequency Varying)

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Mass Source:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Excitations>Mass Source. Or, right-click the Envir-
onment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustic>Mass Source.

2. Define the Scoping Method. Options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selection.
For either scoping type, you must use the Body selection filter (on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)) for
geometry selection or Named Selection definition. Only bodies specified in the acoustics Physics Re-
gion(s) can be selected or defined.

3. Define the Magnitude.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to

Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must be made on bodies
specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the selection filter to pick your geometry, click in the

Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that displays.
After you select the geometry, this property displays the
geometric entities (1 Body, 3 Bodies, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Mass Source.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Magnitude

Important:

Changing the geometry scoping may change the Unit

system used for the Magnitude. For example, the Unit
system for the Magnitude of a Face is
whereas the Unit for an Edge selection is .

Phase Angle

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

Acoustic Mass Source is applied using the MASS label of BF command.

Surface Velocity
A Surface Velocity loading condition applies a velocity to a surface on your model.

Analysis Types
The Surface Velocity excitation condition is only available for a Harmonic Acoustics analysis.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the excitation condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Surface Velocity boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Surface Velocity.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Normal To

• Components

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data as:

• Constant

• Tabular (Frequency Varying)

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Surface Velocity:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Excitations>Surface Velocity. Or, right-click the
Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustic>Surface Velocity.

2. Define the Scoping Method. Options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selection.
For either scoping type, you must use the Body selection filter (on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)) for
geometry selection or Named Selection definition. Only bodies specified in the acoustics Physics Re-
gion(s) can be selected or defined.

3. Select the method used to define the load: Normal To (default) or Components.

4. Define the Magnitude.

Note:

When you define multiple Surface Velocities there is no cumulative loading effect.
Therefore, if you define multiple Surface Velocities on the same face, only the last Surface
Velocity, as defined in the input file, is used to calculate results.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method
property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry (Face only)
selections must be made on faces specified in the acoustic Physics
Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Surface Velocity.

Define By, options include:

• Normal To: This option requires Magnitude and Phase Angle entries.

• Components: this option defines the loading type as components in

the global coordinate system or a user-defined local coordinate
system. Requires the specification of at least one of the following
inputs:

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Phase Angle

– Y Phase Angle

– Z Phase Angle

Magnitude

Phase Angle:

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

Application of Acoustic Surface Velocity is based on how you define it:

• If Define By = Normal To, the application uses the SHLD label of SF command. This defines surface
normal velocity.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• If Define By = Components, the application uses the VELO label of BF command.

For more information, refer to the Outward Normal Velocity and the Arbitrary Velocity sections in
the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Diffuse Sound Field

You use the Diffuse Sound Field excitation condition to create random excitation waves. The diffuse
sound field is approached by the asymptotic model summing a high number of uncorrelated plane
waves with random phases from all directions in free space. For additional information, see the
DFSWAVE section in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference.

Analysis Types
The Diffuse Sound Field excitation condition is only available for a Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)
analysis.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Diffuse Sound Field excitation condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Diffuse Sound Field.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): The Diffuse Sound Field excitation condition is defined as a
constant.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Diffuse Sound Field:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Excitations > Diffuse Sound Field. Or, right-
click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert > Acoustics
> Diffuse Sound Field.

2. Define the Scoping Method: options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selection.
For either scoping type, you must use the Face selection filter (on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49))
for geometry selection or Named Selection definition. Only faces specified in the structural
Physics Region(s) can be selected or defined.

3. Define Coordinate System such that the +Z axis of the Cartesian coordinate system is consistent
with the panel’s outward normal unit vector on the panel’s incident diffuse sound field side.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection: This is the default setting and indicates that the boundary
condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, you select using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Face selection only) and the number of
geometric entities (for example: 1 Face, 2 Faces) to which the boundary has
been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: This option Indicates that the geometry selection is defined
by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Diffuse Sound
Field.

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global

Coordinate System is the default. For this Coordinate System selection, the
positive Z axis (Cartesian) must align with the normal of the selected face or
faces (the outward normal unit vector).

Radius of Reference Sphere Define By, the options for this property include:

• Program Controlled: The application selects the Radius automatically.

• User Defined: This option enables you to specify the Radius.

Reference Power Spectral Density: Entry field. The default value is 1 W/Hz.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Maximum Incident Angle: Entry field. The default value is 0°.

Suppressed - Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Base Medium Material Assignment: Select a material to define material properties (Mass
Density and Speed of Sound) of the Base Medium.

Mass Density: Read-only field whose value is updated based on the selected
Material Assignment.

Speed of Sound: Read-only field whose value is updates based on the selected
Material Assignment.
Advanced Number of Divisions on the Reference Sphere: Entry field. The default value
is 20.

Random Sampling Type: the options for this property include All (default),
Multiple, and Single.

Number of Samplings: Entry field. The default value is 1.

Norm Convergence Tolerance: Entry field. The default value is 0.05.

Frequency of Norm Convergence Check: Entry field. The default value is 5.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The Mechanical APDL command DFSWAVE is used to apply the acoustic Diffuse Sound Field ex-
citation condition. For more information, refer to the Random Excitation with Diffuse Sound Field
section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Incident Wave Source

An acoustic Incident Wave Source excitation condition is used to create an incident wave.

Analysis Types
The acoustic Incident Wave Source excitation condition is only available for a Harmonic Acous-
tics (p. 313) analysis.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Topology: No topology selection is made for the Incident Wave Source. Its location is defined using
the Source Origin X/Y/Z coordinates.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): The Incident Wave Source excitation condition is defined as a
constant.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply an Incident Wave Source:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Excitations > Incident Wave Source. Or, right-
click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert > Acoustics
> Incident Wave Source.

2. Define Wave Type, Excitation Type.

3. Define Incident Wave Location. Options include Wave Type other than Planar Wave.

4. Define Pressure Amplitude for Excitation Type = Pressure.

5. Define Velocity Amplitude for Excitation Type = Velocity.

6. Define the Material Assignment property (Base Medium). A selection fly-out menu is provided.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Incident Wave Source.

Wave Type: This property provides the following options.

• Planar Wave

• Monopole

• Dipole

• Back Enclosed Loudspeaker

• Bare Loudspeaker

Incident Wave Location: This property provides the following options.

• Outside The Model

• Inside The Model

• Read-only for Wave Type = Planar Wave and selects the Outside The Model
option.

Excitation Type: This property provides the following options.

• Pressure

• Velocity

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Specification of the following inputs are required based on Wave Type and
Excitation Type.

• Pressure Amplitude: Input available for Excitation Type = Pressure to specify

excitation pressure amplitude.

• Velocity Amplitude: Input available for Excitation Type = Velocity to specify

excitation velocity amplitude.

• Phase Angle: Input to specify the phase angle

• Angle Phi (From X Axis Toward Y Axis): Input available for Wave Type =
Planar Wave.

• Angle Theta (From Z Axis Toward X Axis): Input available for Wave Type =
Planar Wave.

• Radius of Pulsating Sphere: Input available for Wave Type = Monopole,

Dipole, Back Enclosed Loudspeaker, and Bare Loudspeaker. The Radius must
be greater or equal to zero.

Specification of the following inputs are required for Wave Type = Dipole and
Bare Loudspeaker.

• Dipole Length

• X Component of Unit Dipole Vector

• Y Component of Unit Dipole Vector

• Z Component of Unit Dipole Vector

Calculate Incident Power: This property provides the options No and Yes.

Port Selection: Select a port from drop-down list of available valid ports.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Base Medium Material Assignment: Select a material to define material properties (Mass
Density and Speed of Sound) of the Base Medium.

Mass Density: Read-only field whose value is updated based on the selected
Material Assignment.

Speed of Sound: Read-only field whose value is updates based on the selected
Material Assignment.
Location When you set Wave Type to either Monopole, Dipole, Back Enclosed
Loudspeaker, and Bare Loudspeaker, define location of wave source using
the following properties:

• Source Origin X: Input field.

• Source Origin Y: Input field.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Source Origin Z: Input field.

• Source Location: Geometry Selection button.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The Mechanical APDL command AWAVE is used to apply the Incident Wave Source excitation
condition. Refer to the Analytic Incident Wave Sources section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic
Analysis Guide for more information.

Port In Duct
You use the Port In Duct excitation condition is used to create an incident wave and acoustic duct
ports.

Analysis Types
The Port In Duct loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) analysis type.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Scoping

The Port In Duct excitation scoped using the Port (p. 1337) object.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437)

The Port In Duct excitation condition is defined as a constant only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Port In Duct:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Excitations > Port In Duct. Or, right-click the
Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert > Acoustics > Port
In Duct.

2. Define Port Attribution, Wave Type, Coordinate System.

3. Define Pressure Amplitude & Phase Angle

4. Define Width, Height, and Mode indices along width and height for Wave Type = Rectangular
Duct

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

5. Define Radius, and Mode indices along azimuth and radii for Wave Type = Circular Duct

6. Select a Port from the available Ports

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object – Port In Duct.

Port Attribution: This property provides the options Inlet and Outlet.

Wave Type: This property provides the following options.

• Planar Wave

• Rectangular Duct

• Circular Duct

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global

Coordinate System is the default. The Local Coordinate System should be chosen
such that the cross section of Port in Duct lies in X-Y Plane.

Specification of the following inputs are required based on Wave Type.

• Pressure Amplitude: Input specify excitation pressure amplitude. Only available

for Port Attribution Inlet.

• Phase Angle: Input to specify the phase angle.

• Angle Phi (From X Axis Toward Y Axis): Input available for Wave Type =
Planar Wave.

• Angle Theta (From Z Axis Toward X Axis): Input available for Wave Type =
Planar Wave.

For Wave Type = Rectangular Duct, define the following rectangular duct
properties:

• Width

• Height

• Mode index for pressure variation along the width

• Mode index for pressure variation along the height

For Wave Type = Circular Duct, define the following circular duct properties:

• Radius

• Mode index for pressure variation along the azimuth

• Mode index for pressure variation along the radii

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Port Selection: Select a port from drop-down list of available valid ports. The
Vibro option for Port Behavior is supported.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The command APORT is used to apply the Acoustic Port In Duct excitation condition. For more
information, refer to the Specified Mode Excitation in an Acoustic Duct section in the Mechanical
APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Temperature
This boundary condition applies a constant or spatially varying temperature. Geometry selections
for this load must be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region(s) (p. 2162).

Note:

The application does not support data transfer (p. 2283) for this loading condition.

Analysis Types
The Temperature loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and Modal
Acoustics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Temperature boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Temperature.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The Temperature boundary condition’s loading is defined by Magnitude only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Supported.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Temperature:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Loads>Temperature. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Temperature.

2. Define the Scoping Method. Options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selection.
For either scoping type, you must use the Body selection filter (on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)) for
geometry selection or Named Selection definition. Only bodies specified in the acoustics Physics Re-
gion(s) can be selected or defined.

3. Define the Magnitude, Coordinate System, and/or Direction of the thermal boundary condition
based on the above selections.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Body selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry (Body only)
selections must be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics
Region(s) (p. 2162).

Use the Body selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Body, 3 Bodies, etc.).

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined
by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (body-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Temperature.

Magnitude: Enter a temperature value. The default value is 22°C.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Temperatures are applied using the BF command.

• Magnitude (constant, tabular, and function) is always represented as a table in the input file.

Also see the Non-Uniform Ideal Gas Material section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide
for more information.

Impedance Sheet
You can specify the 2 x 2 transfer admittance matrix with continuous pressure and discontinuous
normal velocity across an acoustic impedance sheet using this object. For additional details, refer
to Impedance Sheet topic in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Analysis Types
The Impedance Sheet loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and Modal
Acoustics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Impedance Sheet boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Impedance Sheet.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Types: This boundary condition’s loading is applied as a constant only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Loading data specified as a constant only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Impedance Sheet:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Loads>Impedance Sheet. Or, right-click the Envir-
onment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Impedance Sheet.

2. Define the Scoping Method. Options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selection.
For either scoping type, you must use the Face selection filter (on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)) for
geometry selection or Named Selection definition. Only faces specified in the acoustics Physics Region
can be selected or defined.

3. Define Resistance and Reactance based on the above selections.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection.

You use this property to specify the face or faces of bodies

specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162). Use the Face
selection filter to pick your geometry, click in the Geometry
field, and then click the Apply button that displays. After you

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
select the geometry, this property displays the geometric
entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Impedance Sheet.

Resistance: Specify the resistance. This property can be designated as

a parameter.

Reactance: Specify the reactance. This property can be designated as

a parameter.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

The application applies Impedance Sheet using the IMPD label of BF command.

Static Pressure
An Static Pressure load applies a constant pressure to one or more bodies in the acoustic fluid
regions.

Note:

If both Static Pressure and Temperature are defined, the ideal gas model is activated.

Analysis Types
The Static Pressure loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and Modal
Acoustics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Static Pressure boundary condition include:

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• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Static Pressure.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Types: This boundary condition’s loading is only applied to the volume of the selected
topology.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Loading data specified as a constant only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Static Pressure:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Loads>Static Pressure. Or, right-click the Environ-
ment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Static Pressure.

2. Define the Scoping Method. Options include Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selection.
For either scoping type, you must use the Body selection filter (on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)) for
geometry selection or Named Selection definition. Only bodies specified in the acoustics Physics Re-
gion(s) can be selected or defined.

3. Define the Magnitude of the pressure.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Body selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry (Body only)

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Category Fields/Options/Description
selections must be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics
Region (p. 2162).

Use the Body selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Body, 3 Bodies, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (body-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Static Pressure.

Magnitude: Enter a constant pressure value.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

Static Pressure is applied using the SPRE label of BF command. Also see the Non-Uniform Ideal
Gas Material section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

Pressure
You can specify pressure on desired fluid regions in an acoustic analysis by inserting an Pressure
object.

This boundary condition can be scoped only to face/edge/vertex of a body in acoustic domain.
Refer to Pressure Boundary section of Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

Analysis Types
The Pressure loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and Modal Acous-
tics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Pressure boundary condition include:

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• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Pressure.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Types: This boundary condition’s loading is only applied to a vertex, edge, or area of the
selected topology.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Loading data specified as a constant only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Pressure:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Boundary Conditions>Pressure. Or, right-click the
Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Pressure.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

3. Define the Magnitude of the pressure.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to

Geometry Selection. Specified geometric entities must be in the
acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the selection filter to pick your geometry, click in the

Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that displays.

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Category Fields/Options/Description
This property displays the type of geometry (Face, Edge, etc.)
and the number geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.) to
which you have applied the boundary condition.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Pressure.

Magnitude: Enter a constant pressure value.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

The Pressure boundary condition is applied using the PRES label of D command.

Impedance Boundary
This boundary condition enables you to specify a complex form of impedance on an acoustic surface.
It requires Resistance, Reactance, and Frequency entries. Refer to the Surface Impedance Boundary
section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

The application defines complex impedance on a selected surface based on the inputs to the
Acoustic Impedance Boundary using the command: SF,Nlist,IMPD,VALUE,VALUE2.

The application calculates VALUE and VALUE2 using the following impedance and admittance
definitions:

Impedance
The equation for Impedance:

where:

Admittance
The equation for Admittance (Y) = Inverse of Impedance:

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where:

In Mechanical, you can use Impedance Boundary to define impedance or admittance (Modal
Acoustics). The VALUE and VALUE2 fields for the SF command are based upon the Resistance and
Reactance entries.

Harmonic Acoustics
VALUE = Resistance

VALUE2 = Reactance

Modal Acoustics
If Reactance = 0 (Impedance):

VALUE = Resistance
VALUE2 = 0

If Reactance != 0 (Admittance):

Analysis Types
The Impedance Boundary loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and
Modal Acoustics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Impedance Boundary include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

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• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Impedance Boundary.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Acoustics only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Impedance Boundary:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Boundary Conditions>Impedance Boundary. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Im-
pedance Boundary.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

3. Define the Resistance, Reactance, and Frequency of the Acoustic Impedance Boundary based on
the above selections.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that

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Category Fields/Options/Description
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Impedance Boundary.

Resistance: Specify the resistance. This property can be designated as

a parameter.

Reactance: Specify the reactance. This property can be designated as

a parameter.

Frequency (Modal Acoustics): Specify a frequency value. This property

is displayed for Modal Acoustics analyses when the Reactance property
is specified as greater than zero or if it is parameterized. This property
can be designated as a parameter.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

Impedance Boundary is applied using the IMPD label of SF command.

Absorption Surface
The Absorption Surface boundary condition enables you to dampen the effect of sound pressure
on the impedance boundary as well as to approximate infinity.

Analysis Types
The Absorption Surface loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and
Modal Acoustics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Absorption Surface boundary condition include:

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• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Absorption Surface.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Acoustics only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Absorption Surface:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Boundary Conditions>Absorption Surface. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>AcousticsAb-
sorption Surface.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

3. Define an Absorption Coefficient.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

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Category Fields/Options/Description
Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in
the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Absorption Surface.

Absorption Coefficient: Specify an Absorption Coefficient value for

the selected boundary. This property can be designated as a parameter.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

This boundary condition is applied using the SF command. Refer to the Boundary with Absorption
Coefficient description in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

Radiation Boundary
The Radiation Boundary boundary condition enables you to dampen the effect of sound pressure
on the impedance boundary as well as to approximate infinity.

Analysis Types
The Radiation Boundary loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and
Modal Acoustics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Radiation Boundary boundary condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

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• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Radiation Boundary.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Radiation Boundary:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Boundary Conditions>Radiation Boundary. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Ra-
diation Boundary.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

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Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Radiation Boundary.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

This boundary condition is applied using the INF label of SF command. Refer to the Surface Imped-
ance Boundary section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more information.

Absorption Element
An exterior acoustics problem typically involves an infinite, homogenous, inviscid fluid surrounding
a given geometric entity. The pressure waves generated by this geometric entity must satisfy the
radiation condition on the surrounding space. To simulate this infinite fluid, you enclose your
model with the Absorption Element boundary condition. This approach truncates the unbounded
domain by introducing a second-order absorbing boundary condition so that an outgoing pressure
wave reaching the boundary of the model is "absorbed" with minimal reflections back into the
fluid domain.

Note:

• For a 3-D acoustic analysis, the absorbing element must be scoped to spherical faces having
the same radius and center and that are connected to bodies with the same material assign-
ment. For more information, refer to Absorbing Boundary Condition (ABC) section in the
Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

• Currently, the Absorption Element boundary condition is not supported if you wish to scope
it to an Acoustic region that is defined using frequency dependent material properties.
However, you can resolve this issue by specifying the TBCOPY command using a Com-
mands (p. 1823) object at the Solution level.

Analysis Types
The Absorption Element boundary condition is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Acoustics (p. 325)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

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• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Absorption Element boundary condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Absorption Element.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported (spherical face only).

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply an Absorbing Element:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Boundary Conditions>Absorption Element. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Ab-
sorption Element.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Note:

The application calculates the radius of the sphere internally based upon the geometry
you have selected. Material property requirements are derived based on the assigned
material using the MPCOPY command.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

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Category Fields/Options/Description
– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry
Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Face, Edge, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Face, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

These geometry selections must be made on bodies specified

in one of the acoustic Physics Regions (p. 2162).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Absorption Element.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

The Absorption Element is applied using the FLUID130 element.

Free Surface
This boundary condition enables you to specify a plane as a free surface in order to consider
sloshing effects on your model. You should define an Acceleration (p. 1175) load as well with Gravit-
ational Acceleration values to properly define the sloshing problem.

Note:

The free surface must be aligned with the coordinate plane in the Global Cartesian Co-
ordinate System. The gravitational acceleration input should always be positive regardless
of how the model is set up.

Analysis Types
The Free Surface loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) and Modal
Acoustics (p. 304) analysis types.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Types Supported

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

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Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Free Surface boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Free Surface.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Not applicable.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Acoustic Free Surface:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Acoustic Boundary Conditions>Free Surface. Or, right-click
the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Acoustics>Free Surface.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

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Category Fields/Options/Description
• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined
by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Free Surface.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

MAPDL References and Notes

This boundary condition is applied using the FREE label of the SF command. Refer to the Free
Surface (Sloshing Effect) Sources section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for more
information.

Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary

Acoustic waves propagating in viscous-thermal media include a complex propagating constant in
the frequency domain. The attenuation of the acoustic wave is proportional to the shear and bulk
viscosity and the thermal conduction coefficient of the media. The interaction between the viscous
fluid and rigid walls is taken into account using the Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary condition.

Analysis Types
The Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)
analysis type.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary boundary
condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Thermo-Viscous BLI
Boundary.

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• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Not applicable.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply an Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Boundary Conditions > Thermo-Viscous BLI
Boundary. Or, right-click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select
Insert > Acoustics > Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

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Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Thermo-Viscous BLI
Boundary.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

This boundary condition is applied using the BLI label of SF command. For additional information,
see the Boundary Layer Impedance (BLI) Model topic in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Rigid Wall
This boundary condition enables you to specify a face as rigid wall (Neumann boundary).

Analysis Types
The Acoustic Rigid Wall loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) analysis
type.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Acoustic Rigid Wall boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Acoustic Rigid Wall.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

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Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Not applicable.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply an Rigid Wall:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Boundary Conditions > Rigid Wall. Or, right-
click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert > Acoustics
> Rigid Wall.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Acoustic Rigid Wall.

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

This excitation condition is applied using RIGW label of the SF command. For more information,
refer to the Rigid Wall Boundary section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Symmetry Plane
This boundary condition enables you to define the symmetry plane (Neumann boundary).

Analysis Types
The Acoustic Symmetry Plane loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)
analysis type.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Symmetry Plane boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Symmetry Plane.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Not applicable.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Symmetry Plane:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Boundary Conditions > Symmetry Plane.
Or, right-click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert >
Acoustics > Symmetry Plane.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

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Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Symmetry Plane.

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems.

Global Coordinate System is the default.

Symmetry Axis: Read-only field with the setting Normal to Selected

Faces.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

This boundary condition is consumed for Far-field result calculations. You will not see any change
to the input file if the HFSYM command is used for the Far-field calculation.

Port
An acoustic Port enables you to define an exterior or interior acoustic surface in order to reuse this
surface as an excitation location, a boundary, or a surface on which result are evaluated. For example,
a Port can be used to launch acoustic modes or define transfer admittance (p. 1342) connections.

Analysis Types
The Port loading condition is available for the following analysis types:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Static Acoustics (p. 325)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Port boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Port.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): The Port boundary condition is defined as a constant only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Port:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Boundary Conditions > Port. Or, right-click
the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert > Acoustics >
Port.

2. Define the attributes of the Port.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Port Surfaces Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method property
is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must be made on bodies
specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in the Geo-
metry field, and then click the Apply button that displays. After you
select the geometry, this property displays the geometric entities (1
Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Named
Selections (face-based only).

Port Position: Options include On Exterior Face (default) and On Interior

Face.
Inside Sur- Scoping Method, options include:
face Bodies
• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition
is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry (Body selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method property
is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must be made on bodies
specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Body selection filter to pick your geometry, click in the Geo-
metry field, and then click the Apply button that displays. After you
select the geometry, this property displays the geometric entities (1
Body, 3 Bodies, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Named
Selections (body-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object – Port.

Port Behavior: Options include Transparent (default) and Vibro.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

This boundary condition is applied using the PORT label of SF (Exterior port) or BF (Interior port)
commands. Refer to the Surface Port section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for
more information.

Far-Field Radiation Surface

This boundary condition enables you to define the Maxwell surface for Far-field parameters.

Analysis Types
The Acoustic Far-Field Radiation Surface loading condition is available for the Harmonic Acous-
tics (p. 313) analysis type.

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Far-Field Radiation Surface boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Far-Field Radiation Surface.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Not applicable.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Boundary Condition Application

To apply an Far-field Radiation Surface:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Boundary Conditions > Far-Field Radiation
Surface. Or, right-click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select
Insert > Acoustics > Far-Field Radiation Surface.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Equivalent Surface Scoping Method, options include:
Selection
• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary
condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Inside Surface Bodies Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry (Face selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method

property is set to Geometry Selection. Geometry selections must
be made on bodies specified in the acoustic Physics Region (p. 2162).

Use the Face selection filter to pick your geometry, click in

the Geometry field, and then click the Apply button that
displays. After you select the geometry, this property displays
the geometric entities (1 Face, 3 Faces, etc.).

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to
Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections (face-based only).

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Far-Field Radiation
Surface.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

This boundary condition is applied using MXWF label of the SF command. For more information,
refer to the Equivalent Surface Source section in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Transfer Admittance Matrix

This acoustic model enables you to specify a transfer admittance matrix to trim structures such as
a complex perforated structure, a square grid structure, or a hexagonal grid structure. The connection
at the interface between the two entities is between two acoustic regions or a structural and un-
coupled acoustic region. The transfer admittance matrix can be specified using two Ports and if
one interface is an FSI interface, then Port 1 is assigned to that interface. For additional information,
see the Trim Element with Transfer Admittance Matrix topic in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Ana-
lysis Guide.

Analysis Types
Transfer Admittance Matrix is an Acoustics Model that is available for the following analysis
types.

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Static Acoustics (p. 325)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Note:

Only Transparent Ports on Exterior Face are allowed in Transfer Admittance Matrix.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Scoping: The Transfer Admittance Matrix is scoped using Port (p. 1337) objects.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Acoustics only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Transfer Admittance Matrix:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Models > Transfer Admittance Matrix. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert >
Acoustics > Transfer Admittance Matrix.

2. Define the Port1 and Port2 properties.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Transfer Admittance
Matrix.

Model Type: This property specifies the type of structure to be

trimmed. It provides a drop-down with the options: Perforated Plate
(default), Square Grid Structure, and Hexagonal Grid Structure.

Based on the entry of the Model Type property, the following

properties are available.

Perforated Square Grid Structure or Hexagonal Grid

Plate Structure
Port1 Port1

Y11 Port2
[Real]
Hole Radius
Y11
[Imag] Grid Period
Y12
Structure Thickness
[Real]
Y12 Mass Density of the Fluid
[Imag]
Dynamic Viscosity of the Fluid
Al-
pha1 Ratio of Inner and Outer Radius
[Real]
Al-
pha1
[Imag]

Port2

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Perforated Square Grid Structure or Hexagonal Grid
Plate Structure
Y21
[Real]
Y21
[Imag]
Y22
[Real]
Y22
[Imag]
Al-
pha2
[Real]
Al-
pha2
[Imag]

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

Transfer Admittance Matrix Models of Perforated Structures is applied using the command:

TB ,PERF,,,,TBOPT

Where:

• TBOPT = YMAT for Model Type = Perforated Plate. This corresponds to the case of General
transfer admittance matrix.

• TBOPT = SGYM for Model Type = Square Grid Structure.

• TBOPT = HGYM for Model Type = Hexagonal Grid Structure.

Low Reduced Frequency Model

This acoustic model enables you to account for the interaction between an acoustic pressure wave
in a viscous fluid and a rigid wall for specific structures according to Low Reduced Frequency (LRF)
approximation. For additional information, see the Low Reduced Frequency (LRF) Model topic in
the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Guidelines
See Low Reduced Frequency for guidelines in using a Low Reduced Frequency Model in an
acoustic simulation.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Analysis Types
Low Reduced Frequency Model is an Acoustics Model that is available for the following analysis
types.

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Static Acoustics (p. 325)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Scoping: The Low Reduced Frequency Model model is scoped bodies.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Acoustics only.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Low Reduced Frequency:

1. On the Environment Context tab: select Acoustic Models > Low Reduced Frequency Model.
Or, right-click the Environment tree object or click in the Geometry window and select Insert >
Acoustics > Low Reduced Frequency Model.

2. Define body scoping.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Low Reduced Fre-
quency Model.

Model Type: This property specifies the type of structure to be

represented. It provides a drop-down with the options: Thin Layer
(default), Rectangular Tube, and Circular Tube. Based on the Model
Type property selection, one of the following properties displays:

• Thickness Of Layer: Enter a thickness value.

• Width Of Rectangle and Height Of Rectangle: enter width and

height values.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Radius Of Circle: Enter a radius value.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The Low Reduced Frequency Model is applied using the command:

TB ,AFDM,,,,TBOPT

Where:

• TBOPT = THIN for Model Type = Thin Layer.

• TBOPT = RECT for Model Type = Rectangular Tube.

• TBOPT = CIRC for Model Type = Circular Tube.

Support Type Boundary Conditions

The boundary conditions contained under the Support heading are listed below.

Fixed Support (p. 1346)

Displacement (p. 1348)

Remote Displacement (p. 1356)

Velocity (p. 1360)

Impedance Boundary - Explicit Dynamics only

Frictionless Support (p. 1362)

Compression Only Support (p. 1364)

Cylindrical Support (p. 1368)

Simply Supported (p. 1370)

Fixed Rotation (p. 1371)

Elastic Support (p. 1374)

Fixed Support
This boundary condition prevents a selected geometric or mesh entity from moving or deforming.

Analysis Types
A Fixed Support is available for the following analysis types:

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. Fixes one or more faces, edges, or vertices.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Fixes one or more edges or vertices.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Fixed Support boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Fixed Support.

• Body: Supported for rigid bodies in an Explicit Analysis.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported. A fixed edge is not realistic and leads to singular stresses (that is, stresses that approach
infinity near the fixed edge). You should disregard stress and elastic strain values in the vicinity of the
fixed edge.

• Vertex: Supported.

– A fixed vertex fixes both translations and rotations on faces or line bodies.

– A fixed vertex is not realistic and leads to singular stresses (that is, stresses that approach infinity near
the fixed vertex). You should disregard stress and elastic strain values in the vicinity of the fixed vertex.

– This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

• Node: Supported.

• Element Face: Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Element: Not Supported.

Note:

If you are using a surface body model, see the Simply Supported (p. 1370) boundary con-
dition section.

Scoping Types: This boundary condition does not require a scoping type because no loading data
is required.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Fixed supports do not have loading data.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Fixed Support:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Fixed Support. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Fixed Support.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Fixed Support.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Displacement
Displacements are applied at the geometry level. They require that one or more flat or curved faces
or edges or one or more vertices to displace relative to their original location by one or more

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

components of a displacement vector in the global coordinate system or local coordinate system,
if applied (p. 877).

Important:

Due to an internal processing requirement, if you specify a user-defined (local) Coordinate

System when defining this boundary condition, the nodal coordinate system axes may
differ from the local Coordinate System axes. As needed, you can verify the actual nodal
orientation in the Mechanical APDL application.

Displacement as a Base Excitation

Displacement can also be defined as a base excitation during a Mode-Superposition Transient

analysis or a Mode Superposition Harmonic Response analyses. You scope base excitations to a
boundary condition. You can scope multiple base excitations to the same boundary condition, but
the base excitations cannot have same direction specified (via the Direction property).

Analysis Types
A Displacement is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

Note:

Full Harmonic Response analyses support non-zero displacements for Component/Com-

ponents: Real - Imaginary loading types.

• Modal (p. 283)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. Displaces one or more faces, edges, or vertices.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Displaces one or more edge or vertices.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Displacement boundary condition include:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Displacement.

• Body: Supported for rigid bodies in an Explicit Analysis.

• Face: Supported.

– Non-zero X-, Y-, and Z-components. The face retains its original shape but moves relative to its original
location by the specified displacement vector. The enforced displacement of the face causes a model
to deform.

– For Zero Y-component, no part of the face can move, rotate, or deform in the Y-direction.

– For blank (undefined) X- and Z-components, the surface is free to move, rotate, and deform in the
XZ plane.

• Edge: Supported.

– Enforced displacement of an edge is not realistic and leads to singular stresses (that is, stresses that
approach infinity near the loaded edge). You should disregard stress and elastic strain values in the
vicinity of the loaded edge.

– Non-zero X-, Y-, and Z-components. The edge retains its original shape but moves relative to its ori-
ginal location by the specified displacement vector. The enforced displacement of the edge causes
a model to deform.

– For Zero Y-component, no part of the edge can move, rotate, or deform in the Y-direction.

– For blank (undefined) X- and Z-components, the edge is free to move, rotate, and deform in the XZ
plane.

• Vertex: Supported.

– Non-zero X-, Y-, and Z-components. The vertex moves relative to its original location by the specified
displacement vector. The enforced displacement of the vertex causes a model to deform.

– For Zero Y-component, the vertex cannot move in the Y-direction.

– For blank (undefined) X- and Z-components, the vertex is free to move in the XZ plane.

– This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an End Release (p. 1048).

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Element: Not Supported.

Note:

• Multiple surfaces, edges, or vertices can be selected.

• Avoid using multiple Displacements on the same face/edge/vertex and on faces/edges/vertices

having shared faces/edges/vertices.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Components: Supported.

– Entering a zero for a component prevents deformation in that direction.

– Entering a blank for a component allows free deformation in that direction.

– In a cylindrical coordinate system X, Y, and Z are used for R, Θ, and Z directions. When using a cyl-
indrical coordinate system, non-zero Y displacements are interpreted as translational displacement
quantities, ΔY = RΔΘ. Since they are treated as linear displacements it is a reasonable approximation
only, for small values of angular motion ΔΘ.

– For Explicit Dynamics analyses, when using a cylindrical coordinate system, the Y component (that
is, Θ direction) of a displacement constraint is defined as a rotation.

• Components: Real - Imaginary. Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only. Define direct loading
without Phase Angle.

• Normal To: Supported (3D Faces Only).

• Normal To: Real - Imaginary. Supported for Harmonic Response Analysis only. Define direct loading
without Phase Angle.

• Magnitude - Phase. Supported for Displacement as a Base Excitation during Harmonic Response ana-
lysis only.

• Real - Imaginary. Supported for Displacement as a Base Excitation during Harmonic Response analysis
only.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported. (Not supported for Harmonic Response analysis).

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Tabular (Frequency Varying): Supported for Harmonic Response analysis only.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Supported (Not Supported for Explicit Dynamics and Harmonic Response
analyses).

• Function (Time Varying): Supported (Not Supported for Harmonic Response analyses).

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Function (Spatially Varying): Supported (Not Supported for Explicit Dynamics and Harmonic Response
analyses).

• Free: Supported. (Not Supported for Displacement as a Base Excitation).

Note:

Solution Restarts (p. 1724) are only supported for Tabular data modifications.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Displacement:

1. On the Environment Context tab, select the Displacement option from the Structural group. Or,
right-click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Displacement.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

3. Select the method used to define the Displacement: Components (default), Components: Real -
Imaginary, Normal To, or Normal To: Real - Imaginary.

4. Define the Coordinate System and displacements or the Distance, of the Displacement based on the
above selections.

5. For Harmonic analyses, specify a Phase Angle as needed.

To apply Displacement as a Base Excitation when the Solver Type property is defined as Mode-
Superposition during a Transient (default setting for a Transient configured to a Modal solution)
or a Mode-Superposition Harmonic Response analysis:

1. In the Definition category of the Details view, set the Base Excitation property to Yes.

2. The Boundary Condition property provides a drop-down list of the boundary conditions that
correspond to the Displacement. Make a selection from this list. Valid boundary condition option
for excitations include:

• Fixed Support

• All Fixed Supports

• Displacement

• Remote Displacement

• Nodal Displacement

• Spring: Body-to-Ground

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

3. The Absolute Result property is set to Yes by default. As needed, change the value to No if you
do not want to include enforced motion.

Note:

If you apply more than one base excitation (either Displacement or Accelera-
tion), the Absolute Result property needs to have the same setting, either Yes
or No.

4. To use complex definition entries, change the Define By property setting to Real - Imaginary
from Magnitude - Phase (default).

5. Define the loading inputs: Magnitude, Phase Angle (only in MSUP Harmonic Response), and
Direction.

Note:

You can scope Acceleration or Displacement as a base excitation to the

same boundary condition, but the base excitations cannot have same direc-
tion specified (via the Direction property).

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: options include:

• Geometry Selection: default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of
geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary
has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

Boundary Condition (Displacement as a Base Excitation only): drop-down list

of available boundary condition options for application.
Definition Type: read-only field that describes the object - Displacement.

Base Excitation (Displacement as a Base Excitation only): No is the default

setting. Set to Yes to specify the Displacement as a Base Excitation.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Absolute Result (Displacement as a Base Excitation only): This option allows
you to include enforced motion with (Yes - default) or without (No) base
motion.

Define By. options include:

• Normal To: Requires entries for the following:

– Distance. This is the distance of displacement, that is, a magnitude.

– Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

• Normal To: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only): real and
imaginary distance. Requires the specification of the following inputs:

– Distance - Real

– Distance - Imag

• Components: option to define the loading type as Components (in the global
coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires the
specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global

Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

– X Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Y Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

– Z Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only)

Note:

Selection of a Coordinate System rotated out of the global

Cartesian X-Y plane is not supported in a 2D analysis.

• Components: Real - Imaginary (Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) only): option to

define the loading type as real and imaginary components (in the global
coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires the
specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global

Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the X direction.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– X Component - Imaginary: Defines magnitude (Imaginary) in the X
direction.

– Y Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the Y direction.

– Y Component - Imaginary: Defines magnitude (Imaginary) in the Y

direction.

– Z Component - Real: Defines magnitude (Real) in the Z direction.

– Z Component - Imaginary: Defines (Imaginary) magnitude in the Z

direction.

• Magnitude - Phase (Displacement as a Base Excitation for Harmonic

Response only): Requires entries for the following:

– Magnitude

– Phase Angle (Harmonic Analysis only)

• Real - Imaginary (Displacement as a Base Excitation for Harmonic Response

only): real and imaginary magnitude. Requires the specification of the
following inputs:

– Magnitude - Real

– Magnitude - Imag

Suppressed: include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands and considerations are applicable when Displacement
is defined as a base excitation in a Mode Superposition Transient analysis or a Mode Superposition
Harmonic Response analysis.

• Magnitude (constant or tabular) is always represented as a table in the input file.

• Base excitation is defined using the D command under the Modal restart analysis (under Modal
analysis in case of standalone Harmonic Response analysis).

• Base excitation is applied using the DVAL command during a Mode Superposition Transient ana-
lysis or Mode Superposition Harmonic Response analysis.

Note:

Displacement can be defined as base excitation in a Modal linked Harmonic Response

and Modal linked Transient analysis only when the upstream Modal analysis Solver
Type (p. 1117) is set to Program Controlled (provided program sets solver type in-
ternally to Direct or Supernode) or Direct or Supernode.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Remote Displacement
A Remote Displacement enables you to apply both displacements and rotations at an arbitrary
remote location in space. You specify the origin of the remote location under Scope in the Details
view by picking, or by entering the XYZ coordinates directly. The default location is at the centroid
of the geometry. You specify the displacement and rotation under Definition.

A Remote Displacement is classified as a remote boundary condition. Refer to the Remote

Boundary Conditions (p. 1416) section for a listing of all remote boundary conditions and their char-
acteristics.

Analysis Types
A Remote Displacement is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283). For a Modal analysis, only zero magnitude Remote Displacement values are valid. These
function as supports. If non-zero magnitude remote displacements are needed for a Pre-Stress Modal
analysis, apply the Remote Displacement in the static structural environment.

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Rigid Dynamics (p. 340)

A common application is to apply a rotation on a model at a local coordinate system. An example

is shown below along with a plot of the resulting Total Deformation (p. 1516).

Total Deformation Result Example

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Remote Displacement boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Remote Displacement.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported. This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

• Nodes: Not Supported

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading: This boundary condition's loading in defined in one or more of the following directions.

• X Component

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Y Component

• Z Component

• X Rotation

• Y Rotation

• Z Rotation

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported for Static Structural analysis only.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported.

• Free: Supported.

Note:

Solution Restarts (p. 1724) are only supported for Tabular data modifications.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Remote Displacement:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Remote Displacement. Or, right-click the Environ-
ment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Remote Displacement.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

3. Specify the origin of the remote location or enter the XYZ coordinates. The default location is at the
centroid of the geometry.

4. Specify the translational and rotational displacement components.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

• Remote Point: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Remote

Point.

– Remote Points: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Remote Point.
This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Remote Points.

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global

Coordinate System is the default.

Z Coordinate

Y Coordinate

X Coordinate

Note:

Selection of a Coordinate System rotated out of the global Cartesian

X-Y plane is not supported in a 2D analysis.

Location - The location of a Remote Displacement can be defined in the global

coordinate system or in a local Cartesian coordinate system (p. 877). It is by
default at the centroid of selected geometry.
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Remote Displacement.

X Component: Defines distance (+/-) in the X direction.

Y Component: Defines distance (+/-) in the Y direction.

Z Component: Defines distance (+/-) in the Z direction.

X Rotation: Defines rotational distance (+/-) in the X direction.

Y Rotation: Defines rotational distance (+/-) in the Y direction.

Z Rotation: Defines rotational distance (+/-) in the Z direction.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Behavior (p. 795): Rigid, Deformable, Coupled, or Beam. The Beam option
specifies a connection from the remote load to the model using linear massless
beam elements. If the Scope Method property is set to Remote Point, the

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
boundary condition will then assume the Behavior defined in the referenced
Remote Point as well as other related properties.

Material: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Select a material to define material properties for the beams used in the
connection. Density is excluded from the material definition.

Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Specify a radius to define the cross section dimension of the circular beam used
for the connection.
Advanced Pinball Region: Specify the radius of the pinball (length unit). The displacement is
applied to the elements that are within the pinball region.

Velocity
Analysis Types
Velocity is available for the following analysis types:

• Explicit Dynamics - For Explicit Dynamics analyses, the Y Component (that is, Θ direction) of a velocity
constraint defined with a cylindrical coordinate system has units of angular velocity.

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Velocity boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Velocity.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

– Avoid using multiple velocities on the same vertex.

– This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Loading Types: The boundary condition’s loading is defined using one of the following options.

• Normal To: Supported (3D Faces Only).

• Components: Supported.

– Entering a zero for a component sets the velocity to zero.

– Entering a blank for a component allows free velocity in that direction.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant

• Tabular (Time Varying)

• Function (Time Varying)

• Free

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Velocity:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Velocity. Or, right-click the Environment tree object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Velocity.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

3. Select the method used to define the Velocity: Components (default) or Normal To.

4. Define the loading data based on the above selections.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.
Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Velocity.

Define By: Options include:

• Normal To: Requires a Magnitude entry.

• Components: Option to define the loading type as Components (in the global
coordinate system or local coordinate system, if applied). Requires the
specification of at least one of the following inputs:

– Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global

Coordinate System is the default.

– X Component: Defines magnitude in the X direction.

– Y Component: Defines magnitude in the Y direction.

– Z Component: Defines magnitude in the Z direction.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Frictionless Support
You use this boundary condition to prevent one or more flat or curved faces from moving or de-
forming in the normal direction. The normal direction is relative to the selected geometry face. No
portion of the surface body can move, rotate, or deform normal to the face.

For tangential directions, the surface body is free to move, rotate, and deform tangential to the
face.

For a flat surface body, the frictionless support is equivalent to a symmetry condition.

Important:

Due to an internal processing requirement, if you specify a user-defined (local) Coordinate

System when defining this boundary condition, the nodal coordinate system axes may
differ from the local Coordinate System axes. As needed, you can verify the actual nodal
orientation in the Mechanical APDL application.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Analysis Types
A Frictionless Support is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Frictionless Support boundary condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Frictionless Support.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported - 3D Only.

• Edge: Supported - 2D Only.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Frictionless Support:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

1. Select the Frictionless option from the Structural group on the Environment Context tab. Or, right-
click the Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Frictionless Support.

2. Specify Scoping Method and Geometry or Named Selection.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Frictionless Support.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Compression Only Support

Applies a compression only constraint normal to one or more faces. It is modeled internally using
Asymmetric rigid-flexible contact. A rigid target surface is constructed and/or mirrored from the
scoped faces/edges of the Compression Only Support. Therefore, the following points should be
kept in mind:

• The underlying technology is using penalty-based formulations. As a result, normal contact stiffness
can be an important parameter if nonlinear convergence issues arise. Control normal contact stiffness
using the Normal Stiffness property of the Compression Only Support object.

• Because source and target topologies are perfect mirrors of one another, be careful during nonlinear
analyses to make that contact doesn't "fall off" the target face. Be sure that the contacting area on the
rigid body is large enough to accommodate any potential sliding taking place during the analysis. To
avoid this, consider using a fully fixed rigid body and a nonlinear contact to replace the compression
only support.

Consider the following model with a bearing load and supports as shown.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Note the effect of the compression only support in the animation of total deformation.

The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. View online if you are reading the PDF version of
the help. Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released
product.

Since the region of the face in compression is not initially known, a nonlinear solution is required
and may involve a substantial increase in solution time.

Analysis Types
A Compression Only Support is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Compression Only Support boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Compression Only Support.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported - 3D Only.

• Edge: Supported - 2D Only.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Compression Only Support:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Compression Only Support. Or, right-click the
Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Compression Only Support.

2. Specify Scoping Method and Geometry or Named Selection.

3. Specify Normal Stiffness property. If set to Manual, enter a Normal Stiffness Factor value.

4. Specify Update Stiffness property.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selec-

tion. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of
geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary
has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Compression Only Support.

Normal Stiffness: Defines a contact Normal Stiffness factor. Options include:

• Program Controlled: This is the default setting. The Normal Stiffness Factor is
calculated by the program.

• Manual: The Normal Stiffness Factor is input directly by the user. The Normal
Stiffness Factor property displays for this setting.

Update Stiffness: Specify if the program should update (change) the contact
stiffness during the solution. Options include:

• Never: This is the default setting. Turns off the program's automatic Update
Stiffness feature.

• Each Iteration: Sets the program to update stiffness at the end of each equilibrium
iteration.

• Each Iteration, Aggressive: Sets the program to update stiffness at the end of
each equilibrium iteration, but compared to the option, Each Iteration, this option
allows for a more aggressive changing of the value range.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Cylindrical Support
For 3D simulations, this boundary condition prevents one or more cylindrical faces from moving
or deforming in combinations of radial, axial, or tangential directions. Any combination of fixed
and free radial, axial, and tangential settings are allowed.

Important:

Due to an internal processing requirement, if you specify a user-defined (local) Coordinate

System when defining this boundary condition, the nodal coordinate system axes may
differ from the local Coordinate System axes. As needed, you can verify the actual nodal
orientation in the Mechanical APDL application.

Analysis Types
A Cylindrical Support is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Cylindrical supports can only be applied to circular edges

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Cylindrical Support boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Cylindrical Support.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported - 3D Cylindrical Face Only.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Edge: Supported - 2D Circular Edge Only.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Cylindrical Support:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Cylindrical Support. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Cylindrical Support.

2. Specify Scoping Method and Geometry or Named Selection.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Cylindrical Support.

Radial: Fixed (default) or Free.

Axial (3D Only): Fixed (default) or Free.

Tangential: Fixed (default) or Free.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Simply Supported
Available for 3D simulations only.

This boundary condition prevents one or more straight or curved edges or a vertex or vertices from
moving or deforming. However, rotations are allowed. If you want to fix the rotations as well, use
the Fixed Support (p. 1346) boundary condition. It is applicable for surface body models or line
models only.

Analysis Types
A Simply Supported is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

• Explicit Dynamics

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Simply Supported boundary condition include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported - Surface Only.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported - Line Only.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Simply Supported.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported. This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an End Release (p. 1048).
In addition, a simply supported vertex is not realistic and leads to singular stresses (that is, stresses that
approach infinity near the simply supported vertex). You should disregard stress and elastic strain values
in the vicinity of the simply supported vertex.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Simply Supported:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Simply Supported. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Simply Supported.

2. Specify Scoping Method and Geometry or Named Selection.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selec-

tion. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of
geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary
has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a

Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Simply Supported.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Fixed Rotation
You can apply a Fixed Rotation boundary condition to faces, edges, and vertices of a surface body.
When you only apply a fixed rotation support to a surface body, the geometry is free in all transla-
tional directions. However, by default, the rotation of the geometry is fixed about the axes of the
corresponding coordinate system.

Note:

• Rotation constraints are combined with other constraints that produce rotational DOF
assignments to determine which values to apply. They are combined with all other

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

constraints to determine the Nodal Coordinate System orientation (frictionless supports,

cylindrical supports, given displacements, etc.).

• There may be circumstances in which the rotational support and other constraints
cannot resolve a discrepancy for preference of a particular node’s coordinate system.

Analysis Types
A Fixed Rotation is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Explicit Dynamics

• Modal (p. 283)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Fixed Rotation boundary condition include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported - Surface Body only.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Fixed Rotation.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

– A fixed vertex rotation support is not realistic and leads to singular stresses (that is, stresses that ap-
proach infinity near the fixed vertex rotation support). You should disregard stress and elastic strain
values in the vicinity of the fixed vertex rotation support.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

– This boundary condition cannot be applied to a vertex scoped to an end release (p. 1048).

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Fixed Rotation:

• In the Details view, select Free or Fixed for Rotation X, Rotation Y, and Rotation Z to define the
fixed rotation support.

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Fixed Rotation. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Fixed Rotation.

2. Specify Scoping Method and Geometry or Named Selection.

3. As needed, specify the coordinate system for the corresponding rotational constraint.

4. Define the rotational axes as Fixed (default) or Free.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection - Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection - Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named
Selections.

Definition Type - Read-only field that describes the object - Fixed Rotation.

Coordinate System - Drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global

Coordinate System is the default.

Rotation X - Fixed (default) or Free.

Rotation Y - Fixed (default) or Free.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Rotation Z - Fixed (default) or Free.

Suppressed - Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Caution:

When parameterizing this boundary condition, a Free axis of rotation

is represented by a one (1) and Fixed with a value of zero (0) inside
the Parameter tab in ANSYS Workbench (outside of Mechanical).
Entering any value other than 0 or 1 causes the application to
produce unexpected results.

Elastic Support
Allows one or more faces (3D) or edges (2D) to move or deform according to a spring behavior.
The Elastic Support is based on a Foundation Stiffness set in the Details view, which is defined
as the pressure required to produce a unit normal deflection of the foundation.

Analysis Types
An Elastic Support is available for the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal (p. 283)

• Modal Acoustics (p. 304)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Elastic Support boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Elastic Support.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported.

• Edge: Supported - 2D Only.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply an Elastic Support:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Supports>Elastic Support. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Elastic Support.

2. Specify Scoping Method and Geometry or Named Selection.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection - Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection - Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Named
Selections.

Definition Type - Read-only field that describes the object - Elastic Support.

Suppressed - Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Foundation Stiffness

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Conditions Type Boundary Conditions

The boundary conditions contained under the Conditions heading are listed below.

• Coupling (p. 1376)

• Constraint Equation (p. 1378)

• Pipe Idealization (p. 1380)

• Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383)

• Element Birth and Death (p. 1391)

• Contact Step Control (p. 1395)

• Plastic Heating (p. 1399)

• Viscoelastic Heating (p. 1400)

Coupling
While setting up a model for analysis, you can establish relationships among the different degrees
of freedom of the model by physically modeling the part or a contact condition. However, sometimes
there is a need to be able to model distinctive features of a geometry (for example, models that
have equipotential surfaces) which cannot be adequately described with the physical part or contact.
In this instance, you can create a set of surfaces/edges/vertices which have a coupled degree of
freedom by using the Coupling boundary condition.

Coupling the degrees of freedom of a set of geometric entity constrains the results calculated for
one member of the set to be the same for all members of the set.

Analysis Types
Coupling is available for the following analysis types:

• Electric Analysis (p. 253)

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

• Thermal-Electric Analysis (p. 443)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. Apply to one or more faces or edges or at least two vertices.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Apply to one or more edges or at least two vertices.

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Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Coupling boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Coupling.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Supported 3D Only.

• Edge: Supported.

• Vertex: Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Coupling boundary condition:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Conditions>Coupling. Or, right-click the Environment tree
object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Coupling.

2. Define the Scoping Method.

Restrictions

Make sure that you meet the following restrictions when scoping Coupling.

• You cannot specify more than one Coupling (the same DOF) on the same geometric entity, such as two
edges sharing a common vertex or two faces sharing a common edge.

• Coupling should not be applied to a geometric entity that also has a constraint applied to it.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection - Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection - Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Named
Selections.

Definition DOF Selection - For a Thermal-Electric analysis, select either Temperature or

Voltage, otherwise this is a read-only field displaying the DOF selection type.

Suppressed - Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

Coupling is achieved through the use of the CP command.

Constraint Equation
This feature allows you to relate the motion of different portions of a model through the use of an
equation. The equation relates the degrees of freedom (DOF) of one or more Remote Points (p. 789)
for Harmonic, Harmonic Acoustics, Modal, Modal (Samcef), Static Structural, Static Structural
(Samcef), or Transient Structural systems, or one or more joints for the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics
solver.

For example, the motion along the X direction of one remote point (Remote Point A) could be
made to follow the motion of another remote point (Remote Point B) along the Z direction by:

0 = [1/mm ∙ Remote Point A (X Displacement)] - [1/mm ∙ Remote Point B (Z Displacement)]

The equation is a linear combination of the DOF values. Thus, each term in the equation is defined
by a coefficient followed by a node (Remote Point) and a degree of freedom label. Summation of
the linear combination may be set to a non-zero value. For example:

7 = [4.1/mm ∙ Remote Point A (X Displacement)] + [1/rad ∙ Remote Vertex(Rotation Z)]

Similarly, for the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver, to make the rotational velocity of gear A (Revolute
A) to follow the rotational velocity of gear B (Revolute B), in the Z direction, the following constraint
equation should be written:

0 = [1/rad ∙ Revolute A (Omega Z)] - [1/rad ∙ Revolute B (Omega Z)]

This equation is a linear combination of the Joints DOF values. Thus, each term in the equation is
defined by a coefficient followed by a joint and a degree of freedom label. Summation of the linear
combination may be set to a non-zero value. For example:

7 = [4.1/mm ∙ Joint A (X Velocity)] + [1/rad ∙ Joint B (Omega Z)]

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Note that the Joints DOF can be expressed in terms of velocities or accelerations. However, all terms
in the equation will be based on the same nature of degrees of freedom, that is, all velocities or
all accelerations.

To apply a constraint equation support:

1. Insert a Constraint Equation object by:

a. Selecting Constraint Equation from the Conditions drop-down menu on the Context tab.

Or...

b. Right-clicking on the environment object and selecting Insert> Constraint Equation.

2. In the Details view, enter a constant value that will represent one side of the constraint equation. The
default constant value is zero.

3. In the Worksheet, right-click in the first row and choose Add, then enter data to represent the opposite
side of the equation. For the first term of the equation, enter a value for the Coefficient, then select
entries for Remote Point or Joint and DOF Selection. Add a row and enter similar data for each sub-
sequent term of the equation. The resulting equation displays as you enter the data.

Using the example presented above, a constant value of 7 is entered into the Details view, and
the data shown in the table is entered in the Worksheet.

Note:

For Harmonic, Modal, Static Structural, and Transient Structural systems, the first
unique degree of freedom in the equation is eliminated in terms of all other degrees of
freedom in the equation. A unique degree of freedom is one which is not specified in
any other constraint equation, coupled node set, specified displacement set, or master
degree of freedom set. You should make the first term of the equation be the degree
of freedom to be eliminated. Although you may, in theory, specify the same degree of
freedom in more than one equation, you must be careful to avoid over-specification.

Constraint Equation Characteristics

• In the Worksheet, you can insert rows, modify an existing row, or delete a row.

• A local coordinate system is defined in each remote point that is used.

• The constant term is treated as a value with no unit of measure.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Coefficients for X Displacement, Y Displacement, Z Displacement, X Velocity, Y Velocity, Z Velocity, X

Acceleration, Y Acceleration, and Z Acceleration have a unit of 1/length.

• Coefficients for Rotation X, Rotation Y, Rotation Z, Omega X, Omega Y, Omega Z, Omega Dot X, Omega
Dot Y, and Omega Dot Z have a unit of 1/angle. Note that in a velocity based constraint equation,
coefficients use angle units and not rotational velocity units.

• If you change a DOF such that the unit type of a coefficient also changes (for example, rotation to dis-
placement, or vice versa), then the coefficient resets to 0.

• You can parameterize the constant value entered in the Details view.

• The state for the Constraint Equation object will be under-defined (? in the tree) under the following
circumstances:

– There are no rows with valid selections.

– Remote Points being used are underdefined or suppressed.

– Joints being used are underdefined or suppressed.

– The analysis type does not support this feature.

– The selected DOFs are invalid for the analysis (2D versus 3D, or remote point versus joints DOFs).

• The graphic user interface does not check for overconstraint.

Pipe Idealization
Pipe Idealization is a (boundary) condition used to model pipes that have cross-section distortion.
This is common for curved pipe structures under loading. It is related to the mesh and acts much
like a mesh control. Pipe elements are created by meshing lines or curves.

Prerequisites
1. In the Line Body’s (Geometry Object) Details view Definition category, the Model Type option must
be set to Pipe.

2. The scoped line-body must be meshed with higher order elements. This means that the Element Order
option under the Defaults group of the Mesh Object must be set to Quadratic. If not, the solver reports
an error.

Extend Elbow Elements

You can extend the elbow elements to adjacent edges within the same body in order to reduce
the boundary effects caused by the incompatible section deformation between edges modeled as
straight pipes and high deformation pipes (elbows). If you do not want to extend the elements,
under the Extend to Adjacent Elements section of the Details panel set Extend to No. To extend
the elements, set Extend to Factor. You can then enter a Factor value, which will extend the ele-
ments to the adjacent edge up to a length of factor times selected pipe diameter. If the length
calculated by factor times pipe diameter is less than the length of one element, it will still be exten-
ded by one element.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Support Limitations
Note the following limitations for this condition.

• If one or more of the elbow elements has a subtended angle of more than 45 degrees, a warning is re-
ported. The solution can proceed, or you may want to use a finer mesh for better results.

• Pipe Idealization cannot be use with symmetry.

• Although the solution will account for cross section distortions, the graphics rendering for the results
will display the cross sections in their original shape.

• Given elbow elements (ELBOW290) with inner pipe temperature specifications only, the application
will, by default, specify this inner temperature as outer temperature as well.

Analysis Types
Pipe Idealization is available for the following analysis types:

• Modal (p. 283)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported - Line Bodies Only. Apply to one or more edges or at least two vertices.

• 2D Simulation: Not Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Pipe Idealization boundary condition include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Pipe Idealization.

• Body: Not Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Supported. It can only be scoped to edges that have been modeled as pipes. It can be scoped
directly to the geometry or to a Named Selection containing edges that are modeled as pipes.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Supported - for node-based Named Selections

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Pipe Idealization:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Conditions>Pipe Idealization. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Pipe Idealization.

2. Verify that in the Details panel for the Mesh object, Element Order in the Defaults group is set to
Quadratic.

3. If you choose to Extend to Adjacent Elements, enter a Factor.

4. Define the Scoping Method.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection - Default setting, indicating that the boundary condition

is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric
entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been
applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection - Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Named
Selections.

Definition Suppressed - Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Formulation - Read-only field defined as Curved/Deformed.

Extend to Ad- Extend - Do not extend to adjacent elements (No) or specify as Factor (default).
jacent Ele-
ments Factor

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Pipe element types include PIPE288 (3D two-node pipe) and PIPE289 (3D three-node pipe).

• If a pipe idealization is scoped to a pipe, the underneath PIPE289 elements of the pipe are modified to
ELBOW290 elements.

Nonlinear Adaptive Region

The Nonlinear Adaptive Region condition enables you to change the mesh during the solution
phase to improve precision without incurring a great deal of computational penalties. The Nonlinear
Adaptive Region feature is completely automatic. It does not require any user input during the
solution phase. It acts as a remesh controller based on certain criteria. The criteria determine
whether or not the mesh requires modification and, if so, which parts need to be modified. This
feature is based on load stepping, requiring you to define a number of steps for your analysis, while
also allowing you to activate and/or deactivate the feature on a per step basis.

This condition may be useful for nonlinear problems that experience convergence difficulties or
accuracy issues because of elemental distortions. Large deformation problems are best suited to
the use of the condition. However, it is also useful for cases where large deformation is small but
requires mesh adaptation to better capture the physics and give a more accurate solution. Review
the Nonlinear Mesh Adaptivity Usage Considerations section of the Nonlinear Adaptivity Analysis
Guide for more information about analysis cases when the feature can be useful.

Requirements
The Nonlinear Adaptive Region condition requires the Store Results At property to be set to All
Time Points in the Output Controls category of the Analysis Settings.

Preprocessing Support Limitations

Note the following limitations for this condition.

• It is not supported for Convergence.

• Cannot be used in combination with the following features/conditions on the same part:

– Cyclic Symmetry

– Beam Contact Formulation

– Contact Behaviors: Auto Asymmetric

– Point Mass, Beam Connection, Joints, Spring, and Bearing

– Remote Force, Remote Displacement, Moment, Thermal Condition, and Remote Point

– Spatially varying boundary conditions

• Cannot be used in combination with the following boundary conditions:

– Coupling

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

– Constraint Equation

• Cannot be used in combination with Weak Springs (p. 1121) (COMBIN14 element).

• The following materials properties are not supported:

– Cast Iron

– Concrete

– Cohesive Zone

– Damage Initiation Criteria and Damage Evolution Law

– Microplane

– Shape Memory Alloy

– Swelling

• When linking analyses, you cannot apply the solution phase modified mesh to the linked system.

• When using the Nonlinear Adaptive Region during the restart of an analysis, the Nonlinear Adaptive
Region object does not support Named Selections if your model contains a mesh change prior to the
restart point.

• If your analysis failed to converge and you are adding a new Nonlinear Adaptive Region object, it is
necessary that the contact object property, Behavior, was set to either Symmetric or Asymmetric for
the initial solution that was processed.

• When the Mesh option is specified for the Criterion property:

– does not support high order elements for 2D analyses.

– does not support self-contact for 3D analyses.

Post Processing Support Limitations

Because this condition causes mesh changes during the course of the solution process, there are
result scoping limitations.

• Only Body scoping is permitted (for bodies whose meshes will change). Therefore, if you scope
any result or probe on a vertex, edge, or face of a body that experiences a mesh change, the ana-
lysis will not solve. This limitation is a result of the base mesh of the body being represented by
nodes only. This limitation also applies to probes scoped to boundary conditions (via Location
Method property).

• Element selection on a result is not supported.

• Does not support the multiple result set options (p. 1498) of the By property: Maximum Over
Time/Time of Maximum or Minimum Over Time/Time of Minimum.

• Penetration plot following remesh may show the curve discontinuity.

• Is not supported when transferring the deformed geometry (p. 744) and mesh of a Deformation
result.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• When using the Deformation result tracker (p. 1748) to graph displacement, note there is a display
limitation for the graph. The tracker reads and displays data contained in the jobname.nlh file.
This file contains incremental displacement data collected after re-meshing occurs. That is, the re-
meshed model is considered as a new reference.

Analysis Types
Nonlinear Adaptive Region is available for Static Structural (p. 434) analyses.

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common characteristics that include application requirements
of the condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported for tetrahedral elements.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Nonlinear Adaptive Region condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Not Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Nonlinear Adaptive Region.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Elements: Supported - for element-based Named Selections only.

Note:

– Elements must be of the same element type, material, nodal orientation, and element
orientation.

– If two regions with different element or material attributes require re-meshing, you
must impose nonlinear adaptive regions separately.

– The application does not support mixed order Tetrahedral mesh elements defined
on one region or when used with multiple regions.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Condition Application
To apply a Nonlinear Adaptive Region:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Conditions>Nonlinear Adaptive Region. Or, right-click the
Environment tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Nonlinear Adaptive Region.

2. Specify the Scoping Method.

Note:

You can scope multiple Nonlinear Adaptive Regions to the same entity to give
yourself more control on multiple load step settings that are local to the Nonlinear
Adaptive Region condition.

3. Specify the Criterion property: options include Energy, Box, and Mesh. Following your selection, the
Analysis Settings category Nonlinear Adaptivity Remeshing Controls (p. 1128) becomes available and
you may modify the available properties as needed.

If Energy... If Box... If Mesh...

Define an Define the following For 3D Analyses
Energy properties. The origin of Specify one of the following for the
Coeffi- Coordinate System gives the Options property.
cient minimum values of the box,
value. The and the Length property • Skewness
Energy provides the diagonal length
Coeffi- of box. Length values must • Jacobian Ratio
cient must be positive numbers.
• Skewness and Jacobian Ratio
be
non-negative. • Coordinate System
Based on your selection, define a:
Default (default is Global
numeric Coordinate System) • Skewness Value for the mesh
value is 1. elements. The value must be
If you select a local
between 0 (equilateral) and 1
coordinate system, it
(degenerate). A larger value
must be a Cartesian
reduces the chance of a remesh
coordinate system
to take place. The default value
and may not include
is 0.9.
rotation angles.
• Jacobian Ratio Value for the
• Length X
mesh elements. This value
• Length Y defines the maximum Jacobian
ratio at element integration
• Length Z (for 3D) points. The value must be
The Box option defines a region between -1 and 1. The default
on the model value is 0.1.

For 2D Analyses
Specify a Maximum Corner Angle for
the mesh elements. The value must be

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

If Energy... If Box... If Mesh...

between 0° - 180°. The default setting
is 160°.

Note:

Mesh is the recommended

setting for the Criterion
property.

4. Specify the Check At property as either Equally Spaced Points or Specified Recurrence Rate.

5. Enter the Value property based on the Check At property selection. This value must be an integer.
Default integer value is 1.

6. Specify the Time Range property as Entire Load Step or Manual. If Manual, specify Start Time and
End Time values. The start and end time values regulate the effective range of possible remeshing.
No remeshing will occur at a time outside of this range.

7. When the condition is defined, the Graph and Tabular Data windows provide a right-mouse click
option to Deactivate (or Activate) the condition for a desired load step. No remeshing will occur at
the deactivated load step as the NLADAPTIVE command is set to OFF. The default setting is Activated.
For a restart analysis, the application sets the newly added Nonlinear Adaptive Region to Deactivated.

Note:

You may wish to review the Activation/Deactivation of Loads topic in the Step
Controls (p. 1110) section of the Help. The Nonlinear Adaptive Region condition is
displayed in the graph for the Analysis Settings object.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the condition is applied

to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection
tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body) and the number of
geometric entities (1 Body, 2 Bodies) to which the condition has been applied
using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined element-based (only) Named Selections.

You may wish to review the Mechanical APDL References and Notes at the
bottom of the page for specific command execution information regarding
these selections.
Definition Criterion: options included Energy, Box, or Mesh.

Energy
If Energy is selected, you need to enter an Energy Coefficient.

Energy Coefficient: This criterion checks the strain energy of any element
that is part of the defined component using the following calculation. A
component is defined as the assembly of all scoped elements.

where:

• Ee = strain energy of single target element.

• c1 = user input energy coefficient.

• Etotal = total strain energy of the component.

• NUME = number of elements of the component.

If this criterion is satisfied at an element, the program refines the element.

A smaller Energy Coefficient improves the potential to trigger the mesh
regeneration for the same loads.

Box
If Box is selected, the following additional properties require entries:

• Coordinate System (default is Global Coordinate System): defines the

minimum values of the box.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
• Length X: defines the diagonal length on global X axis.

• Length Y: defines the diagonal length on global Y axis.

• Length Z (for 3D): defines the diagonal length on global Z axis

Mesh
If you select the Mesh option, the Options property displays and the available
options are based on the whether your analysis is 3D or 2D. For 3D analyses, the
options include Skewness, Jacobian Ratio, or Skewness and Jacobian Ratio.
For 2D analyses, the Options property is read-only and the application sets it to
Shape.

For 3D analyses, if the Options property is set to either Skewness or

Skewness and Jacobian Ratio, you need to enter a Skewness Value for
the mesh elements. The element skewness is defined as:

Skewness = (Vreg - Vel) / Vreg

Where:

Vel is the volume of the element under calculation and Vreg is the volume
of the standard tetrahedral linear element located in the same sphere as
the element under calculation. When the element under calculation has an
ideal shape (that of a standard tetrahedral element), Vreg = Vel and Skewness
Value = 0.

When the element under calculation has the least ideal shape (that of a flat
element), Vel = 0 and Skewness Value = 1.

Therefore, for the linear tetrahedral element, Skewness Value is always

between 0 and 1, with 1 being a flat element. The default value is 0.9. The
recommended Skewness Value is approximately 0.85 to 0.9.

For 2D analyses, the Shape setting also includes the Maximum Corner
Angle property. The entry range for this property is 0° - 180°. The default
setting of 160° is recommended. An element is remeshed when any of its
corner angles reach the specified value.

For 3D analyses when the Option property is set to Jacobian Ratio or

Skewness and Jacobian Ratio, you need to enter a Jacobian Ratio Value
for the mesh elements. This value defines the maximum Jacobian ratio at
element integration points. The default value is 0.1.

Check At: options included Equally Spaced Points or Specified Recurrence

Rate.

Value: This property further defines the Check At property. The default value
is 1.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Time Range: options included Entire Load Step or Manual. When specified
as Manual, you need to enter a Start Time and End Time. The End Time value
must be larger than the Start Time value.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the condition.

View Changed Mesh Results

Following the solution process, to determine if the mesh was changed:

• Select the Solution object or a Result object, the Tabular Data window displays the substeps with
a changed mesh (Changed Mesh column = Yes).

• Select the Solution Information object and set the Solution Output property to Force Conver-
gence. A chart displays. Remesh Points are shown by solid orange vertical lines.

• Create a User Defined Result (p. 1658) (using the PNUMELEM Expression) to view the new elements
that have relatively larger element identities than the original element identities. You can duplicate
this result and specify a Result Set (By property) for a result prior to a remesh and one at a remesh
point, and using the Viewports (p. 194) feature, directly compare the (before and after) elements
in the graphics window.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this condition.

• The Nonlinear Adaptive Region is applied with the NLADAPTIVE command.

• When the Scoping property is defined as Geometry, the Nonlinear Adaptive Region condition uses
the CM command to create the Nonlinear Adaptive Region component.

• When the Scoping property is defined as a Named Selection, the Nonlinear Adaptive Region condition
uses the CMBLOCK command to create the Nonlinear Adaptive Region component.

• The CMSEL,ALL command and the ESEL,ALL command are issued at beginning of the NLADAPTIVE
command.

• During a Structural Analysis, the Nonlinear Adaptive Region is applied using the PLANE182 (2-D Low
Order), PLANE183 (2-D High Order), SOLID285 (3-D Linear Tetrahedral), and SOLID187 (3-D Quadratic
Tetrahedral) element types.

• When a Nonlinear Adaptive Region is scoped to a body/element, the associated part is meshed with
SOLID285 element type if they are linear tetrahedral or SOLID187 element type if they are quadratic
tetrahedral.

• When a Nonlinear Adaptive Region is deactivated for certain steps, the NLADAPTIVE command is
set to be OFF in the corresponding load steps. Relatively, an activated Nonlinear Adaptive Region sets
the NLADAPTIVE command to be ON.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• When a Nonlinear Adaptive Region is applied, the ETCONTROL,SET command is not issued.

Note:

For additional guidance about how to best use this feature, see the Mesh Nonlinear
Adaptivity Hints and Recommendations section in the Mechanical APDL Advanced Analysis
Guide.

Nonlinear Adaptive Region Solving Limitations

The purpose of nonlinear adaptive region is to repair a distorted mesh in order to overcome con-
vergence problems caused by the distortion. It is effective only when the mesh distortion is caused
by a large, nonuniform deformation. Nonlinear adaptive region cannot help if divergence occurs
for any other reason such as unstable material, unstable structures, or numerical instabilities.

Unstable Material

Most nonlinear material models, especially those employing hyperelastic materials, have their own
applicable ranges. When a deformation is too large or a stress state exceeds the applicable range,
the material may become unstable. The instability can manifest itself as a mesh distortion, but
nonlinear adaptive region cannot help in such cases. While it is sometimes difficult to determine
when material is unstable, you can check the strain values, stress states, and convergence patterns.
A sudden convergence difficulty could mean that material is no longer stable. The program also
issues a warning at the beginning of the solution indicating when hyperelastic material could be
unstable, although such a warning is very preliminary and applies only to cases involving simple
stress states.

Unstable Structures

For some geometries and loads, a deformation may cause a "snap-through," or local buckling. Such
behavior can also manifest itself as a mesh distortion, but one that nonlinear adaptive region cannot
repair. The effect is usually easy to detect by closely checking the deformed region or the load-
versus- time (displacement) curve.

Numerical Instabilities

A condition of numerical instability can occur when a problem is nearly overconstrained. The con-
straints can include kinematic constraints such as applied displacements, couplings, and constraint
equations, and volumetric constraints introduced by fully incompressible material in mixed u-P
elements. In many cases, numerical instability is apparent even in the early stages of an analysis.

Element Birth and Death

The Element Birth and Death object enables you to activate and/or deactivate the element status
for a specific load step in your analysis.

When you deactivate an element or elements (Death), the solver does not remove elements. Instead,
the solver deactivates the elements by multiplying their stiffness (or conductivity, or other analogous
quantity) by a reduction factor so severe that the application renders the elements inactive.

Any load associated with deactivated elements:

• Zero-out of the loading vector. This includes, mass, damping, specific heat, and other such effects.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Does not include the mass and energy of deactivated elements in the summations over the model.

The application also sets strains to zero as soon as that element is deactivated.

Likewise, for activated elements (Alive), the application does not add the elements to the model;
they are simply reactivated. You need to first deactivate an element in order to reactivate the element
for the desired load step.

When you reactivate elements, stiffness, mass, element loads, etc., return to their original values.
The application reactivates elements with no record of strain history (heat storage, etc.); the applic-
ation considers reactivated elements to be generally strain-free. However, thermal strains are
computed for newly-activated elements based on the current step temperature and the reference
temperature. Therefore, newborn elements with thermal loads may not be stress-free as intended.

This feature is useful for analyzing excavation (as in mining and tunneling), staged construction (as
in shored bridge erection), sequential assembly (as in fabrication of layered computer chips), and
many other applications in which you can easily identify activated or deactivated elements by their
known locations.

Element Birth and Death Requirements

Review the following guidelines when applying the Element Birth and Death object:

• You cannot apply Constraint Equations to inactive DOFs. Inactive DOFs occur when a node has no
active (Alive) elements attached to it.

• You can model stress-relieving operations (such as annealing) by deactivating and then reactivating
elements.

• During nonlinear analyses, do not deactivate or reactivate elements in such a way as to create
singularities (such as sharp re-entrant corners in a structural analysis) or sudden large changes in
stiffness. Convergence difficulties may result.

• The Program Controlled setting for the Newton-Raphson Option property (Analysis Set-
tings>Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147)) automatically specifies the Full setting if a Dead element status
is detected.

• The Nonlinear Solution read-only property (Analysis Settings > Analysis Data Management)
is automatically set to the Yes setting.

• In order to obtain a good result, it is recommended that you set the Large Deflection property
(Analysis Settings>Solver Controls (p. 1122)) to On.

• If you deactivate a Contact Region using the Contact Step Control (p. 1395) feature or if you deac-
tivate the underlying elements of a Contact Region using the Element Birth and Death feature,
the application changes the status of the contact pair to far field contact (open and not near contact).
This includes bonded contact. To reestablish the pre-death contact status when reactivating the
Contact Region, you may need to deactivate both the Contact Region and their underlying ele-
ments.

For additional information, see the Element Birth and Death topic in the Mechanical APDL Advanced
Analysis Guide.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Limitations
The solution restart capability is not currently supported if you are using the Element Birth and
Death feature.

Analysis Types
Element Controls is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Steady-State Thermal

• Transient Thermal

• Thermal-Electric

• Electric

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common condition characteristics that include application re-
quirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Element Birth and Death boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Element Birth and Death.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Elements: Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Element Birth and Death condition:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Conditions>Element Birth and Death. Or, right-click the
Environment tree object or within the Geometry window and select Insert>Element Birth and
Death.

2. Define your Scoping Method and select geometry.

3. Define the desired number of steps in the Step Controls (p. 1110) category of the Analysis Settings.

4. Select a desired step in the Current Step property of the Element Birth and Death object.

5. Specify the Status of each load step as desired, Alive or Dead. The default setting for each step is
Alive. The Graph and Tabular Data windows each provide the right-click option Swap Status. This
option also changes the Status of a load step.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Properties/Options/Descriptions
Scope Scoping Method - Options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the condition is applied

to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection
tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Displays the type of geometry (Body or element only) and the number of
geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Bodies) to which the condition
has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Se-
lection. This field provides a drop-down list of available body- or
element-based Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Element Birth and Death.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Properties/Options/Descriptions
Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the condition.
Step Controls Current Step: This property displays the currently selected Step. This step is
also highlighted in the Graph window.

Status. The options for this property include:

• Alive: Scoped bodies/elements for the current step are active.

• Dead: Scoped bodies/elements for the current step are deactivated.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands and considerations are applicable for this condition.

• In order to create the Element Birth and Death component, the application uses the CM command
for body-based scoping and the CMBLOCK command for element-based scoping.

• When the application completes the creation of the Element Birth and Death components, it issues
the ALLSEL,ALL command.

• The application issues the EKILL command when the Status is changed from Alive to Dead or
Dead at the first step.

• The application issues the EALIVE command when the Status is changed from Dead to Alive.

Contact Step Control

The Contact Step Control condition enables you to activate or deactivate specific contact regions
on a load-step basis during your analysis. It also enables you to specify the Normal Stiffness for a
specific load step. This condition is similar to the Element Birth and Death (p. 1391) condition that
activates/deactivates element status for a specific load step.

Automatic Property Specification

Note the following application controlled actions that occur when applying the Contact Step
Control object:

• The Program Controlled setting for the Small Sliding property (Contact Region > Advanced)
defaults to the Off setting.

• The Program Controlled setting for the Newton-Raphson Option property (Analysis Settings
> Nonlinear Controls) automatically specifies the Full setting if a Dead element status is detected.

• The Nonlinear Solution read-only property (Analysis Settings > Analysis Data Management)
is automatically set to the Yes setting.

Recommendation
In order to obtain a good result, it is recommended that you set the Large Deflection property
(Analysis Settings > Solver Controls (p. 1122)) to On setting.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

If you deactivate a Contact Region using the Contact Step Control (p. 1395) feature or if you deac-
tivate the underlying elements of a Contact Region using the Element Birth and Death feature,
the application changes the status of the contact pair to far field contact (open and not near contact).
This includes bonded contact. To reestablish the pre-death contact status when reactivating the
Contact Region, you may need to deactivate both the Contact Region and their underlying ele-
ments.

Limitations
The solution restart capability is not currently supported if you are using the Contact Step Control
feature.

Analysis Types
Contact Step Control is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Steady-State Thermal

• Transient Thermal

• Thermal-Electric

• Electric

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common condition characteristics that include application re-
quirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Contact Step Control boundary condition
include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: Topology selection is not required for this condition. Scoping is based on contact regions.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Contact Step Control condition:

1. On the Environment Context tab: click Conditions>Contact Step Control. Or, right-click the Envir-
onment tree object or within the Geometry window and select Insert>Contact Step Control.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

2. Select the desired Contact Region.

Note:

In addition to the above actions, you can drag and drop a Contact Region onto the
Environment (e.g., Static Structural) object to automatically create a Contact Step
Control condition scoped to the given Contact Region.

3. Specify the Normal Stiffness property. Options include From Contact Region, Factor, or Absolute
Value.

4. Select a desired step in the Current Step property.

5. Specify the Status of each load step as desired, Alive or Dead. The default setting for each step is
Alive. The Graph and Tabular Data windows each provide the right-click option Swap Status. This
option also changes the Status of a load step.

6. If you specify the Normal Stiffness property as Factor or Absolute Value, specify the Normal Stiffness
Factor or Normal Stiffness Value properties for each load step. The values can also be specified in
the Tabular Data window.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Properties/Options/Descriptions
Scope Scoping Method: This is a read-only property set to Contact Region.

Contact Region: Select the desired Contact Region from the drop-down list.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Properties/Options/Descriptions
Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the object - Contact Step Control.

Normal Stiffness: The options for this property include the following.

• From Contact Region (default): This setting uses the Contact Region’s
definition for Normal Stiffness. The application makes no modifications for
contact normal stiffness due to the Contact Step Control. The Normal Stiffness
column is hidden in the Tabular Data window.

• Factor: This setting defines Normal Stiffness as a factor for each load step.

• Absolute Value: This setting defines the Normal Stiffness as a value for each
load step.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the condition.

Step Controls Current Step: This property displays the currently selected Step. This step is
also highlighted in the Graph window.

Status. The options for this property include:

• Alive: Scoped Contact Region for the current step is active.

• Dead: Scoped Contact Region for the current step is deactivated.

Normal Stiffness Factor: This property becomes available when you set the
Normal Stiffness property as Factor. Enter a Normal Stiffness Factor for the
current step. This is a unit-less entry and only non-zero positive values are
supported. The usual factor range is from 0.01 - 10. See the Normal
Stiffness (p. 919) topic in the Advanced Settings section of the contact
documentation for more information.

Normal Stiffness Value: This property becomes available when you set the
Normal Stiffness property as Absolute Value. Enter the Normal Stiffness
Value for the current step. The unit of measure for this property is
[Force]/[Length]3 for a traction-based model and [Force]/[Length] for a
force-based model. Only non-zero positive values are supported. See the Normal
Stiffness (p. 919) topic in the Advanced Settings section of the contact
documentation for more information.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands and considerations are applicable for this condition.

• The application issues the ESEL command to select the contact elements by type number.

• The application issues the EKILL command when the Status property is changed from Alive to
Dead or Dead at the first step.

• The application issues the EALIVE command when the Status property is changed from Dead to
Alive.

• The application issues the RMODIF command to modify the Normal Stiffness Factor property or
the Normal Stiffness Value property.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Plastic Heating
The Plastic Heating boundary condition enables the thermoplastic effect, that manifests itself as
an increase in temperature, during plastic deformation due to the conversion of some of the plastic
work into heat.

Analysis Types
Plastic Heating is available for the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Static (p. 244)

• Coupled Field Transient (p. 246)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Viscoelastic Heating boundary condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported (2D Only).

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Viscoelastic Heating.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Plastic Heating:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

1. On the Environment Context tab, select Plastic Heating from the Conditions drop-down menu of
the Structural group. Or, right-click the Environment object or within the Geometry window and
select Insert>Plastic Heating.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Specify the Plastic Work Fraction.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Plastic Work Fraction: This value defines the fraction of work
that is converted to heat.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Thermoplasticity

Viscoelastic Heating
This condition converts Viscoelastic loss to heat. The Viscoelastic Heating object must be scoped
to a body whose material assignment includes the Viscoelastic material properties Prony Shear
Relaxation and Prony Volumetric Relaxation, as defined in Engineering Data.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Analysis Types
Viscoelastic Heating is available for the following analysis types:

• Coupled Field Static (p. 244)

• Coupled Field Transient (p. 246)

Common Characteristics
This section describes the characteristics of the boundary condition, including the application re-
quirements, support limitations, and loading definitions and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Viscoelastic Heating boundary condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported (2D Only).

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The following topology selection options are supported for Viscoelastic Heating.

• Body: Supported.

• Face: Not Supported.

• Edge: Not Supported.

• Vertex: Not Supported.

• Nodes: Not Supported.

• Element Face: Not Supported.

• Element: Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Viscoelastic Heating:

1. On the Environment Context tab, select Viscoelastic Heating from the Conditions drop-down menu
of the Structural group. Or, right-click the Environment object or within the Geometry window and
select Insert>Viscoelastic Heating.

2. Define the Scoping Method as either Geometry Selection or Named Selection and then specify the
geometry.

3. Specify the Viscoelastic Loss Fraction.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that the boundary

condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen
using a graphical selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the
number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to
which the boundary has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined

by a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Viscoelastic Loss Fraction: This value defines the fraction of work
that is converted to heat.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary

condition.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

The following Mechanical APDL commands, element types, and considerations are applicable for
this boundary condition.

• Thermoviscoelasticity

Direct FE Type Boundary Conditions

The Direct Finite Element (FE) menu contains options that allow you to apply boundary conditions
directly to the nodes on the finite element mesh of a model. These boundary conditions are scoped
via node-based Named Selections (p. 761). They differ from geometry based boundary conditions in
the fact that they are applied directly to the nodes during solution calculations whereas geometry-
based boundary conditions are applied through special loading elements such as SURF, CONTAC, or
FOLLW201 elements.

These boundary conditions are applied in the Nodal Coordinate System (except Nodal Pressure).
Direct FE boundary conditions cannot be applied to nodes that are already scoped with geometry-
based constraints which may modify the Nodal Coordinate system.

The boundary conditions contained under the Direct FE heading are listed below.
Nodal Orientation
Nodal Force

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Nodal Pressure
Nodal Displacement
Nodal Rotation
EM (Electro-Mechanical) Transducer

Nodal Orientation
Nodal Orientation objects are meant to rotate the nodes to a given coordinate system that you
select in the GUI. By inserting a Nodal Orientation object and scoping it to a subset of nodes, you
can create a Nodal Coordinate System and apply nodal rotations to the scoped nodes. Later, other
node based boundary conditions (Nodal Force, Nodal Displacements, and Nodal Rotations) can use
these Nodal Coordinate Systems.

When two or more Nodal Orientations prescribe different Nodal Coordinate Systems at a single
node, the object that is added last (in the tree) is applied.

Analysis Types
Nodal Orientation is available for the following analysis types:

• Modal (p. 283)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Nodal Orientation boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The Nodal Orientation boundary condition is scoped via node-based Named Selections
only. See the Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185) Help section for more
information.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Boundary Condition Application

To define Nodal Orientation and apply it to nodes:

1. On the Environment Context tab, click Direct FE > Nodal Orientation. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Nodal Orientation.

2. Click the Named Selection drop-down list and then select the node-based Named Selection to pre-
scribe the scope of the boundary conditions.

3. Select the coordinate system that you want to use to define nodal orientation.

Details View Properties

The Details View selections are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: read-only field that displays scoping method – Named
Selection (p. 761).

Named Selection: drop-down list of available node-based Named

Selections.

Coordinate System: drop-down list of available coordinate systems. The

selected system is used to orientate the nodes in the Named Selection.
Definition Suppressed: includes or excludes the boundary condition in the analysis.

Nodal Force
Using a Nodal Force, you can apply a force to an individual node or a set of nodes. You must create
a node-based Named Selection before you can apply a Nodal Force. The Nodal Force that you
apply in Mechanical is represented as an F Command in the Mechanical APDL application.

Note:

A Nodal Force object may be added during Solution Restart (p. 1724) without losing the
restart points.

Analysis Types
Nodal Force is available for the following analysis types:

• Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257) (for Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis only)

• Explicit Dynamics

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Nodal Force boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The Nodal Force boundary condition is scoped via node-based Named Selections only.
See the Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185) Help section for more inform-
ation.

Note:

The Nodal Force boundary condition supports spatially varying loading on the scoped
nodes for Static and Transient analyses only. For Harmonic Response and Eigenvalue
Buckling analyses, only constant loading conditions are supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Nodal Force:

1. On the Environment Context tab, click Direct FE > Nodal Force. Or, right-click the Environment tree
object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Nodal Force.

2. Click the Named Selection drop-down list and then select the node-based Named Section to prescribe
the scope of the Nodal Force.

3. Enter a magnitude for the X, Y, and Z component to define the load.

Tip:

Define a Nodal Orientation for the Named Selection to control the Nodal Coordinate
System.

Details View Properties

The Details View selections are described below.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: a read-only field that displays scoping method - Named
Selection (p. 761).

Named Selection: a drop-down list of available node-based Named

Selection.
Definition Type: a read-only field that describes the node-based object - Force.

Coordinate System: a read-only field that displays the coordinate system

- Nodal Coordinate System. The Nodal Coordinate System can be
modified by applying Nodal Orientation (p. 1403) objects.

X Component: defines force in the X direction

Y Component: defines force in the Y direction

Z Component: defines force in the Z direction

You can define the Component values as a Constant, in Tabular

form as a function of varying Time or varying Step (Static Structural
only), or as a Function.

Divide Load by Nodes: options include:

• Yes: (default) the load value is normalized: it is divided by number of scoped

nodes before application.

• No: the load value applied directly to every scoped node.

Suppressed: includes or excludes the boundary condition in the analysis.

Note:

• If you have a Nodal Force and a Pressure, and/or Force, and/or Hydrostatic Pressure load
that are 1) all are set to the Direct option and 2) share the same scoping, they will create a
resultant loading effect.

• When Divide Load by Nodes is set to Yes, the forces are evenly distributed across the nodes
and do not result in a constant traction.

• Two Nodal Force objects that have same scoping do not produce a cumulative loading effect.
The Nodal Force that was specified last takes priority and is applied, and as a result, the
other Nodal Force is ignored. For Explicit Dynamics analyses, a resultant effect is always cal-
culated if multiple loads are applied to a node (either by geometric entity or as a nodal force).

• A load applied to a geometric entity and a Nodal Force produce a resultant effect.

Nodal Pressure
Using Nodal Pressure, you can apply pressure on element faces. You must create a node based
named selection before you can apply a Nodal Pressure. It is applicable for solid and surface

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

bodies only. Specifically, an elemental face pressure is created only if all of the nodes of a given
element face (including midside) are included. If all nodes defining a face are shared by an adjacent
face of another selected element, the face is not free and will not have a load applied.

Warning:

For application to surface bodies, the Mechanical APDL solver logic for this load is such
that if all of the nodes of a shell element are specified, then the load is applied to the
whole element face. However, if only some nodes are specified on an element and those
nodes constitute a complete external edge, then an edge pressure is created. Therefore,
it is critical that you make sure that you have not selected nodes that constitute only a
free shell edge. This is because shell edge pressures are input on a per-unit-length basis,
and Mechanical treats this load always as a per-unit-area quantity. See the SHELL181
Element Description for more information.

Nodal Pressures applied to shell bodies act in the opposite direction of geometry-based
pressures.

Note:

A Nodal Pressure may be added during Solution Restart (p. 1724) without losing the restart
points.

Analysis Types
Nodal Pressure is available for the following analysis types:

• Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257) (for Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis only)

• Harmonic Response (Full) Analysis Using Pre-Stressed Structural System (p. 277)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Nodal Pressure boundary condition include:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The Nodal Pressure boundary condition is scoped via node-based Named Selections
only. See the Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185) Help section for more
information.

Note:

The Nodal Pressure boundary condition supports spatially varying loading on the scoped
nodes for Static and Transient analyses only. For Eigenvalue Buckling and Harmonic Re-
sponse analyses, only constant loading conditions are supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Nodal Pressure:

1. On the Environment Context tab, click Direct FE > Nodal Pressure. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Nodal Pressure.

2. Click the Named Selection drop-down list, and then select the node-based Named Selection to prescribe
the scope of the Nodal Pressure.

3. Enter a magnitude for the load.

Details View Properties

The Details View selections are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Read-only field that displays scoping method -
Named Selection (p. 761).

Named Selection: Drop-down list of available node-based Named

Selections.
Definition Type: Read-only field that displays boundary condition type -
Pressure.

Define By: Read-only field that displays that the boundary condition
is acting Normal To the surface to which it is attached.

Magnitude: Input field to define the magnitude of the boundary

condition. This value can be defined as a Constant, in Tabular form
as a function of Time or Step (Static Structural only), or as a Function.

Note:

Spatially varying loading (Tabular/Function) is

supported for Static and Transient analyses only. For
Eigenvalue Buckling and Harmonic Response analyses,
only constant loading conditions are supported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Suppressed: Includes or excludes the boundary condition in the
analysis.

Note:

• To apply a node-based pressure, the named selections that you create must include nodes
such that they define an element face.

• Two Nodal Pressure objects that have same scoping do not produce a cumulative loading
effect. The Nodal Pressure object that was specified last takes priority and is applied, and
as a result, the other Nodal Pressure object is ignored.

• A load applied to a geometric entity and a Nodal Pressure produce a resultant effect.

• You can apply a spatially varying Nodal Pressure to scoped nodes.

• If a Nodal Pressure and a Direct Pressure, Direct Force, or Direct Hydrostatic Pressure
share the same scoping, the Nodal Pressure always takes priority regardless of insertion
order: Mechanical will ignore the Direct Pressure, Direct Force, and Direct Hydrostatic
Pressure.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

For more information on the solver representation of this load, reference the SF command in the
Mechanical APDL Command Reference.

Nodal Displacement
Using Nodal Displacement, you can apply a displacement to an individual node or a set of nodes.
You must create a node based named selection before you can apply a Nodal Displacement.

Analysis Types
Nodal Displacement is available for the following analysis types:

• Eigenvalue Buckling (p. 257) (for Nonlinear-based Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis only)

• Explicit Dynamics

• Modal (p. 283)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Nodal Displacement boundary condition in-
clude:

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The Nodal Displacement boundary condition is scoped via node-based Named Selec-
tions only. See the Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185) Help section for
more information.

Note:

The Nodal Displacement boundary condition supports spatially varying loading on the
scoped nodes for Static and Transient analyses only. For Eigenvalue Buckling, Harmonic
Response, and Modal analyses, only constant loading conditions are supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Nodal Displacement:

1. On the Environment Context tab, click Direct FE>Nodal Displacement. Or, right-click the Environ-
ment tree object or right-click within the Geometry window and select Insert>Nodal Displacement.

2. Click the Named Selection drop-down list and then select the node-based Named Section to prescribe
the scope of the Nodal Displacement.

3. Define loads in the X, Y, and/or Z directions.

Tip:

Define a Nodal Orientation for the Named Selection to control the Nodal Coordinate
System.

Details View Properties

The Details View selections are described below.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: read-only field that displays scoping method -
Named Selection (p. 761).

Named Selection: drop-down list of available node-based Named

Selections.
Definition Type: read-only field that displays boundary condition type -
Displacement.

Coordinate System: read-only field that displays the coordinate

system - Nodal Coordinate System.

X Component: specify a displacement value in the X direction. The

default value is Free (no Displacement constraint applied).

Y Component: specify a displacement value in the Y direction. The

default value is Free (no Displacement constraint applied).

Z Component: specify a displacement value in the Z direction. The

default value is Free (no Displacement constraint applied).

You can define the Component values as a Constant, in Tabular

form as a function of varying Time or varying Step (Static Structural
only), or as a Function.

Suppressed: includes or excludes the boundary condition in the

analysis.

Note:

• Solution Restarts (p. 1724) are only supported for Tabular data modifications.

• If a Component property is set to Function, all other Components properties automatically

default to the Free setting and become read-only.

• Two Nodal Displacement objects that have same scoping do not produce a cumulative
loading effect. The Nodal Displacement object that was specified last takes priority and is
applied, and as a result, the other Nodal Displacement object is ignored. For Explicit Dynam-
ics analyses, the compatibility of multiple Nodal Displacements applied to a node must be
respected. The solver will attempt to combine the constraints, but if this is not possible, the
solve will fail with an appropriate error message.

Nodal Rotation
Using Nodal Rotation, you can apply a fixed rotation to an individual node or a set of nodes that
have rotational degrees of freedom (DOFs).

Analysis Types
Nodal Rotation is available for the following analysis types:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Modal (p. 283)

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported.

• 2D Simulation: Supported.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the Nodal Rotation boundary condition include:

• Solid: Not Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Supported.

Topology: The Nodal Rotation boundary condition is scoped via node-based Named Selections
only. See the Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185) Help section for more
information.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply a Nodal Rotation:

1. On the Environment Context tab, click Direct FE>Nodal Rotation. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert>Nodal Rotation.

2. Click the Named Selection drop-down list and then select the node-based Named Section to prescribe
the scope of the Nodal Rotation.

3. Define the X, Y, and/or Z axis as Fixed or Free. At least one Component must be defined as Fixed.

Tip:

Define a Nodal Orientation for the Named Selection to control the Nodal Coordinate
System.

Details View Properties

The Details View selections are described below.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: read-only field that displays scoping method -
Named Selection (p. 761).

Named Selection: drop-down list of available node-based Named

Selections.
Definition Type: read-only field that displays boundary condition type - Fixed
Rotation.

Coordinate System: read-only field that displays the coordinate

system - Nodal Coordinate System.

X Component: define the x-axis of rotation as Fixed (default) or Free.

Y Component: define the y-axis of rotation as Fixed (default) or Free.

Z Component: define the z-axis of rotation as Fixed (default) or Free.

Suppressed: includes or excludes the boundary condition in the

analysis.

Note:

When parameterizing this boundary condition, a Free axis of rotation is represented by

a zero (0) and Fixed with a value of one (1) inside the Parameter tab in ANSYS Workbench
(outside of Mechanical).

EM (Electro-Mechanical) Transducer
Using the EM Transducer boundary condition, you can model simple Micro-Electro-Mechanical
Systems (MEMS) devices.

Analysis Types
EM Transducer is available for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural (p. 434)

• Transient Structural (p. 507)

Common Characteristics
The following section outlines the common boundary condition characteristics that include applic-
ation requirements of the boundary condition, support limitations, as well as loading definitions
and values.

Dimensional Types

• 3D Simulation: Supported. Node-based Named Selections only support face node selection.

• 2D Simulation: Supported. Node-based Named Selection only support edge node selection.

Geometry Types: Geometry types supported for the EM Transducer boundary condition include:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Solid: Supported.

• Surface/Shell: Supported.

• Wire Body/Line Body/Beam: Not Supported.

Topology: The EM Transducer boundary condition is scoped via node-based Named Selections
only. See the Specifying Named Selections by Direct Node Selection (p. 185) Help section for more
information.

Loading Types: The loading for this boundary condition is always defined as a Voltage Difference.

Loading Data Definition (p. 1437): Enter loading data using one of the following options.

• Constant: Supported. This value can be Parameterized.

• Tabular (Time Varying): Supported. This value cannot be Parameterized.

• Tabular (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

• Tabular (Step Varying): Supported (Static Structural only). This value cannot be Parameterized.

• Function (Time Varying): Supported. This value cannot be Parameterized.

• Function (Spatially Varying): Not Supported.

Boundary Condition Application

To apply EM Transducer:

1. On the Environment Context tab, click Direct FE > EM Transducer. Or, right-click the Environment
tree object or in the Geometry window and select Insert > EM Transducer.

2. Enter a Voltage Difference value.

3. Specify a GAP Direction, either X, Y, or Z based on the default Nodal Coordinate System or a user-
defined nodal coordinate system.

4. Enter Initial Gap and Minimal Gap values.

Details View Properties

The selections available in the Details view are described below.

Category Fields/Options/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Read-only field that displays scoping method - Named Se-
lection (p. 761).

Named Selection: Drop-down list of available node-based Named Selections.

Definition Type: Read-only field that describes the node-based object - EM Transducer.

Voltage Difference: Input field for Voltage value.

Stiffness Method: Property options include Program Controlled (default),

Augmented, and Full. The application determines which setting, Full or

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Category Fields/Options/Description
Augmented, the Program Controlled option uses based upon the configuration
of your system or systems. The Program Controlled option selects the Full
setting when your Static Structural analysis includes a downstream pre-stressed
Harmonic Response or Modal analysis and the Augmented setting for all other
cases. The Full setting is required in order to obtain accurate results when your
Static Structural analysis includes a downstream pre-stressed Harmonic Response
system.

These settings are based on a system’s stiffness in an electro-mechanical

scenario. The stiffness of such systems consist of structural stiffness and
electrostatic stiffness. Because forces increase when a spring is stretched,
structural stiffness has a positive value. However, given a parallel plate
capacitor, the attraction force between the plates decreases with an
increasing gap, resulting in a negative electrostatic stiffness. As a result,
you can be presented with a negative system stiffness and the analysis can
experience convergence problems near unstable solutions.
When the Augmented option is specified for the Stiffness Method, the
application sets the electrostatic stiffness to zero, ensuring that the analysis
has a positive system stiffness, in order to address convergence issues. In
addition, once convergence is reached, the application automatically
reestablishes electrostatic stiffness for subsequent analyses.

Note:

For additional technical information about the operation of the

Stiffness Method, see the TRANS126 Element section in the
Mechanical APDL Element Reference and the EMTGEN command in
the Mechanical APDL Command Reference.

Suppressed: Include (No - default) or exclude (Yes) the boundary condition.

Voltage Sur- Coordinate System: Read-only field that displays the coordinate system -
face Location Nodal Coordinate System.

GAP Direction: Specify the structural DOF used, X, Y, or Z based on the Nodal
Coordinate System. This is used with the Volt DOF.

Initial Gap: Input field for initial range of motion (in GAP Direction). Can be
Parameterized.

Minimal Gap: Input field for minimal range of motion (in GAP Direction). Can
be Parameterized.
Function Unit System: Read-only field displaying the unit of measure associated with
[1] (p. 1416) the Voltage.

Angular Measure: Read-only field displaying the unit of measure for the
voltage’s angle.
Graph Con- Number of Segments: The function is graphed with a default value of 200 line
trols segments. You can change this value to better visualize the function.
[1] (p. 1416)

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

1. This category displays only when Voltage Difference is specified as a Function.

Mechanical APDL References and Notes

This boundary condition uses the EMTGEN command to generate a set of TRANS126 elements
between the surface nodes of a moveable structure and a plane of nodes, typically representing a
ground plane.

Note:

The newly created (by EMTGEN command) ground plane nodes (of TRANS126 elements)
are assumed to be fixed.

Remote Boundary Conditions

The boundary conditions listed here can make use of the Remote Point (p. 789) feature (object)
provided by Mechanical. The Remote Point associated with one of the given objects is either created
and defined by you (you create a Remote Point object that the remote boundary condition references)
or it is automatically generated by the system (you can think of it as an “internal” remote point - no
Remote Point object exists in the object tree).

When defined with a remote point, these objects are considered remote boundary conditions. The
remote point gives the object an “abstract” quality because it is not directly applied to the nodes or
vertices of a model.

However, you can directly scope a single node or vertex of your model to some of the boundary
conditions listed below; specifically Point Masses, Springs, and Joints. Using the Details view property,
Applied By, for these objects you can switch between the settings Remote Attachment and Direct
Attachment. When directly applied, they are not considered remote boundary conditions and as a
result do not provide certain properties, such as Pinball or Formulation.

• Point Mass (p. 658)

• Thermal Point Mass (p. 662)

• Joints (p. 958)

• Spring (p. 1037)

• Bearing (p. 1051)

• Beam Connection (p. 1045)

• Remote Displacement (p. 1356)

• Remote Force (p. 1215)

• Moment (p. 1232)

Remote boundary conditions have the following characteristics:

• All remote boundary conditions make use of MPC contact used in the Mechanical APDL application. See
the Geometry Behaviors and Support Specifications (p. 795) section in the Mechanical Help as well as the

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Surface-Based Constraints section in the Contact Technology Guide - part of the Mechanical APDL Help,
for more information.

• You are advised to check reaction forces to ensure that a remote boundary condition has been fully applied,
especially if the boundary condition shares geometry with other remote boundary conditions, any type
of constraint, or even MPC contact.

• Once a remote boundary condition is created, you can generate an external Remote Point based on the
scoping of the remote boundary condition using the Promote Remote Point (p. 798) feature (RMB menu).

Annotations are available for point masses, springs, beam connections, and bearings. You can toggle
the visibility of these annotations in the Annotation Preferences dialog box. For more information,
see Specifying Annotation Preferences (p. 208).

Imported Boundary Conditions

By linking ANSYS Workbench systems with Mechanical analysis systems, you can import results from
one analysis and apply them as boundary conditions in a downstream (target) system.

For example, Mechanical enables you to import data from:

• Mechanical analysis systems as Imported Loads (p. 2080) or through Submodeling (p. 578).

• External Data (p. 552) systems as Imported Loads (p. 2080).

• Fluent CFD analyses using the System Coupling (p. 590) feature.

• HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D Extractor applications as Imported Loads (p. 2080).

Additional information on Thermal-Stress (p. 605), Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) (p. 562), Ansoft -
Mechanical Data Transfer (p. 526), Icepak to Mechanical Data Transfer (p. 569), Submodeling (p. 578),
and External Data Import (p. 552) can be found in the Special Analysis Topics (p. 525) section.

Note:

Convergence is not supported for environments with imported loads.

This section outlines the systems that you can link for importing boundary conditions as well as the
supported boundary conditions, and it presents the steps to import and apply imported boundary
conditions. Select a link below to navigate to a desired topic.

• Supported Analysis Types and Systems (p. 1418)

• Supported Boundary Conditions (p. 1419)

• Applying Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1419)

Note:

You can work with imported loads only when you perform an analysis with data transfer.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Supported Analysis Types and Systems

The following table lists the systems that interact with one another using data transfer. The associated
imported boundary conditions (as a data type) are show in parenthesis.

Source Analysis/System (Transfer Target Analysis

Data Type)
CFD (Convection) Steady State Thermal, Transient Thermal, Thermal-Electric
CFD (Pressure) Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418)
CFD (Temperature) Steady State Thermal, Transient Thermal, Thermal-Electric, Static
Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418)
System Coupling (Force) Static Structural, Transient Structural
System Coupling (Heat Flow, Steady State Thermal, Transient Thermal, Thermal-Electric
Convection, Temperature)
Electric (Joule Heat) Steady State Thermal, Transient Thermal
Electromagnetic (Force Density) Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418)
Electromagnetic (Power Loss Density) Steady State Thermal, Transient Thermal
Electromagnetic (Force and Moment) Harmonic Response 2 (p. 1418)
External Files (Displacement, Force, Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418)
Temperature, Stress, Strain, Body
Force Density)
External Files (Temperature, Steady State Thermal, Transient Thermal, Thermal-Electric
Convection, Heat Flux, Heat
Generation)
External Files (Pressure) Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418), Harmonic
Response, Explicit Dynamics, Workbench LS-DYNA
External Files (Velocity) Acoustic Analysis
External Files (Imported Temperature, Coupled Field Static, Coupled Field Transient
Imported (Thermal Condition) Body
Temperature)
Harmonic Response (Velocity) Acoustic Analysis
Polyflow (Temperature) Steady State Thermal, Transient Thermal, Thermal-Electric, Static
Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418)
Static Structural, Transient Structural Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418)
(Displacement, Temperature,
Force3 (p. 1418), and Moment3 (p. 1418))
Steady-State Thermal, Transient Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418), Electric
Thermal (Temperature)
Thermal-Electric (Temperature) Static Structural, Transient Structural 1 (p. 1418)

1: Rigid dynamics solver is not supported.

2: See the Importing Data into a Harmonic Analysis (p. 530) section for the specific steps to perform
the analysis.

3: Supported for Beam to Shell or Solid Submodeling only.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Supported Boundary Conditions

Mechanical supports the boundary conditions listed below. The availability of a boundary condition
in an analysis is dependent upon the types of systems that you have joined.

Imported Body Force Density (p. 1423)

Imported Body Temperature (p. 1424)
Imported Cut Boundary Remote Constraint (p. 1425) (Beam to Shell-Solid Submodeling Only)
Imported Convection Coefficient (p. 1426)
Imported Cut Boundary Constraint (p. 1427)
Imported Cut Boundary Remote Force (p. 1427) (Beam to Shell-Solid Submodeling Only)
Imported Displacement (p. 1427)
Imported Force (p. 1428)
Imported Heat Flux (p. 1429)
Imported Heat Generation (p. 1429)
Imported Initial Strain (p. 1430)
Imported Initial Stress (p. 1431)
Imported Pressure (p. 1433)
Imported Remote Loads (p. 1434)
Imported Surface Force Density (p. 1434)
Imported Temperature (p. 1434)
Imported Velocity (p. 1435)

Applying Imported Boundary Conditions

To import loads for an analysis:

1. On the Workbench Project page, add the desired analysis that supports data transfer. Link the Solution
cell of the upstream onto the Setup cell of the downstream system. As required, you can also link the
Engineering Data and Geometry cells between the systems.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

2. As needed, attach geometry to the downstream analysis system and then double-click Setup to open
the Mechanical window. An Imported Load folder is added under the environment folder, by default.

3. To add an imported load, click the Imported Load folder to make the Environment Context tab
available or right-click the Imported Load folder and select the appropriate load from the context
menu.

Note:

An Imported Load can also be created from duplicating an existing imported load.
Perform a right-click an Imported Load to display the context menu, select duplicate
to add an identical Imported Load to your model.

4. On the Environment Context tab, click Imported Loads, and then select an appropriate load.

5. Select the appropriate geometry, using the geometry selection or geometry-based Named Selection
option and then click Apply.

The following Imported Loads can also be scoped to node-based Named Selections.

• Imported Body Temperatures (from External Data, for Submodeling [Shell-Shell not supported],
or for Thermal-Stress)

• Imported Displacements (from External Data or for Submodeling)

• Imported Forces (from External Data)

• Imported Temperatures (from External Data or for Submodeling)

• Imported Velocities (from External Data)

• Imported Initial Stress and Imported Initial Strain (from External Data), when the Apply To property
is set to Corner Nodes

6. Set the appropriate options in the Details view.

7. The Data View can be used to control the load data that is imported. Each data transfer incorporates
some or all of the column types shown below.

• Source Time/Frequency: Time at which the load will be imported.

• Source Time Step: Time Step at which the load will be imported.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Analysis Time/Frequency: Time at which the load will be applied when the analysis is solved.

• Scale: The amount by which the imported load values are scaled before they are sent to the solver.
The scale value is applied to the imported load values in the solver unit system.

For Imported Temperature and Imported Body Temperature loads:

– The values used in the solution are calculated by first converting the imported load values into
the solver unit system and then multiplying the scale value.

• Offset: An offset that is added to the imported load values before they are sent to the solver. The
offset value is applied to the imported load values in the solver unit system.

Specific transfer details can be found in the Special Analysis Topics (p. 525) section.

8. If you are importing a Temperature (Imported Temperature) load or a Thermal Condition (Imported
Body Temperature) from the External Data system for a Coupled Field Transient (p. 246) analysis, an
Apply As property becomes available. Using this property, you can apply the load as either a Boundary
Condition (default) or an Initial Condition. The Initial Condition option applies the load from the
External Data system as an initial condition on the scoped geometry or mesh.

9. If you are using the ANSYS solver, loads can be applied using tables, or can be applied at each analysis
time/frequency specified in the imported load using the Tabular Loading property. When sending as
tables, the loads can either be ramped or step changed (stepped) between the specified Analysis
Times/Frequencies.

a. When ramped, the load value at step/sub-step is calculated using linear interpolation in the range
where solve step/sub-step falls.

b. When stepped, the load value specified at t2 is applied in the range (t1, t2], where (t1, t2] is the
range greater than t1 and less than or equal to t2.

Note:

• When program controlled, the loads are sent as tables when Analysis Time(s)/Fre-
quency(ies) not matching any step end times/maximum frequency are present in
the load definition. The loads are ramped for static/steady state and harmonic analyses
and step applied for transient analyses.

• The loads are always sent as tables when Ramped or Stepped is chosen.

Important:

Note that these options do not change the KBC command

value (Key) which controls whether all of the loads within a load
step are linearly interpolated or step changed. In addition, cer-
tain limitations apply to loads that do not support tabular
loading, such as Imported Body Force Density (p. 1423). The lim-
itations are described on the Help page for the respective
loads (p. 1417).

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• Extrapolation is not performed when stepping/ramping the loads. If the solve time
for a step/sub-step falls outside the specified Analysis Time/Frequency, then the
load value at the nearest specified analysis time is used.

• For temperature loads, the values are ramped from reference temperature for the
first time step. For all other loads, the values are ramped from zero.

• You can choose not to send the loads as tables using the Off option. The analysis
times/frequencies specified in the load definition must match the step end
times/maximum frequency in this case for the solution to succeed.

• In a Workbench LS-DYNA analysis, the Off option is equivalent to the ramped option.

10. Import the load by right-clicking the Imported Load object and selecting Import Load.

11. When the load has been imported successfully, a contour or vector plot will be displayed in the Geometry
window.

• For vector loads types, contours plots of the magnitude (Total) or X/Y/Z component can be viewed
by changing the Data option in the details pane. Defaults to a vector plot (All).

• For tensor loads types, contours plots of Equivalent (von-Mises) or XX/YY/ZZ/XY/YZ/ZX component
can be viewed by changing the Data option in the details pane. Defaults to a Vector Principal plot
(All).

• For Imported Convection loads, contours plots of film coefficient or ambient temperature can be
viewed by changing the Data option in the details pane.

• For complex load types, e.g. Pressure/Velocity in Harmonic Response, the Real/Imaginary component
of the data can be viewed by changing the Complex Data Component option in the details pane.

• The Legend controls options enable you to control the range of data displayed in the graphics
window. By default, it is set to Program control, which allows for complete data to be displayed. If
you are interested in a particular range of data, you can select the Manual option, and then set the
minimum/maximum for the range.

Note:

• When you scope imported loading conditions to elements, you may see graphic artifacts
on your model in the form of color "bleeding". Selecting the Wireframe option (p. 35)
corrects the display.

• The isoline option is drawn based on nodal values. When drawing isolines for imported
loads that store element values (Imported Body Force Density, Imported Convection,
Imported Heat Generation, Imported Heat Flux, Imported Pressure, Imported Surface
Force Density, Imported Initial Stress and Imported Initial Strain), the program auto-
matically calculates nodal values by averaging values of the elements to which a node is
attached.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• The minimum and maximum values of source data are also available in Legend Controls
for External Data Import (p. 552), Thermal-Stress (p. 605), Submodeling (p. 578), and Acoustic
Coupling (p. 321) analyses.

12. To preview the imported load contour that applies to a given row in the Data View, use the Active
Row option in the Details view.

13. To activate or deactivate the load at a step, highlight the specific step in the Graph or Tabular Data
window, and choose Activate/Deactivateat this step! See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for
additional rules when multiple load objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

To export data, right-click on the child load object and select Export > Export Text File.

Imported Body Force Density

When electromagnetic body forces are transferred to a structural environment, an Imported Body
Force Density object can be inserted to represent the transfer.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Note:

• For a particular load step, an active Imported Body Force Density load will overwrite
other Imported Body Force Density loads that exist higher (previously added) in the
tree, on common geometry selections. See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for
additional rules when multiple load objects of the same type exist on common geometry
selections.

• For large-deflection analyses, the loads are applied to the initial size of the element, not
the current size.

Limitations
Static and Transient Structural Analyses
The application does not support sending the Imported Body Force Density load to the solver as a
table. For this imported load, the Tabular Loading property controls the creation of the data table.
The values are then applied from the data table at each load step. However, the KBC command value
(Key) specified for the analysis controls the ramping or stepping within a load step. Therefore, if the
analysis time specified by the Imported Load definition matches the load step end time, then there is
no difference in solution between the Stepped and the Ramped option (of Tabular Loading property)
for the load step.

Harmonic Response Mode Superposition (MSUP) Analyses

For a Harmonic Response MSUP analyses, the Element Based Volumetric Harmonic Force load is
not supported:

• As tabular data (frequency varying).

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

• For analyses that include Multiple RPMs.

Imported Body Temperature

When temperatures are transferred to a structural or electric analysis, an Imported Body Temper-
ature object is automatically inserted to represent the transfer.

If the load is applied to one or more surface bodies, the Shell Face option in the details view enables
you to apply the temperatures to Both faces, to the Top face(s) only, or to the Bottom face(s) only.
By default, the temperatures are applied to both the top and bottom faces of the selection.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Be sure to review the following information about the requirements and considerations when em-
ploying this loading condition.

Operational Rules for Imported Thermal Loads

Observe the following operational conditions when you apply Imported Body Temperature loads
and Thermal Condition on the same geometry. For each load step:

• An active or reactivated Imported Body Temperature load overwrites any Thermal Condition loads
on common geometry selections.

• The most recently added Imported Body Temperature load, whether active or reactivated overwrites
any other Imported Body Temperature loads that exist in the tree and that share common geometry
or node selections.

• Imported Body Temperature loads for which no commands are sent to the solver, for a particular
load step, are overwritten by a reactivated or deactivated:

– Thermal Condition load on common geometry selections.

– Imported Body Temperature load on common geometry selections.

The Imported Body Temperature will remain deleted until it gets reactivated during one of
the subsequent steps (i.e. status change from deactivated to active).

See the Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) Help for additional rules about when multiple load
objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

Note:

For an active, reactivated, or deactivated loading condition, the application sends a

command to the solver. The Tabular Loading topic below describes when during the
solution process the command is sent to the solver.

Tabular Loading
Note the following tabular loading characteristics for Imported Body Temperature loads:

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• When Imported Body Temperature loads are not sent using tables, the commands are sent to the
solver at load steps specified in the Data View worksheet or when the load is reactivated or deac-
tivated.

• For Imported Body Temperature loads specified in Tabular Data, commands are sent to the solver
only at the first active or reactivated load step.

General Notes
Review to the following to make sure that you properly configure your imported load.

• Adaptive Convergence objects inserted under an environment that is referenced by an Imported

Body Temperature object will invalidate the Imported Body Temperature object, and not allow
a solution to progress.

• For a particular load step, an active Imported Body Temperature load will overwrite any Thermal
Condition loads on common geometry selections.

• When a Thermal Condition is specified on the Top or Bottom shell face of a surface body, the op-
posite face defaults to the environment temperature unless it is otherwise specified from another
load object.

• For an assembly of bodies with different topologies, you must define a separate Imported Body
Temperature load for surface bodies.

• The values used in the solution are calculated by first converting the imported load values into the
solver unit system and then multiplying the scale value.

• For each load step, if an Imported Body Temperature load and a Thermal Condition load are
applied on common geometry or node selections, the Imported Body Temperature load takes
precedence. An active Imported Body Temperature load will also overwrite other Imported Body
Temperature loads that exist higher (previously added) in the tree, on common geometry or node
selections. See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when multiple load
objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

• If a scale factor is specified, the values used in the solution are calculated by first converting the
imported load values into the solver unit system and then multiplying the scale value.

• For surface bodies, the thickness of each target node is ignored when data is mapped. When im-
porting data from an External Data system, the Shell Thickness Factor property enables you to
account for the thickness at each target node, and consequently modify the location used for each
target node during the mapping process. See External Data Import (p. 552) for additional information.

Imported Boundary Remote Constraint

The Imported Cut Boundary Remote Constraint object applies displacements and rotational
forces from beam-based coarse models to shell or solid submodels (p. 584). These loading conditions
are generated from the results defined on the nearest beam node of the coarse model. Using this
method, the application applies each displacement or rotation using remote displacement objects
that by default, are rigid.

The remote loads generated for this option are, by default, read-only. You can modify the properties
of boundary condition as required by setting the Read Only property to Off.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for additional information about the supported
source (coarse) and target (submodel) systems as well as the specific steps to transfer data.

Imported Convection Coefficient

When CFD convection coefficients are transferred to a thermal analysis, an Imported Convection
Coefficient object can be inserted to represent the transfer.

To define a convection, you need a film coefficient value and a bulk temperature value. For the
Imported Convection Coefficient object, film coefficient values need to be imported from an ex-
ternal source, such as External Data. Bulk temperature values can be imported from an external
source or defined internally.

In addition, if your model includes one or more Line Bodies (p. 650), with the Model Type property
set to Thermal Fluid, you can obtain reference temperature values from these specified Thermal
Fluid bodies.

To specify reference temperature using the Thermal Fluid bodies, you set the Fluid Flow property
(of the Fluid Flow Controls category), of the Imported Convection Coefficient object, to Yes.
When you activate the Fluid Flow property, the application automatically displays a Scoping
Method property and a Fluid Flow Scoping property in the Details view category.

Using these scoping properties, you specify a desired edge or edges, a vertex, or a node using
either direct selection or using a Named Selection. Note the following processing methods based
on the defined scoping:

• Edge(s) on a fluid line body: Convection is accounted for with surface elements SURF151 and
SURF152. The application maps the elements to the fluid elements using a distance-based algorithm.
This option uses the two nodes from the mapped fluid element to specify the reference temperature.
Note that you can use the Display Connection Lines property to display the connection lines
between the centroid of each element face/edge of the convection surface(s)/edge(s) to the cor-
responding closest node on the fluid flow scoping. The closest node is computed using a distance-
based algorithm.

Note:

The display of the connection lines may not be an accurate representation of the
connection in the solver. The solver, by default and when applicable, uses the
closes two nodes from the scoped fluid elements to specify the reference temper-
ature.

• Vertex/Node on a fluid line body. This option uses the specified vertex or node to specify the refer-
ence temperature. You can specify a single node or vertex only.

Note:

A warning message will appear if negative mapped HTC values are present. Insert a
validation object and use the Source Value option to determine source nodes with
values less than zero.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Imported Cut Boundary Constraint

The Imported Cut Boundary Constraint (p. 1427) object applies displacements for Solid- or Shell-
Solid submodeling and displacements and rotations for Shell-Solid submodeling.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for additional information about the supported
source (coarse) and target (submodel) systems as well as the specific steps to transfer data.

Imported Cut Boundary Remote Force

The Imported Cut Boundary Remote Force object applies forces (p. 1210) and moments (p. 1232)
from beam-based coarse models to shell or solid submodels (p. 584). Each remote force and moment
pair share a remote point that is by default, deformable.

The remote loads generated for this option are, by default, read-only. You can modify the properties
of boundary condition by setting the Read Only property to Off.

Requirements
Note the following requirements:

• In order to add beam forces to the results file and make them available for your submodel, you
need to set the Nodal Forces property (Analysis Settings>Output Controls (p. 1151)) to On in the
coarse model.

• If your submodel includes only forces and moments and has no other constraints, you must set
the Weak Springs (p. 1121) property (Analysis Settings>Solver Settings (p. 1117)) to On.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for additional information about the supported
source (coarse) and target (submodel) systems as well as the specific steps to transfer data.

Imported Displacement
When displacements are transferred to a structural analysis, an Imported Displacement object can
be inserted to represent the transfer.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Note:

If one or more nodes with imported displacements have nodal rotations specified on
them, Mechanical attempts to negotiate and apply the imported displacements. The
imported displacements are transformed to the nodal coordinate system and then applied
on the node(s). However, there may be cases when a suitable transformation cannot be
obtained (for example, [x,y,z] -> [fixed, free, free] in the global coordinate system becomes

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

[fixed, fixed, free] in the nodal coordinate system if the coordinate system is rotated
about the z-axis). For such situations, Mechanical will report a conflict.

Note:

For each load step, if an Imported Displacement and other support constraints are applied
on common geometry or node selections, you can choose to override the specified
constraints by using the Override Constraints property in the details of the Imported
Displacement object. By default, the specified constraints are respected and Imported
Displacement is applied only to the free degrees of freedom of a node.

Imported Force
When forces are transferred to a structural analysis, an Imported Force object can be inserted to
represent the transfer.

Force is a conservative quantity, which requires the total force (sum total over source points) applied
on the source to match the target. To achieve this, conservative mapping algorithms are available,
when importing force data.

For uniform source and target meshes, profile preserving algorithms along with an appropriate
scale factor, can also be employed to conserve the total force.

In addition to mapping data across the meshes, the import process also calculates and reports the
total force and the individual X/Y/Z components on both the source and target regions. When
mapping data using the conservative algorithm, you can validate that the total force is conserved
between source and target. For profile preserving algorithms, this information may be used to ap-
propriately apply a scaling factor.

Note:

When you apply total force in the Cylindrical Coordinate System, the application
does not calculate the Force Components in Radial (X) and Tangential (Y) directions.
The application reports these components as N/A in the summary.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or External Data Im-
port (p. 552) for specific steps to transfer data.

Note:

• Both conservative and profile preserving algorithms are available for importing force data.
Conservative algorithms are the default and automatically ensure that the total force is
conserved between source and target.

• Profile preserving algorithms may also be used to import force loads. When using profile
preserving algorithms, the total force on the source and target may not match. Use the
scaling factor reported in the Transfer Summary to appropriately scale the load.

– Profile preserving algorithms are not recommended to be used with non-uniform source
or target meshes.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Imported Heat Flux

When thermal heat is transferred to a thermal environment, an Imported Heat Flux object can be
inserted to represent the transfer.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Note:

For surface bodies, the thickness of each target node is ignored when data is mapped.
When importing data from an External Data system, the Shell Thickness Factor property
enables you to account for the thickness at each target node, and consequently modify
the location used for each target node during the mapping process. See External Data
Import (p. 552) for additional information.

Imported Heat Generation

An Imported Heat Generation object is created in the Imported Load folder when you transfer
Joule heating from an electric analysis to a thermal analysis. See the Imported Boundary Condi-
tions (p. 1417) section for additional information about the supported source and target systems as
well as the specific steps to transfer data.

Note:

• You can scope an Imported Heat Generation object to bodies, body-based Named Selections,
Elements, and element-based Named Selections only.

• For each time step, the total heat mapped to the target system is available in the Imported
Load Transfer Summary.

• The Joule heating, from an Electric analysis, resulting from limited contact electric conductance
is ignored during this data transfer.

• For each load step, if an Imported Heat Generation load and an Internal Heat Generation
load are applied on common geometry selections, the Imported Heat Generation load takes
precedence. An active Imported Heat Generation load will also overwrite other Imported
Heat Generation loads that exist higher (previously added) in the tree, on common geometry
selections. See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when multiple
load objects of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

• For surface bodies, the thickness of each target node is ignored when data is mapped. When
importing data from an External Data system, the Shell Thickness Factor property enables
you to account for the thickness at each target node, and consequently modify the location
used for each target node during the mapping process. See External Data Import (p. 552) for
additional information.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Imported Initial Strain

When strains are transferred to define the state of a structure at the beginning of a structural ana-
lysis, an Imported Initial Strain object can be inserted to represent the transfer. The following
supported strain types can be chosen using Sub Type property in the details of the Imported Initial
Strain object:

• Elastic Strain

• Plastic Strain

• Equivalent Plastic Strain

You can import values for all six components of the symmetric strain tensor (XX, YY, ZZ, XY, YZ and
ZX). See External Data Import (p. 552) for additional information.

Imported initial strain from External Data can be mapped and applied either to the centroids or
corner nodes of the selected bodies using the Apply To property in the Details view.

• When the Apply To property is set to Corner Nodes, the imported initial strain can also be scoped to
Node-based Named Selections.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Note:

• Imported Initial Strain can only be applied at the start of the first step.

Activation/Deactivation of loads (p. 1112) is not available for Imported Strain load.

• Imported elastic strain values are not supported for bodies which have the following mater-
ial types assigned:

– Materials with kinematic hardening properties

– Gasket materials

– Hyperelastic materials

• Imported plastic strain values are not supported for bodies which have the following mater-
ial types assigned:

– Porous media

– Rate-dependent plasticity

– Viscoplasticity

• For shell bodies, you have the option to import strain on All, Top, Middle, or Bottom shell
face(s).

• For shells with layered sections, All is the only supported option for importing strain on shell
faces.

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

• Initial strain can only be applied to a shell body with a default coordinate system. If a coordin-
ate system is specified either directly through the Coordinate System property on the body
or indirectly through the Coordinate System property on Layered Section, then the object
becomes invalid and strain cannot be imported.

Important:

Mechanical maps every individual tensor by direct interpolation of individual compon-

ents. This is numerically the simplest method but is physically inconsistent especially in
nonlinear solid mechanics applications. See the Recommendations and Guidelines for
Mapping of Initial Stress and Strain Data (p. 1432) section for more information.

Imported Initial Stress

When stresses are transferred to define the state of a structure at the beginning of a structural
analysis, an Imported Initial Stress object can be inserted to represent the transfer.

You can import values for all six components of the symmetric stress tensor (XX, YY, ZZ, XY, YZ and
ZX). See External Data Import (p. 552) for additional information.

Imported initial stress from External Data can be mapped and applied either to the centroids or
corner nodes of the selected bodies using the Apply To property in the Details view.

• When the Apply To property is set to Corner Nodes, the imported initial stress can also be scoped to
node-based Named Selections.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Note:

• Imported Initial Stress can only be applied at the start of the first step.

Activation/Deactivation of loads (p. 1112) is not available for Imported Initial Stress load.

• Imported Initial Stress load is not supported for bodies which have the following material
types assigned:

– Materials with kinematic hardening properties

– Gasket materials

• For shell bodies, you have the option to import stress on All, Top, Middle, or Bottom shell
face(s).

• For shells with layered sections specified, All is the only supported option for importing
stress on shell faces.

• Initial stress can only be applied to a shell body with a default coordinate system. If a coordin-
ate system is specified either directly through the Coordinate System property on the body

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

or indirectly through the Coordinate System property on Layered Section, then the object
becomes invalid and stress cannot be imported.

Important:

Mechanical maps every individual tensor by direct interpolation of individual components.

This is numerically the simplest method but is physically inconsistent especially in non-
linear solid mechanics applications. See the Recommendations and Guidelines for Mapping
of Initial Stress and Strain Data (p. 1432) section for more information.

Recommendations and Guidelines for Mapping of Initial Stress and Strain Data
Mechanical maps initial stress and strain data by direct interpolation of individual components.
Numerically, this is the simplest method but it is physically inconsistent especially in nonlinear
solid mechanics applications.

Tensor fields associated with solid mechanics applications – e.g. stress, strains, plastic strains etc.
are not independent of each other. The strains are related to the displacements through the
compatibility equations and the stresses are related to strains through the constitutive equations.
In addition, for plasticity, other equations like the flow rule also relate the plastic strain tensors
to the stress tensors. Hence independent interpolation of these tensors will violate these equations
which in turn will create a globally un-equilibrated state of stress in the mapped domain. So,
using these mapped quantities in nonlinear solid mechanics applications is not recommended.
However, irrespective of these limitations, if the user wants to use these mapped fields, it is
strongly recommended that he uses a dummy load step in the solver with the imported initial
stress/strain results and only apply new loads and/or boundary conditions if and only if the
dummy load step converges and the resulting deformation is physically consistent with the
problem. Generally, the analysis with the dummy load step will not converge with loads generated
via incorrectly mapped stress/strain fields. Even with a chance convergence in the dummy load
step, no guarantee can be given with respect to the correctness of the results.

Mechanical provides an option to view contours of equivalent (von-Mises) stress/strain, as well

as individual components (XX, YY, ZZ, XY, YZ and ZX) using Data option in details pane of Im-
ported Initial Stress/Strain. User can insert a Mapping Validation (p. 2303) object under the Imported
Load, perform Source Value validation, and turn Display In Parent, On, to view overlapping
contours of interpolated data with source data and compare the equivalent stress/strain from
the interpolated data with the source data.

The equivalent stress and strain are calculated using the von Mises equation:

Figure 32: Equivalent (von-Mises) stress

Figure 33: Equivalent (von-Mises) strain (elastic/plastic/equivalent plastic)

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 Types of Boundary Conditions

Imported Pressure
When pressures are transferred to a structural or harmonic analysis, an Imported Pressure object
can be inserted to represent the transfer. See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section
for applicable transfers or for specific steps to transfer data.

Note:

• For large-deflection analyses, this load is applied to the original loaded area not the new
area (KEYOPT(7) = 1 is set for the surface effect elements SURF154 and SURF153).

• For surface bodies, the thickness of each target node is ignored when data is mapped. When
importing data from an External Data system, the Shell Thickness Factor property enables
you to account for the thickness at each target node, and consequently modify the location
used for each target node during the mapping process. See External Data Import (p. 552) for
additional information.

Imported pressure loads from External Data can be mapped and applied either to the centroids or
corner nodes of the selected element faces 3D or element edges(2D) using the Applied to property
in the Details view.

When imported pressure loads are applied to corner nodes, the Filter property under the Scope
group allows the user to select a subset of the scoped element faces/edges and imports the load
only on the specified subset. To filter a subset of element faces/edges, follow the following steps:

1. Create a nodal Named Selection to select all the nodes in the region of interest.

2. Select the created named selection in the Filter property. You may also choose any pre-existing nodal
Named Selection.

The filtered subset of element edges/faces is then determined by the following:

1. The element faces/edges which have all their corner nodes defined in the filter will be included in the
mapping

2. For the element edges/faces whose corner nodes are only partially defined the filter, i.e. the faces/edges
which have some corner nodes included in the filter, but not all the Include Partial Faces/Edges
property can be used to include or exclude the element faces/edges from the scoping.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Imported Remote Loads

When electromagnetic forces and moments are transferred to a harmonic environment, an Imported
Remote Loads object is inserted into the environment to represent the transfer.

See the Importing Data into a Harmonic Analysis (p. 530) section for the specific steps to transfer
data.

Imported Surface Force Density

When electromagnetic surface forces are transferred to a structural environment, an Imported
Surface Force Density object can be inserted to represent the transfer.

Important:

When making common geometry selections during an MSUP Harmonic Response analysis
(Solution Method set to Mode Superposition) with the Load Application Type property
set to either Program Controlled (default) or Nodal, an active Imported Surface Force
Density load will overwrite other Imported Surface Force Density loads that were inserted
into the Outline prior to the active load.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Imported Temperature
When temperatures are transferred to a thermal analysis, an Imported Temperature object can
be inserted to represent the transfer.

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Note:

• For each load step, if an Imported Temperature load and Temperature load are applied on
common geometry or node selections, the Imported Temperature load takes precedence.
An active Imported Temperature load will also overwrite other Imported Temperature loads
that exist higher (previously added) in the tree, on common geometry or node selections.
See Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) for additional rules when multiple load objects
of the same type exist on common geometry selections.

• If a scale factor is specified, the values used in the solution are calculated by first converting
the imported load values into the solver unit system and then multiplying the scale value.

• For surface bodies, the thickness of each target node is ignored when data is mapped. When
importing data from an External Data system, the Shell Thickness Factor property enables
you to account for the thickness at each target node, and consequently modify the location
used for each target node during the mapping process. See External Data Import (p. 552) for
additional information.

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 Spatial Varying Loads and Displacements

Imported Velocity
When velocities are transferred to an acoustic analysis, an Imported Velocity object can be inserted
to represent the transfer. Imported velocity objects are not supported in MSUP harmonic analyses

See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section for applicable transfers or for specific steps
to transfer data.

Note:

For surface bodies, the thickness of each target node is ignored when data is mapped.
When importing data from an External Data system, the Shell Thickness Factor property
enables you to account for the thickness at each target node, and consequently modify
the location used for each target node during the mapping process. See External Data
Import (p. 552) for additional information.

Spatial Varying Loads and Displacements

A spatially varying load or displacement has a variable magnitude in a single coordinate direction (x,
y, or z). The following load and displacement types qualify as varying loads and varying displacements,
and can also be a function of time.

• Pressure (p. 1193) (In a Normal direction only during a Static Structural analysis only)

• Line Pressure (p. 1239) (In a Tangential direction only during Static Structural analysis only)

• Pipe Pressure (p. 1199) (Static Structural analysis only)

• Pipe Temperature (p. 1199) (Static Structural analysis only)

• Temperature (p. 1250) (Thermal analysis only)

• Convection (p. 1253) (Thermal analysis only - contour display is not supported)

• Thermal Condition (p. 1247) (Static Structural analysis only)

• Displacement (p. 1348) (For Faces, Edges, or Vertices during a Static Structural analysis.)

• Nodal Displacement (p. 1409)

• Nodal Force (p. 1404)

• Nodal Pressure (p. 1406)

For spatial varying loads and displacements, the spatial Independent Variable property uses the origin
of the coordinate system for its calculations and therefore it does not affect the direction of the load
or displacement. To apply a spatial varying load or displacement, specify the Magnitude or load input
as Tabular (p. 1441) or as a Function (p. 1442).

Once specified, and given that you have generated the mesh on the model, variable loading conditions
display as contours. For convection loads and loads specified using the General Axisymmetric (p. 832)
feature, varying loads are displayed in purple and there is an annotation in the Geometry window that
indicates the load as a "Variable Load."

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

And, the Display group (p. 23) (shown below) becomes visible on the Environment Context Tab (p. 23).
From this group, the Variable Data drop-down menu provides the display options: Smooth Contours,
Contour Bands, and Isolines. When you select the Isolines display option, the Isoline Thickness drop-
down menu enables you to change the thickness of the displayed lines. Options include Single (default),
Double, or Triple. The toolbar also contains options to display the Maximum and Minimum values of
the spatial varying load or displacement. You can toggle these min/max options on (default) and off.

Important:

If you have a model with a large number of parts/bodies, there is a performance-based display
preference available for displaying variable load contours. In the Options (p. 138) dialog, under
the Graphics (p. 146) category, the Varying Loads (Optimization Options) control provides
the options Accuracy (default) and Performance. The Performance option displays discrete
points on the model, based on legend colors, of the load variation. This option provides
significantly faster redrawing times that is beneficial for large models. The Accuracy setting
displays variable load contours normally.

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 Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude

Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude

This section describes the methods you can use to define the magnitude of a boundary condition.
Mechanical enables you to define a load value or magnitude as a:

• Constant (p. 1437): defined by a static value or through an Expression (p. 1437)

• Tabular Load (p. 1440): defined by varying time/frequency/space as well as varying per load step (for
Static Structural only).

• Function Load (p. 1442): defined by varying time or space.

In addition, you can import (p. 1445) and export (p. 1445) load histories.

Note:

Changing the method of how a multiple-step load value is specified (such as Tabular to
Constant), the Activation/Deactivation state of all steps resets to the default, Active.

Support Limitations
• Tabular Heat Flow loads applied to an edge in a 3D analysis are not supported.

• Function Heat Flow loads applied to an edge in a 3D analysis are not supported.

Constant Magnitude Values

Once you have scoped the geometry for your boundary condition, generally, the Magnitude option
defaults to the Constant setting and you can simply enter your desired magnitude value in the field.

As discussed below, you can also define constant values as expressions.

Constant Magnitude Expressions

The Magnitude field defaults to the option Constant. Expressions are simply typed into the field. The
expression is evaluated and applied.

For example and as illustrated, entering the expression =2 + (3 * 5) + pow(2,3) in English in the numeric
field is evaluated as a Magnitude of 25.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

The equal sign (=) must be used to begin an expression. Additional operators include: +, -, *, /, ^ (for
power) and % (integer Modulus). Operator examples are shown here:

2+3 2^10
10.5-2.5 10%3
3.5*3.3 2*(3+5)
10.12/1.89

The order of operator precedence is:

1. parentheses

2. intrinsic functions (like sin or cos)

3. power (^)

4. multiplication (*), division (/) and integer modulus (%)

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 Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude

5. addition (+) and subtraction (-)

Note:

If the decimal separator (p. 72) in the current language is a comma (,) as it is in German,
then the separator for the list of parameters of a function is a semicolon (;). For example, if
an English expression is =2.5 + pow (1.3, 6), the equivalent German expression is =2,5 + pow
(1.3; 6).

The supported intrinsic functions are:

Supported Sample Usage Usage (angles in current Mechanical units setting)

Intrinsic
Functions
sin(x) sin(3.1415926535/2)
Calculate sines and hyperbolic sines.
sinh(x) sinh(3.1415926535/2)
cos(x) cos(3.1415926535/2)
Calculate the cosine (cos) or hyperbolic cosine (cosh).
cosh(x) cosh(3.1415926535/2)
tan(x) tan(3.1415926535/4)
Calculate the tangent (tan) or hyperbolic tangent (tanh).
tanh tanh(1.000000)
Calculates the arcsine. (x - Value whose arcsine is to be
asin(x) asin(0.326960)
calculated).
Calculates the arccosine. (x - Value between –1 and 1 whose
acos(x) acos(0.326960)
arccosine is to be calculated).
atan(x) atan(-862.42) Calculates the arctangent of x (atan) or the arctangent of y/x
atan2(y,x) (atan2). (x,y Any numbers).
atan2(-862.420000,78.514900)
pow(x,y) pow(2.0,3.0) Calculates x raised to the power of y. (x – Base y - Exponent).
sqrt(x) sqrt(45.35) Calculates the square root. (x should be a Nonnegative value).
exp(x) exp(2.302585093) Calculates the exponential. (x - Floating-point value).
Calculates the natural logarithm. (x - Value whose logarithm is
log(x) log(9000.00)
to be found).
Calculates the common logarithm. (x - Value whose logarithm
log10(x) log10(9000.00)
is to be found).
rand() rand() Generates a pseudorandom number.
ceil(2.8) Calculates the ceiling of a value. It returns a floating-point value
ceil(x) representing the smallest integer that is greater than or equal
ceil(-2.8) to x. (x - Floating-point value).
floor(2.8) Calculates the floor of a value. It returns a floating-point value
floor(x) representing the largest integer that is less than or equal to x.
floor(-2.8) (x - Floating-point value).
Calculates the floating-point remainder. The fmod function
calculates the floating-point remainder f of x / y such that x =
fmod(x,y) fmod(-10.0, 3.0) i * y + f, where i is an integer, f has the same sign as x, and the
absolute value of f is less than the absolute value of y. (x,y -
Floating-point values).

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

You can also enter hexadecimal (starting with 0x) and octal (starting with &) numbers, for example 0x12
and &12.

Tabular Loads
Tabular data is most often entered using the Magnitude property of the boundary condition. The
Distance property is also an option for Displacements. As illustrated below, from the appropriate
property in the Details view, open the fly-out menu and select Tabular.

Based on your analysis system, enter the appropriate data in the Tabular Data window (pressure, force,
frequency, etc). The Graph window displays the variation of the load with time for Static and Transient
analysis systems or frequency for Harmonic analysis systems.

For varying loads, annotations in the Geometry window display the current time in the Graph window
along with the load value at that time. Tabular Loads allow up to 100,000 entries. For frequency varying
loads, annotations in the Geometry window displays the minimum range of harmonic frequency sweep
and load value of first frequency entry.

Note:

• All new data is entered into the row that begins with an asterisk (*) regardless of whether the
time or frequency point is higher or lower than the last defined point in the table. The application
automatically sorts the content of the table into ascending order.

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 Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude

• Any Tabular Data values preceded by an equal sign (=) are not defined table values. These values
are application interpolated values shown for reference.

Spatial Load Tabular Data

When using spatial varying loads (p. 1435), selecting Tabular as the input option displays the Tabular
Data category and based on the entry of the Tabular Data category, the Graph Controls category
may also display.

The Tabular Data category provides the following options:

Independent Variable
The Independent Variable property specifies how the load varies with either Time (default), load
Step (Static Structural only), or in the X, Y, or Z spatial direction. For a Harmonic Response analysis
the default setting is Frequency. And, for certain temperature-based loads, you can select Temper-
ature as the Independent Variable.

Note:

• The application typically writes loading values to the input file as a table of values. When
you set the Independent Variable property to Step, the application instead writes a
constant load value for each load step.

• For a Pressure (p. 1193) load, the Define By property must be set to Normal To.

• The option Normalized S becomes available for Line Pressure (p. 1239) loads in a 3D
analysis when the Define By property is set to Tangential or Pressure (p. 1193) loads in
a 2D analysis when the Define By property is set to Normal To.

The Normalized S option enables you to define pressure as a function of the

distance along a path whose length is denoted by S. When you select the Normal-
ized S variable, the Tabular Data window accepts input data in the form of nor-
malized values of path length (Normalized S) and corresponding Pressure values.
A path length of 0 denotes the start of the path and a 1 denotes the end of the
path. Any intermediate values between 0 and 1 are acceptable in the table. Load
values are sent to the solver for each element on the defined path based on a
first-order approximation.

Coordinate System
The Coordinate System property displays if you specify the Independent Variable in a spatial direction
(X, Y, or Z). Use this property to specify a coordinate system.

Graph Controls
The Graph Controls category displays when you define the Independent Variable as a spatial direction
(X, Y, or Z), as Normalized S, or as Temperature. This category provides the property X-Axis which
you use to change the Graph window's display. The options of the X-Axis property vary based upon
analysis type and the selection made for the Independent Variable property. Options may include
Time, or the spatial direction specified, or Temperature.

• When the X-Axis property is defined as Time:

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

– Tabular Data content can be Scaled against time.

– You can Activate and/or Deactivate (p. 1112) the load at a solution load step.

– If Time is not an available option of the X-Axis option, then scaling or activation/deactivation
are not possible for the boundary condition.

Function Loads
For entering a mathematical function, click the flyout arrow in the input field (for example, Magnitude),
choose Function, then type a function such as =1000*sin(10*time). Any time values that you are
evaluating can exceed the final time value by as much as one time step. The Graph window displays
the variation of the load with time. Annotations in the Geometry window display the current time in
the Graph window along with the load value at that time. The following functions are supported: sin,
cos, tan, asin, acos, atan, atan2, log, log10, exp, pow, and sqrt.

Spatial Load and Displacement Function Data

When using spatial varying loads or displacements (p. 1435), selecting Function as the input option in
the Details view presents an editable function field. Enter a mathematical expression in this field. Expres-
sions have the following requirements:

• For a Pressure load, the Define By option must be set to Normal To.

• For a Line Pressure load, the Define By option must be set to Tangential.

• You can use the spatial variation independent variables x, y, or z, and time (entered in lowercase) in the
definition of the function.

• For Line Pressure loads in a 3D analysis or Pressure loads in a 2–D analysis, you can also use the variable s,
which allows you to define pressure as a function of the distance along a path whose length is denoted by
s. When defining a path length, valid primary variables you can enter are s alone or s combined with time,
for example, s*time, or s*sin(time/s). Load values are sent to the solver for each element on the defined path
based on a first-order approximation.

• Define only one direction, x, y, or z; or path length, s. After entering a direction or path length, the Graph
Controls category (see above) displays.

When the Details view property Magnitude is set to Function, the following categories automatically
display.

• Function - properties include:

– Unit System – the active unit system.

– Angular Measure – the angular measure that is used to evaluate trigonometric functions.

• Graph Controls - based of the defined function, properties include:

– X-Axis – This provides options to display time or the spatial independent variable in the graph. When set
to Time you can activate and deactivate the load at a solution step.

– Alternate Value – If the function combines time and a spatial independent variable, one of these values
(alternate) must be fixed to evaluate the function for the two dimensional graph.

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 Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude

– Range Minimum – If the X-Axis property is set to a spatial independent variable, this is the minimum
range of the graph. For time, this value defaults to 0.0 and cannot be modified.

– Range Maximum – If the X-Axis property is set to a spatial independent variable, this is the maximum
range of the graph. For time this defaults to the analysis end time and can’t be modified.

– Number of Segments - The function is graphed with a default value of two hundred line segments. This
value may be changed to better visualize the function. The function can be graphed with up to 100,000
segments.

Caution:

Specifying larger numbers of points may slow the response time of Mechanical.

Spatial Varying Displacements

You can also apply spatial varying displacements (p. 1346), which have the following additional or unique
characteristics:

• Edge scoping is available.

• Displacements are shown as vectors instead of contours except if you choose Normal To the surface. Vectors
are only displayed if the model has been meshed. The vector arrows are color-coded to indicate their value.
A contour band is included for interpretation of the values. The contour band is the vector sum of the possible
three vector components and therefore will only display positive values.

• For one Displacement object, you can select up to three displacement components that can all vary using
the same direction. If an additional direction is required, you can use an additional Displacement object.

• A constant value and a table cannot be used in different components. A table will be forced in any component
having a constant value if another component has a table.

Direction
There are four types of Direction:

Planar Face (p. 1443)

Edge (p. 1444)
Cylindrical Face or Geometric Axis (p. 1444)
Two Vertices (p. 1445)

Planar Face

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Selected planar face. The load is directed normal to the face.

Note:

Not applicable to Rotational Velocity or Rotational Acceleration. These objects are aligned
along the normal to a planar face and along the axis of a cylindrical face (p. 1444).

Edge
Straight Colinear to the edge

Circular or Elliptical Normal to the plane containing the edge

Selected straight edge

Cylindrical Face or Geometric Axis

Applies to cylinders, cones, tori, and cylindrical or conical fillets. For vector-based loading on a cylindrical
face or geometric axis, you define the radial direction by selecting a different piece of geometry on
your model that allows you to modify the Direction in the desired direction.

Selected cylinder

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 Defining Boundary Condition Magnitude

Two Vertices

2 selected vertices

Note:

Hold the CTRL key to select the second vertex.

Loads that require you to define an associated direction include the Define By Details view control.
Setting Define By to Vector allows you to define the direction graphically, based on the selected geo-
metry. Setting Define By to Components allows you to define the direction by specifying the x, y, and
z magnitude components of the load.

Note:

If you switch the load direction setting in the Define By field, the data is lost.

Importing Load History

To import a load history from a library:

1. Select geometric or mesh entities and specify your desired load.

2. Go to the Details view and in the input field, such as the Magnitude field, click the flyout field and
choose Import. Note that the Import feature can present different dependencies, such as time and
temperature.

Choose the desired load history if it is listed, then click OK. If it is not listed, click the Add
button, choose a load history or Browse to one that is stored, then click OK in both dialog
boxes.

Exporting Load History

To export a load history:

By default, any load history that you create in the application remains in the application. To save
the load history for future use:

1. Create a load history using the Graph or Tabular Data windows.

2. Go to the Details view and in the input field, such as the Magnitude field, click the flyout field, choose
Export, and save the file to a specific location.

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Setting Up Boundary Conditions

Resolving Thermal Boundary Condition Conflicts

Conflicts between boundary conditions scoped to parts and individual faces

Boundary conditions applied to individual geometry faces always override those that are scoped to a
part(s). For conflicts associated with various boundary conditions, the order of precedence is as follows:

1. Applied temperatures (Highest).

2. Convection, heat fluxes, and flows (Cumulative, but overridden by applied temperatures).

3. Insulated (Lowest. Overridden by all of the above).

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Using Results
The Help for Results is organized in the following sections based on analysis type as well as the treatment
and usage for the various result options.
Introduction to the Use of Results
Result Outputs
Result Definitions
Result Scoping
Structural Results
Volume Result
Acoustic Results
Thermal Results
Magnetostatic Results
Electric Results
Fatigue Results
User Defined Results
User Defined Criteria
Result Utilities

Introduction to the Use of Results

Generating results to understand the behavior of an analyzed model is fundamental to any analysis in
Mechanical. The application supports a variety of result types and tools to facilitate this process.

Some advantageous features include the following capabilities:

• Display result contours over the entire, or a portion, of the model for various solution quantities, such as
displacement, stress, temperature, and electric field density.

• Customized result access using user-defined results (p. 1656).

• Chart (p. 1449) minimum and maximum values over time for multiple result sets.

• Options (p. 29) to quantify and visualization result contours that represent vectors, iso-surfaces, slice planes,
path operations, surface cuts, and capped iso-surfaces.

• Probes (p. 1462) to calculate abstract engineering quantities such as reaction forces, reaction moments, and
virtual strain gauges.

• Export result data in a variety of formats, such as ASCII files for raw data, static images such as .png, .avi an-
imations, as well as HTML reports.

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Using Results

Result Application
To apply Results:

• Highlight the Solution object and select a result, result probe, or result tool from the options on the Solution
Context Tab (p. 24).

Or...

• Right-click the Solution object, select Insert, and then choose from the result options.

Note:

See the User Defined Result (p. 1656) section of the Help for more information about the spe-
cification and definition of this result type.

Once inserted into the tree, you need to scope (p. 1503) your result objects to geometric or meshing
entities of the model.

Note:

• If you suppress any result object, the application clears all generated data.

• Because of software limitations, Mechanical currently cannot display the results of some types
of nodes and elements. For example, a total deformation display in Mechanical excludes the
deformations of nodes that are not attached to elements (like nodes associated with remote
points).

• Mechanical requires the mesh information to be present on the Mechanical APDL result file in
order to postprocess. Therefore, result files created from Mechanical APDL cannot have the
/CONFIG,NORSTGM option set to 1 (the default is zero).

Result Outputs
The following topics related to result outputs are covered in this section.
Chart and Table
Contour Results
Coordinate Systems Results
Path Results
Surface Results
Probes
Result Set Listing
Interpolation
Vector Plots
Solution Summary Worksheet

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 Result Outputs

Chart and Table

The Home tab (p. 9) option New Chart and Table is a feature that enables you to chart loading
and result data versus time, versus additional loading conditions, as well as versus other result data.
This includes the loading conditions and/or results of different analyses. For example, you may wish
to compare the displacement responses from two different transient analyses with multiple damping
characteristics.

Use the New Chart and Table feature to:

• Chart load(s) and result(s) vs time.

• Chart multiple harmonic response plots vs. Frequency.

• Change x-axis to plot a result against a load or another result.

• Compare results across analyses.

• Visualize and compress data into an easy-to-understand report.

Create a Chart
1. Select the objects you wish to chart. You can select multiple objects of interest. In doing so, note that:

• You can choose objects in the tree that belong to different analyses of a model. However all objects
must belong to the same Model.

• Only loads, probes and results that can be contoured are added to the chart.

• For result items the variation of minimum and maximum values is plotted as a function of time

2. Select the New Chart and Table button on the Home tab (p. 9). This adds a new Chart object (p. 1971)
to the Outline. You can add multiple charts.

Determining Data Points

You can choose a mixture of loads and results that may even span different analyses. In these cases
there can be a mismatch between the time points at which the loads are defined and the time points
at which results are available. For example in case of a nonlinear transient stress analysis under constant
load, the load has a single value but there can be many time points where results are available. The
below interpolation scheme is used to create charts when such mismatch occurs.

• Loads are interpolated or extrapolated to the time points at which result values or other load values.

• Results are not interpolated or extrapolated

Details View Content

The main categories are:

• Definition:

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– Outline Selection: Lists how many objects are used in the chart. Clicking on the number of objects
highlights the objects in the tree allowing you to modify the selection if needed.

• Chart Controls:

– X-Axis: By default the data of the selected objects are plotted against time. You may choose a
different load or result quantity for the x-axis. For example you can plot a Force – Deflection curve
by choosing the deflection to be the X-axis.

– Plot Style: display as Lines, Points, or Both (default).

– Scale:

→ Linear (default) - plot as linear graph.

→ Semi-Log (X) - X-Axis is plotted logarithmically. If negative axis values or a zero value exists, this
option is not supported and the graph plots linearly.

→ Semi-Log (Y) - Y-Axis is plotted logarithmically. If negative axis values or a zero value exists, this
option is not supported and the graph plots linearly.

→ Log-Log - X-Axis and Y-Axis are plotted logarithmically. If negative axis values or a zero value
exists, this option is not supported and the graph plots linearly.

– Gridlines: Show gridlines for plotting 2D X-Y curves.

→ Both - The gridlines for both the X-axis and Y-axis are shown.

→ X Axis - The gridline for the X-axis is shown.

→ Y Axis - The gridline for the Y-axis is shown.

→ None - No gridlines are shown.

• Axis Labels:

– X-Axis and Y-Axis: You can enter appropriate labels for the X and Y axes. In doing so, note that:

→ The X and Y axes always show the units of the item(s) being charted. These units are appended
to any label that you enter.

→ When multiple items are plotted on the Y-axis the units are determined as follows: If all the items
plotted on the Y-axis have the same units then the unit is displayed. For example, if all items are
of type deformation and the active unit system is British Inch unit system then the unit is displayed
as Inch. If the items plotted on the Y-axis are of different types for example, stress and strain
then Normalized is displayed for unit.

→ When determining pairs of points to plot on the chart when X-axis is not time be aware that
time is still used to determine the pairs of points to plot when an item other than time is used
for the x-axis. Both the X-axis quantity and the Y-axis quantity must share a common time point
to be considered a valid pair.

• Report:

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– Content: By default both the chart as well as the data listing of the objects gets added to reports.
Instead you may choose to only add the chart or only add the data listing or exclude the chart
from report. Note that only tabular data or chart data with two or more points is displayed in the
report.

– Caption: You may enter a caption for the chart. The caption will be included in the report.

• Input Quantities:

– Input Quantities: Any valid load object added to the chart gets displayed under Input Quantities.
If a load has multiple components then each component will get a line in this details group.

– Output Quantities: Any valid result object added to the chart gets displayed under Output
Quantities. If a result has multiple components then each component will get a line in this details
group.
In using Input and Output Quantities, note that:

– Naming and legend: Each object added to a chart is assigned a name and a legend label. The
name is simply the object name in the tree if there are no components associated with the object.
An example would be a Y displacement probe. For objects that have multiple components the
component direction or name will get added to the object name. For example adding ‘Equivalent
Stress’ result item to a chart will result in two items getting added – ‘Equivalent Stress (min)’ and
‘Equivalent Stress (max)’.

– Each name is preceded by a one letter label such as [A] or [B]. This label is also displayed on the
corresponding curve in the chart and is used to associate the object name with the curve.

– The default setting is to display the item in the chart and data grid. You can exclude an item by
setting this field to Omit. Omitting an item removes the corresponding data from both data grid
and chart. Be aware that an item chosen for X-axis cannot be omitted and this field will be reset
to Display for that item.

Chart Display
• Legend: You can use the right-click context menu options Show Legend/Hide Legend to display or hide
annotations in the Graph window for the selected Chart (p. 1971).

• Normalization: Scaling of Y-axis is determined as follows.

– Single item on Y-axis : Scaling is based on the minimum and maximum values of the item plotted

– Multiple items on Y-axis that have same unit type: Scaling is based on the minimum and maximum
values of the items plotted. For example, plot applied pressure load and a stress result against time.

– Multiple items on Y-axis that have different unit types: In this case each curve is normalized to lie
between 0 and 1, that is the minimum value is treated as zero and the maximum value as one. The label
of the Y-axis reflects this by appending Normalized to any user specified label. Note that the data grid
displays the actual values always.

Datagrid Display
It is read-only.

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Contour Results
Most result types (p. 2191) can be displayed using contours or vectors. The Result Context Tab (p. 24)
applies to Solution level objects that display contour or vector results.

Coordinate Systems Results

The following topics are addressed in this section:
Nodal Coordinate Systems Results
Elemental Coordinate Systems Results
Rotational Order of Coordinate System Results

Important:

If a given result experiences any change in position due to the loading conditions, such
as a displacement or deformation, the Geometry window always displays this position
change in the Global Coordinate System (per global XYZ coordinate triad). If you have
specified a local coordinate system for your result, the application exposes all data contained
in the Details view as well as the Tabular Data window based the local coordinate system
entry. Furthermore, if applicable, the application always displays result contour colors in
the Geometry window based on a specified local coordinate system.

Nodal Coordinate Systems Results

Every node in a model is associated with a coordinate system that, by default, is aligned with the
global Cartesian coordinate system. If any of the X, Y, or Z axes of an individual node is rotated,
the resulting coordinate system will typically not be aligned with the global Cartesian coordinate
system. Using this feature, you can display nodal result rotations either as Euler rotated triads at
each node location, or as contours that represent an Euler rotation angle about an individual nodal
axis. Boundary conditions are highly dependent upon Euler angles.

To display nodal coordinate systems results:

Highlight the Solution object, and choose one of the following options from the Coordinate Sys-
tems drop-down menu. A corresponding object will be inserted in the tree.

• Nodal Triads: Displays an XYZ triad at each node representing the resulting rotation of the node's co-
ordinate system compared to the global Cartesian coordinate system. See Rotational Order of Coordinate
System Results (p. 1454) for details.

• Nodal Euler XY Angle: Displays a contour plot representing the magnitude of the resulting Euler angle
rotation at each node about the Z axis.

• Nodal Euler YZ Angle: Displays a contour plot representing the magnitude of the resulting Euler angle
rotation at each node about the X axis.

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• Nodal Euler XZ Angle: Displays a contour plot representing the magnitude of the resulting Euler angle
rotation at each node about the Y axis.

Note:

For the ANSYS solver, nodal coordinate systems will not vary from time step to time
step.

Elemental Coordinate Systems Results

Every element in a model is associated with a coordinate system that, by default, is aligned with
the global Cartesian coordinate system. If any of the X, Y, or Z axes of an individual element is ro-
tated, the resulting coordinate system will typically not be aligned with the global Cartesian coordin-
ate system. Using this feature, you can display elemental result rotations either as Euler rotated
triads at each element's centroid, or as contours that represent an Euler rotation angle about an
individual elemental axis. Shell stresses are highly dependent upon Euler angles.

Note:

Euler rotated triads and contours of Euler rotation angles are determined by the element
type and not all elements types are supported. If no result data is available for the cor-
responding element type, then the triads display as global triads.

To display elemental coordinate systems results:

Highlight the Solution object, and choose one of the following options from the Coordinate Sys-
tems drop-down menu. A corresponding object will be inserted in the tree.

• Elemental Triads: Displays an XYZ triad at each element centroid representing the resulting rotation
of the element's coordinate system compared to the global Cartesian coordinate system. See Rotational
Order of Coordinate System Results (p. 1454) for details.

Note:

You may need to use the Wireframe viewing mode (p. 35) to see a particular triad in
an element.

• Elemental Euler XY Angle: Displays a contour plot representing the magnitude of the resulting Euler
angle rotation at each element centroid about the Z axis.

• Elemental Euler YZ Angle: Displays a contour plot representing the magnitude of the resulting Euler
angle rotation at each element centroid about the X axis.

• Elemental Euler XZ Angle: Displays a contour plot representing the magnitude of the resulting Euler
angle rotation at each element centroid about the Y axis.

Note:

For the ANSYS solver, it is possible for elemental coordinate systems to vary from:

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• Time step to time step.

• Node to node. In this case, Mechanical displays the angles for the first node in the node
number sequence. For line elements, like beams, the result file does not contain the
elemental Euler angles and as a result Mechanical calculates the coordinate system from
the (x, y, z) positions of the nodes (including the orientation node). Currently, Mechan-
ical does not have access to the internal nodes created by the solver. Because of these
calculations, the triad for a line element can differ from the triad displayed by the
Mechanical APDL application if you have issued the //PSYMB,ESYS,ON command and
the Mechanical APDL application has access to the Mechanical APDL db file.

Rotational Order of Coordinate System Results

The following rotational convention is used for both Nodal Coordinate Systems Results (p. 1452) and
Elemental Coordinate Systems Results (p. 1453):

1. The first rotation is called ... Euler XY and is in the X-Y plane (X towards Y, about Z).

2. The second rotation is called ... Euler YZ and is in Y1-Z1 plane (Y1 towards Z1, about X1).

3. The third rotation is called ... Euler XZ and is in X2-Z2 plane (Z2 towards X2, about Y2).

X1, Y1, and Z1 refer to the coordinate system axes after the initial rotation about the global Z axis.

X2, Y2, and Z2 refer to the coordinate system axes after the initial rotation about the global Z axis
and subsequent rotation about X1.

See Figure : Euler Rotation Angles from the Modeling and Meshing Guide for a pictorial representation
of this convention.

Path Results
If you have already defined a path (p. 867), you can view the path results by highlighting the result
object, and in the Details view, setting Scoping Method to Path, then choosing the name of the
particular path that you defined.

Note:

Path results are not supported for models using periodic or cyclic symmetry. In Explicit
Dynamics models, the path results are not supported for geometries that use an Eulerian
reference frame.

An example path result plot is shown below.

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In this example, the Number of Sampling Points for the Path object was set to 47. Results were
calculated for each of these 47 points as shown in the Graph below.

For each point in a path or in a surface, Mechanical chooses precisely one body from which to calculate
the results. If multiple bodies are scoped, Mechanical calculates the results from the body with the
highest identifier (typically the latest one in the geometry tree). No averaging is done of a path result
across bodies.

If a path or a surface traverses multiple shell or solid bodies and if a path (or surface) point lies on
the interface between distinct bodies, it may not be clear which body was employed in the creation
of contour colors for the point. To avoid this situation, select the bodies from which to obtain the
results.

For example, a path can be defined by the edge between two shell bodies. If both bodies are scoped,
the result contours on the path can be based on either body. Consider the following properties spe-
cified for a Path:

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• Display Option = Averaged

• Average Across Bodies = Yes

In this instance, a result at an (x, y, z) on the path may show contributions from only one body. For
such an (x, y, z) location, these is no averaging across the bodies that contain the location.

In the following three figures, a path lies along the interface of two shell bodies. In the first two figures,
a body is selected on one side of the path.

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However, the stresses in the first figure differ from the stresses in the second figure.

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In the third figure, the result is scoped to both bodies which touch the path.

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Note that the stresses displayed in the third figure match those of the second image.

Interpolation and Paths

For a given path, Mechanical examines each element in the set of scoped bodies to determine the
set of elements which contain a point on the path. A path point may reside on a face of an element,
in the interior of an element, or in no element. The set of path points is, in essence, a set of interpol-
ation points.

Assume, for example, that you request a normal x-axis stress result on the path (that is, SX). For a
given interpolation point (x,y,z) lying on the face or residing in the interior of an element, Mechan-
ical finds the natural (or normalized) coordinates of the point within the element. Mechanical then
interpolates the corner values of SX, using the natural coordinates and shape functions, to find a
value for SX at (x,y,z).

See the Interpolation (p. 1472) section for additional information.

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Surface Results
If you have already defined a surface (p. 872), you can view the surface results by first adding a
standard result or user defined result (p. 1656), and in the Details view of the result object, setting
Scoping Method to Surface, then choosing the name of the particular surface that you defined.

Note:

Surface results are not supported for models using periodic or cyclic symmetry.

The Details view for a surface result contains an additional item called Average, which can be para-
metrized.

For example, average stress over the surface is given by:

{ ∫ Stress(X, Y, Z) dAREA} / {TOTAL_AREA}

For some results, the Details view will also contain a Total quantity, such as Total Force, which also
can be parametrized.

The Total quantities are presented in the following table. Currently, if you desire a Total quantity for
Heat Flux, Magnetic Flux Density, Current Density, or Electric Flux Density, you must choose a
vector user defined result. Total Force (as integrated from principal stress vectors) is available to both
standard and user defined results.

Identifier Result Surface Integral

TFVECTORS Heat Flux Heat Rate
BVECTORS Magnetic Flux Density Magnetic Flux
DVECTORS Electric Flux Density Charge
JTVECTORS, JCVECTORS Current Density Current
SVECTORS (also see Vector Stress Tensor Force
Principals (p. 1523))

Interpolation of Data on a Surface

For a given surface (such as the intersection of a cutting plane and a finite element mesh), Mechan-
ical examines each element in the set of scoped bodies to determine if any element edge was inter-
sected by the surface. A surface may intersect multiple edges of a finite element, so Mechanical
maintains a list of all (x,y,z) points and all element IDs from the edge intersections. This set of in-
tersection points is, in essence, a set of interpolation points.

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For example, you request a normal x-axis stress result on the surface (that is, SX). For a given inter-
polation point (x,y,z) lying on an edge of an element, Mechanical finds the natural (or normalized)
coordinates of the point within the element. Mechanical then interpolates the corner values of SX,
using the natural coordinates and shape functions, to find a value for SX at (x,y,z).

See the Interpolation (p. 1472) section for additional information.

Force and Moment Reactions

For a pre-defined surface, a surface probe enables you to study reactions on cutting planes. You can
extract generated member forces and reactions through a model by using a reaction probe scoped
to a surface.

For this probe type, you must explicitly select the bodies to be sliced. You cannot apply this to “all
bodies.” You then specify for the Extraction detail whether you want to study nodes in front or behind
the plane. The probe will only operate on elements cut by the plane (and only nodes on those elements
which are on the selected side of the plane). Note that the surface probe will display nodal forces for
all nodes that are involved in the reaction calculation.

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Surface Displays and Fracture

Mechanical analyzes for duplicates the sets of (x,y,z) for the facets in a surface construction object
and compresses it by discarding all duplicate (x,y,z) sets. Mechanical employs compression to reduce
the size of the data cache and to improve performance.

For each remaining (x,y,z) in the surface, Mechanical derives via interpolation the results (like displace-
ments and stresses) from precisely one element. That is, even if an (x,y,z) resides in many elements,
Mechanical only fetches the displacements from one element.

Hence, interpolated displacements at the (x,y,z) may currently fail to demonstrate the proper deform-
ation of a crack.

Probes
Probes enable you to find results at a point on the model, or minimum or maximum results on a
body, face, edge, or vertex; to find results on objects in the tree, such as elastic support or weak
springs; or to obtain reaction forces and moments at supports.

Important:

Probe Scoping Limitation

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Certain probes, such as a Reaction probe, support mesh scoping (node, element, or element
face) through the Boundary Condition it is scoped to. However, if you specify Symmetry
in your analysis, the application does not support mesh scoping on any probe.

Important:

Shell Geometry Scoping Limitation

Because the application can extract results from the top, bottom, or mid-surface locations
of a shell geometry, probes results can produce different results at a node based on the
type of scoping performed, either by Geometry Selection or using a Coordinate System.
This is due to the fact that a probe scoped by a Coordinate System interpolates the result
at the interior location whereas a probe scoped to a Geometry Selection uses uninterpolated
node-based values from the top and bottom nodes of the element (or layer).

This section examines the general function of the probe tool in Mechanical as well as the specific
probe types that are available in the Mechanical application. It also describes the Details view options
associated with the Probe object.
Overview and Probe Types
Probe Details View

Overview and Probe Types

The following probe types are available:

• Structural Probes (p. 1576)

• Thermal Probes (p. 1625)

• Magnetostatic Probes (p. 1631)

• Electric Probes (p. 1633)

• Volume Probe (p. 1616)

You insert a Probe object under Solution in the tree, from the Probe drop-down menu or using
the options available from the right-click context menu. You can adjust options in the Details view
or add results for specific points/geometry. When you solve the probe, the display of the result
probe reveals the displaced mesh for the specified time. The probe shows values over time and for
a specified time. The Details view shows either the maximum or minimum value over time.

Note:

You cannot turn off the time history for result probes.

Scoping
Probes are customized for the particular result type, therefore, different probes enable different
scoping mechanisms. For example, a reaction probe allows scoping to a boundary condition while
a stress probe will allow scoping to an x, y, z location on the geometry. Refer to the “Characteristics”

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column of the tables in the linked sections above for scoping. Use Location Method in the Details
view of the probe to scope to the desired entity.

When you create a probe by selecting a location on the model or by assigning a coordinate system,
Mechanical associates a small subset of nodes that reside near the probe. The value of this probe
is interpolated from the values at these neighboring (undeformed) nodes. The interpolation is based
on the original node locations and not a function of the displaced position of the probe or of the
nodes. When picking a specific x, y, z location, you can obtain the probe result directly at the closest
corner node, without extra interpolation, by right-clicking on the probe object in the tree and
choosing Snap to mesh nodes from the context menu. The identification number of the closest
corner node is displayed as the Node ID in the Details view of the probe in the Results category.
See the Interpolation (p. 1472) section for additional information.

Note:

Line Body
If you attempt to intersect probes with a line body, Mechanical issues a warning mes-
sage. No results (such as stresses or displacements) will appear in the details view of
the probe.

Surface Body
For surface bodies with expanded thickness, because the snapping location is located
on the expanded mesh, while other items such as the original x, y, z location and the
node ID are on the non-expanded mesh, you are advised to turn the visual expan-
sion (p. 38) off in order to best view these items.

Element Face
Probes do not support element face scoping.

Caution:

The application does not support probes applied to objects that you have scoped
to multiple Remote Points, either directly or indirectly, such as a spring scoped to
a Remote Point that is itself defined by multiple Remote Points.

Specific Scoping Requirements

Note the following specifications when scoping a probe:

• When you create a probe by scoping a vertex, edge, face, or volume, the results reported for the
probe are for the undisplaced nodes and elements. The displaced location of the probe (if any) is
not used in any way to calculate results.

• If a probe is scoped to any suppressed or hidden parts, then the probe will not solve or evaluate
results. This strategy exists to prevent numeric contributions from elements and nodes that are
not scoped.

Scoping Limitations

Reaction, Summation, and Torque

If you apply a Force Reaction or Moment Reaction (p. 1591), Force Summation (p. 1631), or
Torque (p. 1631) probe using a geometry entity (Location Method = Geometry Selection) that

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shares more than one body, then the (unscoped) adjacent elements of the scoped body can
contribute to the probe's results. The Geometry Selection option, regardless of whether you
select vertices, edges, or faces, chooses only nodes on the entity. The application then also selects
any elements attached to the nodes. As a result, you can have additional elements (that contribute
to the probe results) that are not included in the geometry scoping.

Shells
Shell element node-based results (like stress and strain) exist at the top, bottom, and middle of
the shell element (or the layer). Therefore, a shell node can have three values for a given layer.

For result probes on shell models that are scoped by Geometry Selection, the probe normally
considers the top value and bottom values at the scoped nodes and picks either the
maximum or minimum value. Based on the probe type, the Spatial Resolution property
enables you to select whether the application uses the maximum or minimum value.

If you scope your probe to a Coordinate System, the application performs an interpolation
using the values at the top and bottom of the shell.

With these situations in mind, your scoping may present results with unexpected or non-
intuitive values.

For example, consider a probe scoped to a coordinate system that is situated near a vertex
at the mid-plane. For this situation, the interpolation is a simple arithmetic average. However,
what if the Top value at the node is -1000 and the Bottom value at the same node is
1000, a very real scenario for shell models. The coordinate system probe would report (-
1000 + 1000)/2 = 0.

Now consider the probe scoped by geometry to the same Vertex. It would report max(-
1000, 1000) = 1000 if the Spatial Resolution property was set to Use Maximum.

Results Output Coordinate System

Some probes such as the Directional Deformation probe allow the results to be calculated and
displayed in a coordinate system of your choice. Some other probes such as a Spring probe allow
results to be output only in a specific coordinate system. Refer to Orientation Coordinate System:
entry under the “Characteristics” column in the probe tables (see links above) regarding what co-
ordinate systems are allowed and what the default coordinate system is. You can use Orientation
in the Details view of the probe to change the output coordinate system.

Note:

When the Orientation Coordinate System is Global Cartesian, the triad (p. 190) symbol is
not displayed. The exception is for Torque probes in magnetostatic analyses, where the
global triad is displayed and the direction vector is placed at the global origin.

Limitations of Geometry-Based Probes

The following table shows the limitations of geometry-based Probe results. If you make incorrect
selections in the Details view for any of the probes, all the probes under solution remain unsolved.

Components and Prin-

Must be Scoped All Result
Probe Scope cipals Result Selection
to a rigid part Selection invalid
invalid

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Deformation X
Stress X X
Strain X X
Vertices,
1
Thermal Flux Edges, X
1 Faces, or
Flux Density X
1 Volume
Flux Intensity X
Velocity X
Acceleration X
Position X
1
Angular Velocity X
Angular
X
Acceleration1

1 - Not supported in explicit dynamics analyses.

Probe Details View

The following table describes the Probe Details view categories and properties. All Probes provide
the same Details view categories, however, based on the probe type and/or how you specify the
probe properties; the availability of the properties can differ.

Category Property Name and Description

Definition Type
This read-only property displays the selected type of probe.

Location Method
Sets the probe location. Based upon the probe type, Location Method options
include:

Geometry Selection
Default setting, indicating that the probe is applied to a geometry or
geometries (X, Y, Z points, edge/edges, vertex/vertices, face/faces, or
body/bodies), which are chosen using a graphical selection tools.

If you select a point using the Hit Point selection tool (see Graphics
Toolbar (p. 49)), the read-only X,Y, Z Coordinate properties display
and show the coordinate locations.

Geometry : Visible when the Location Method is set to Geo-

metry Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face,
etc.) and the number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body,
2 Edges) to which the boundary has been applied using the
selection tools.

Coordinate System
Use this property to set the location according to a user-defined coordinate
system. This choice displays a Location drop-down list where you pick
the particular coordinate system. The X,Y,Z Coordinates of the location
are also displayed.

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Category Property Name and Description

Coordinate System : Visible when the Location Method is set
to Coordinate System. Provides a drop-down list of available
coordinate systems.

Remote Points
Use this property to scope the probe to a remote point.

Remote Points : Visible when the Location Method is set to

Remote Points. Provides a drop-down list of available remote
points.

Caution:

The application does not support probes applied to

objects that you have scoped to multiple Remote Points,
either directly or indirectly, such as a spring scoped to
a Remote Point that is itself defined by multiple Remote
Points.

Boundary Condition
This Location Method option is available for Force Reaction and Moment
Reaction probes in structural analyses. It is also available for the Reaction
Probe in thermal, electric, and thermal-electric (as Heat Reaction) analyses.
And it is available for the Radiation Probe in thermal as well as
thermal-electric analyses. Use this property to scope the probe to an
existing boundary condition.

Boundary Condition: Visible when the Location Method is set

to Boundary Condition. This property provides a drop-down
list of available boundary conditions.

Spring
Use this property to scope a Force Reaction probe to an existing
body-ground spring that you select from a drop-down list of available
body-ground springs.

Spring: This associated property is visible when the Location

Method is set to Spring. This property provides a drop-down
list of available body-ground springs.

Contact Region
Use this property to scope Force Reaction, Moment Reaction, and heat
Reaction (thermal analyses only) probes to an existing contact region
that you pick from a Contact Region drop-down list.

Contact Region: Visible when the Location Method is set to

Contact Region. This property provides a drop-down list of
available contact regions.

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Using Results

Category Property Name and Description

Beam
Use to scope the probe to an existing boundary condition that you pick
from a Beam drop-down list.

Beam: Visible when the Location Method is set to Beam.

Provides a drop-down list of available beams objects.

Mesh Connection
Use this property to scope the probe to an existing mesh connection in
the tree.

Mesh Connection: Visible when the Location Method is set to

Mesh Connection. This property provides a drop-down list of
available mesh connection objects.

Surface
Use the scope to probe to a surface and study reactions on cutting planes.

Surface: Visible when the Location Method is set to Surface.

Provides a drop-down list of available surface objects.
Geometry: This property corresponds to the Surface property
when the Location Method is set to Surface. Select a geometry
Body.

Boundary Condition
This property is available for a number of probe types. It provides a drop-down
list of available boundary conditions that you use to scope the probe to.

Orientation
Sets the direction of the coordinate system specified by the Coordinate
System described above.

Spring
This property displays when the Location Method is set to Spring. It provides
a drop-down list of available body-ground springs that you use to scope the
probe to.

X coordinate
A read-only property that displays X Axis value for the Coordinate System
property.

Y coordinate
A read-only property that displays Y Axis value for the Coordinate System
property.

Z coordinate
A read-only property that displays Z Axis value for the Coordinate System
property.

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 Result Outputs

Category Property Name and Description

Summation
Displayed only for Moment Reaction probes when Orientation is also
displayed. Allows you to specify the summation point where the moment
reaction is reported.

• Centroid: The simple calculated average; unweighted by length, area, or

volume.

• Orientation System; The coordinate system you specified with the Orient-
ation setting.

By
Harmonic Response Analysis Only.

This property displays for the Force Reaction and Moment Reaction
probes. Property options include:

Frequency
When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and the
Sweeping Angle property also display.

Set
When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and the
Sweeping Angle property also display.

Maximum Over Frequency

When this option is specified, the Sweeping Angle property also displays.

Frequency of Maximum
When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and the
Sweeping Angle property also display.

Maximum Over Phase

When this option is specified, the Frequency property and Phase Incre-
ment property also display.

Phase of Maximum
When this option is specified, a Frequency entry property and Phase In-
crement property also display.

Extraction
Displayed only for Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes when the
Location Method is set to Contact Region or Mesh Connection.

Options for Contact Region Setting

When the Location Method is set to Contact Region, options include:

• Contact (Underlying Element)

• Target (Underlying Element)

• Contact (Contact Element) (p. 1600) (Force Reaction Probe only)

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Using Results

Category Property Name and Description

Options for Mesh Connection Setting
When the Location Method is set to Mesh Connection, options include:
Master or Slave.

Orientation Method
Only displayed for a Joint Probe. Options include Joint Reference System
and User Specified.

Options Result Selection

The options for this property vary based on the selected type of probe. See
the Overview and Probe Types (p. 1463) section for additional information based
on your desired probe type.

Display Time
End Time or Time Step.

Spatial Resolution
When edges, vertices, faces, or bodies are selected as the Geometry, this
property displays. It allows you to calculate the maximum (Use Maximum)
or minimum (Use Minimum) result values across the given geometry selection.

Result Type
This property provides a list of available results for a Joint Probe.

Results This category provides read-only properties of result you select in the
Result Selection or Result Type drop-down list. The Node ID is displayed
if you used the Snap to mesh nodes feature.
Maximum Value This category provides read-only properties that vary based on the probe
Over Time type. They display maximum values of the results you select over time in
stepped analysis.
Minimum Value This category provides read-only properties that vary based on the probe
Over Time type. They display minimum values of the results you select over time in
stepped analysis.
Information Based on the probe type, the following read-only result-based properties
may be provided by this category.

• Time

• Load Step

• Substep

• Iteration Number

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 Result Outputs

Category Property Name and Description

• Surface Area

Note:

• When you set Location Method to Coordinate System, the probe traverses the primary
axes to determine where the hits occur on the model. The hit closest to the origin of the
coordinate system is used. This behavior is similar to placing a laser at the origin of the system
and then shooting the laser sequentially along positive and negative direction of x, y, z axis.

• Probe objects scoped to x, y, z picking locations (using the Hit Point selection tool) are
achieved in such a way that a projection of the picked location in screen coordinates occurs
onto the model based on the current view orientation, in other words, normal to the display
screen onto the model at the picked location on the screen. If the geometry is updated, the
update of the projection will follow the original vector that was established “behind the
scenes” when the x, y, z pick was first made. Therefore the update of Probe objects scoped
to x, y, z picking locations may not appear to be logical since it follows a vector that was es-
tablished dependent on a view orientation when the original pick was made.

• Probe animation for joints is only supported if there is at least one rigid body.

• The details view of the probe shows either the maximum or the minimum result values but
not both.

Result Set Listing

Once you have solved a Static Structural, Transient Structural, and thermal analyses, the Solution (p. 2211)
object displays a list of multiple result sets, as illustrated below, in the Tabular Data window. This is
a default feature. The Changed Mesh portion of this display is only applicable if your analysis has
specified a Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383) condition or a SMART Crack Growth (p. 1095) object.
This column displays whether the application regenerated the mesh during the analysis and it displays
only when mesh regeneration takes place.

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Using Results

The following example of the Tabular Data Window illustrates the context menu for a structural
analysis. Common selection/copy/export options are available as well as the ability to create new
Total Deformation, Equivalent Strain, and Equivalent Stress results based on an available result set.
However, these options are only available if displacement, strain, and stress data is present in the
results file. In addition, if you are performing a thermal-based analysis, a menu option is available to
create Temperature results.

Interpolation
Interpolation is a result calculation performed when you wish to study results at a location where no
nodes exist. For example, Path results (p. 1454), Surface results (p. 1460), and some probes result ob-
jects (p. 1463) can consist of arbitrary (i.e., non-node-based) locations. To calculate a result at these
types of locations, Mechanical employs an interpolation algorithm. For a given x, y, z in the object,

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 Result Outputs

the algorithm identifies the element that contains x, y, z. If x, y, z is not contained in any element,
the algorithm produces no results.

A Newton's Method loop, with the aid of element shape functions and their derivatives, attempts to
converge to the natural (element) coordinates corresponding to the global x, y, z. Using the natural
coordinates, the element shape functions, and the results at the element's nodes, Mechanical computes
the interpolated result value for the global x ,y, z location.

Limitations and Conditions

Interpolation primarily applies to degree of freedom results such as temperatures, displacements, and
node-based element results like thermal flux, stress, and strain.

Therefore, it is recommended that you not use interpolation for results such as node-based element
reactions (EHEAT/ENFO). The application allows for these calculations, but they are not good candidates
for interpolation. In addition, you should not sum interpolated results of these types; such as to cal-
culate total heat or total force.

Convergence
There is no assurance that convergence actually occurs. If Newton fails to converge, natural coordinates
of (0, 0, 0) are chosen. Currently, no warnings are issued for convergence problems.

Expression-Based User Defined Results

Interpolation should be limited to simple linear combinations of results.

If the application performs an interpolation on an expression-based User Defined Result (p. 1656),
it generates the final result based on the order of the calculations taking place. For example,
given the expression SX^3, for the cube of normal stress in the X direction, at each node the ap-
plication calculates SX^3 values. The interpolation occurs next for each (x,y,z) that requires a result
and the application interpolates nodal values of SX^3. The critical point is that this procedure
would produce different results if it first interpolated the nodal values of SX to the x,y,z values
and then calculated SX^3.

Given a complex expression, such as (SEQV / SX)^3, the final interpolated results on a line or a
surface could may be counter intuitive. This is why it is recommended that interpolation be limited
to simple linear combinations of results.

Vector Plots
Certain result items can be displayed using vectors such as the vector principal stresses or vector
principal strain results. Similarly total deformation, total velocity and total acceleration can also be
displayed using vectors. Using the Graphics button, you can display results as vectors with various
options for controlling the display. See the Vector Display (p. 31) section for more information.

Solution Summary Worksheet

Once your solution is complete, you can display the Solution Quantities and Result Summary page
of the Worksheet (p. 122) by either selecting the Worksheet button on the Home (p. 9) tab or by
right-clicking on the Solution (p. 2211) object and selecting the option Worksheet: Result Summary.

As illustrated in the images below, the WorksheetSolution Quantities and Result Summary provides
the following options at the top of the page:

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Using Results

• Available Solution Quantities: This option provides a list of the User Defined Results available in
the result file. See the Application (p. 1658) section of the User Defined Results (p. 1656) section of the
Help for the steps to use the Worksheet content available for this option.

• Material and Element Type Information: This option displays a summary of all the Material and
Element Type data present on the results file. You can use this data as a scoping option (p. 1507) for
new result calculations. See the Result File Item Worksheet Features (p. 1477) topic below for the features
available for this Worksheet selection.

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 Result Outputs

Important:

If your analysis includes a Condensed Part (p. 1984) and a result is using the Result
File Item option for the Scoping Method, Material IDs and Element Name IDs
are not available for the Material and Element Type Information selection on the
Solution Quantities and Result Summary page.

• Solver Component Names: This option lists the Mechanical APDL Solver components present on
the results file. These components are 1) node- or element-based groupings, 2) node- and element-
based Name Selections that were written to the result file from Mechanical, or 3) components that
the solver needed to generate in order to properly solve the analysis. Solver generated components
typically contain an underscore (i.e. "_") at the beginning of the Component Name. You can use these
components a scoping option (p. 1507) for new result calculations. See the Result File Item Worksheet
Features (p. 1477) topic below for the features available for this Worksheet selection.

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Using Results

• Result Summary: This option provides a tabular display of the minimum and maximum values of
the available results, the associated unit of measure, and time step values.

Result Summary Features

For the results displayed by the Result Summary option, each table entry provides the right-click
option, Go To Selected Items In Tree, to select and then graphically display the corresponding result
object.

If a result is included in the tree but not yet evaluated, indicated by a yellow thunder bolt icon, the
Worksheet displays a value of zero (note table entries above).

Result types supported by this feature include:

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 Result Outputs

• Normal Contour/Vector type results such as Stress, Temperature, and Deformation.

• User Defined Results.

• Force and Moment Reaction Probes.

• Joint Probes reporting Force or Moment.

• Spring Probes.

• Bolt Pretension Probes.

Result File Item Worksheet Features

As described below, the Worksheet for the Material and Element Type Information and Solver
Component Names options offers a number of use features.

Collapsing Consecutive IDs

The Collapse Consecutive IDs option is available for the Material and Element Type Information
Worksheet display. As highlighted, this option organizes like materials and/or elements into singular
rows in the table as opposed to creating a lengthy table list that repeats the same ID information. This
option is active by default. Note that Element Type IDs do have a consecutive range of values and that
this option displays this range when collapsed.

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Using Results

Contextual Menu Options

You can right-click on a table listing to display options that enable you to automatically create a result.
Based on your analysis type, the options include Create Total Deformation Result, Create Equivalent
Stress Result, and Create User Defined Result (p. 1658) for structural analyses and Create Temperature
Result and Create User Defined Result (p. 1658) for thermal analyses.

Important:

If you are performing a Fracture analyses (p. 1069) that includes a crack (p. 1081), the ap-
plication automatically generates three Named Selections for the top and bottom face
nodes as well as for the crack front nodes (if the Crack Faces Nodes property is set
to On). The application displays these Named Selections in the Solver Component
Names summary, as shown above (CRACKT_SUR_01, CRACKT_SUR_02, and CRACKT).
The right-click options for these three table cells produce results that display contour
colors at the scoped nodes only (as defined by the Named Selections). The remainder
of the part displays as grey and translucent, as illustrated in the following example.

The contextual menu also includes the option Plot Selection. This option displays the elements
or nodes on your model that are associated with the data (row or rows) selected in the Worksheet.
In order to see these associated nodes and/or elements, you need to move the Worksheet so
that you can also see the Geometry window. Refer to the Moving and Docking topic in the Win-
dows Management (p. 103) section.

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 Result Definitions

Note:

Double-clicking a single Worksheet row also plots the node selections for that
row. This feature only works for a singular selection.

Previous and Next Selections

For the Materials and Element Type Information and the Solver Component Names selections, when
your Worksheet includes more than 200 rows of data, the table provides First/Previous and Next/Last
(double-click) options, as illustrated below. These options display at the end of the table as well as at
the beginning of the table (once you have advanced to a new page). They enable you to page through
the data and/or jump to the beginning and the end of the Worksheet.

Result Definitions
The following topics related to result definitions are covered in this section.
Applying Results Based on Geometry
Result Coordinate Systems
Material Properties Used in Postprocessing
Clearing Results Data
Averaged vs. Unaveraged Contour Results

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Using Results

Multiple Result Sets

Surface Body Results (including Layered Shell Results)
Unconverged Results
Handling of Degenerate Elements
Result Data Display Error Handling

Important:

Note the following application result calculations applicable to Coordinate System selection.

Quantities such as Equivalent Stress (SEQV) and Thermal Flux Sum (TFSUM) are derived from
entities like tensors and vectors.

If the tensors or vectors are in the Solution Coordinate System and if the elemental coordinate
systems vary from element to element (i.e., shell model), then the process of averaging can
affect Equivalent Stress values, as well as the values of other derived quantities.

Therefore, if you specify the Solution Coordinate System option for the Coordinate System
property, you cannot expect the averaged SEQV solution to be the same as when you specify
the Global Coordinate System option for the Coordinate System property.

Furthermore, for results that can display unaveraged contour results, if you specify Unaveraged
for the Display Option property, the SEQV solution for Solution Coordinate System is the
same as the solution for Global Coordinate System setting.

In addition, if you are performing a Design Assessment analysis in combination with a Re-
sponse Spectrum analysis, the averaged Equivalent Stress (SEQV) result of Design Assessment
system may not match the averaged Equivalent Stress (SEQV) result of corresponding Response
Spectrum system. This is because:

• Equivalent Stress (SEQV) result in Response Spectrum is in Solution Coordinate System which
is not exposed in Details view.

• Equivalent Stress (SEQV) result in Design Assessment is in Global Coordinate System which
is not exposed in Details view.

Applying Results Based on Geometry

The available result objects are based on the given geometry and the analysis type. The following
tables outline which bodies can be represented by the various choices available in the drop-down
menus and buttons of the Solution Context Tab (p. 24).

Static Structural Analysis

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Deformation Strain Stress Toolbox User Defined Result
(p. 1516) (p. 1520) (p. 1520) (p. 1656)
Solid Body Total, Direc- All choices All choices Stress (p. 1547), Yes
tional Fa-
tigue (p. 1648),

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 Result Definitions

Con-
tact (p. 1565)1 (p. 1485)
Surface Body Total, Direc- All choices All choices Stress (p. 1547), Yes
tional Fa-
tigue (p. 1648),
Con-
tact (p. 1565)1 (p. 1485)
Line Body: Total, Direc- All choices, All Contact Yes
4
Beam (p. 1485) tional exceptEquivalent
applicable (p. 1565) 1 (p. 1485)
(von-Mises), choices, , Beam (p. 1573)
Equivalent exceptError
Plastic,
Equivalent
Creep,
Equivalent
Total
Line Body: Total, Direc- None None Contact Yes
Pipe tional (p. 1565) 1 (p. 1485)
, Beam (p. 1573)

Transient Analysis

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Deformation Strain Stress Toolbox User Defined Result
(p. 1516) (p. 1520) (p. 1520) (p. 1656)
Solid Body All choices All choices All choices Stress (p. 1547), Yes
Fa-
tigue (p. 1648),
Con-
tact (p. 1565)1 (p. 1485)
Surface Body All choices All choices All choices Stress (p. 1547), Yes
Fa-
tigue (p. 1648),
Con-
tact (p. 1565)
Line Body: All All choices, All Contact Yes
Beam4 (p. 1485) exceptEquivalent
applicable (p. 1565) 1 (p. 1485)
(von-Mises), choices, , Beam (p. 1573)
Equivalent exceptError
Plastic,
Equivalent
Creep,
Equivalent
Total
Line Body: All None None Contact Yes
Pipe (p. 1565) 1 (p. 1485)
, Beam (p. 1573)

Modal and Eigenvalue Buckling Analyses

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Using Results

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Deformation Strain Stress Toolbox User Defined Result
(p. 1516) (p. 1520) (p. 1520) (p. 1656)
Solid Body Total, Direc- All All choices None Yes
tional applicable
choices,
exceptEn-
ergy
Surface Body Total, Direc- All All choices None Yes
tional applicable
choices,
exceptEn-
ergy
Line Body: Total, Direc- All choices, All None Yes
4
Beam (p. 1485) tional exceptEquivalent
applicable
(von-Mises), choices,
Equivalent exceptError
Plastic,
Equivalent
Creep,
Equivalent
Total
Line Body: Total, Direc- None None None Yes
Pipe tional

Random Vibration Analysis

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Deformation Strain Stress Toolbox User Defined Result
(p. 1516) (p. 1520) (p. 1520) (p. 1656)
Solid Body Directional, Normal, Equivalent None No
Directional Shear (von-
Velocity, Direc- Mises), Nor-
tional Acceler- mal, Shear
ation
Surface Body Directional, Normal, Equivalent None No
Directional Shear (von-
Velocity, Direc- Mises), Nor-
tional Acceler- mal, Shear
ation
Line Body: Directional, Normal, Equivalent None No
Beam4 (p. 1485) Directional Shear (von-
Velocity, Direc- Mises), Nor-
tional Acceler- mal, Shear,
ation Membrane
Stress,
Bending
Stress

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 Result Definitions

Line Body: Directional, None None None No

Pipe Directional
Velocity, Direc-
tional Acceler-
ation

Response Spectrum Analysis

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Deformation Strain Stress Toolbox User Defined Result
(p. 1516) (p. 1520) (p. 1520) (p. 1656)
Solid Body Total, Direc- Normal, Equivalent None No
tional, Direc- Shear (von-
tional Velo- Mises), Nor-
city, Direction- mal, Shear
al Accelera-
tion
Surface Body Total, Direc- Normal, Equivalent None No
tional, Direc- Shear (von-
tional Velo- Mises), Nor-
city, Direction- mal, Shear
al Accelera-
tion
Line Body: Total, Direc- Normal, Equivalent None No
4
Beam (p. 1485) tional, Direc- Shear (von-
tional Velo- Mises), Nor-
city, Direction- mal, Shear,
al Accelera- Membrane
tion Stress,
Bending
Stress
Line Body: Total, Direc- None None None No
Pipe tional, Direc-
tional Velo-
city, Direction-
al Accelera-
tion

Steady-State Thermal and Transient Thermal Analyses

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Thermal (p. 1622) User Defined Result (p. 1656)
Solid Body Temperature, Total Heat Flux, Yes
Directional Heat Flux, Error
Surface Body Temperature, Total Heat Flux, Yes
Directional Heat Flux, Error
Line Body: Temperature (p. 1623) Yes
Beam4 (p. 1485)

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Using Results

Line Body: All choices No

Thermal Flow

Magnetostatic Analysis

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Electromagnetic (p. 1627) User Defined Result (p. 1656)
2 (p. 1485)
Solid Body All choices Yes
Surface Body Not Applicable Yes
Line Body None Yes

Electric Analysis

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Electric (p. 1632) User Defined Result (p. 1656)
Solid Body All choices Yes
Surface Body Yes Yes
Line Body Yes Yes

Harmonic Response Analysis (Deformation, Strain, Stress)

Geometry Solution Tab Options

Deformation (p. 1516) Strain (p. 1520) Stress (p. 1520)
3 (p. 1485)
Solid Body All choices All choices, exceptEn- All choices
ergy, Thermal, Equival-
ent Plastic
Surface Body All choices3 (p. 1485) All choices, exceptEn- All choices
ergy, Thermal, Equival-
ent Plastic
Line Body: All choices All choices, All choices
Beam4 (p. 1485) exceptEquivalent
(von-Mises), Energy,
Thermal, Equivalent
Plastic, Equivalent
Creep, Equivalent
Total
Line Body: All choices None None
Pipe

Harmonic Response Analysis (Frequency Response, Phase Response, User Defined Result)

Geometry Solution Tab Options

3 (p. 1485)
Frequency Response Phase Response User Defined Result
3 (p. 1485)
(p. 1656)
Solid Body All choices All choices Yes
Surface Body All choices All choices Yes

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 Result Definitions

Line Body All choices All choices Yes

1 - Contact results are not reported, and are not applicable to the following:

• Edges.

• MPC contact.

• Target side of asymmetric contact.

2 - Electric Potential can only be scoped to conductor bodies.

3 - See Harmonic Analysis (p. 266) section.

4: See the Line Bodies (p. 650) section for more information about the requirements associated with
specifying a Line Body as a Beam.

Result Coordinate Systems

The application, by default, creates a global coordinate system for your model when it is imported.
A variety of environmental objects use the Global Coordinate System option during the analysis.

A Coordinate System property is available for results that change with respect to a coordinate system,
such as Normal Stress. For the applicable result types, the Coordinate System property provides a
drop-down list of available coordinate system options, which include:

• Global Coordinate System (default setting)

• User-defined local coordinate systems (p. 878)

• Solution Coordinate System (p. 1486)

The Global Coordinate System setting is the default setting. However, you can create local coordinate
systems (p. 878) and apply them to individual result objects. Also, the Solution Coordinate Sys-
tem (p. 1486) option is available for circumstances such as examining surface and line bodies that align
themselves on a per element basis. Note, in some scenarios, result contours in the Solution Coordinate
System can appear to be a random collection of colors.

Note:

• If a given result experiences any change in position due to the loading conditions, such as a
displacement or deformation, the Geometry window always displays this position change in
the Global Coordinate System (per global XYZ coordinate triad). If you have specified a local
coordinate system for your result, the application exposes all data contained in the Details
view as well as the Tabular Data window based the local coordinate system entry. Furthermore,
if applicable, the application always displays result contour colors in the Geometry window
based on a specified local coordinate system.

• The Mechanical APDL solver treats a "cylindrical" coordinate system as a set of Cartesian co-
ordinate systems aligned with the specified cylindrical system at each point in the model. See
the Additional POST1 Postprocessing section in the Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide for
additional technical information.

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Using Results

• For Probes, the Orientation property specifies coordinate systems.

Solution Coordinate System

Solution Coordinate System is an option of the Coordinate System property in the Details view
for most result objects. If you are familiar with the Mechanical APDL application commands, Solution
Coordinate System is an implementation of the RSYS,SOLU command, where for element results,
such as stress, a coordinate system is produced for each element. If these individual element co-
ordinate systems are aligned randomly, you can re-align them to a local coordinate system to obtain
a uniform alignment. Viewing results in the element solution coordinate system has value since
results in a local coordinate system aligned with a certain shell direction are typically more mean-
ingful than results in a global coordinate system. For example, seeing bending and in-plane stresses
have meaning in a local coordinate system, but have no meaning in a global coordinate system.
See the Additional POST1 Postprocessing section in the Mechanical APDL Basic Analysis Guide for
additional information.

Important:

For Beam and Pipe elements:

• The following stress and strain component results are displayed in the element coordinate
system:

– Normal X, Y, and Z

– Shear XY, YZ, and XZ

• When a Line Body (p. 650) is specified as a beam/pipe that includes cross sections
(SECDATA), beam strains/stresses always use the Solution Coordinate System, even
if you specify the global coordinate system. To calculate beam strains/stresses, you need
to set the Beam Section Results property of the Solution (p. 2211) object to Yes.

Application
The following are typical applications for viewing results in a solution coordinate system:

• Viewing results in a particular direction for surface bodies or “solid shell” bodies, that is, solids meshed
with the Solid Shell element option (see the Meshing Help: Sweep description in the Method Control
section).

• Viewing results in a random vibration, spectrum, or surface bodies in an explicit dynamics analysis.
Results for these analysis types only have meaning in a solution coordinate system.

Background
The meshing of surface bodies and solid shell bodies result in coordinate systems whose alignment
is on a per element basis, in contrast to solid body element types whose coordinate systems are
aligned with the global coordinate system by default. Surface body alignment on a per element
basis can lead to results with totally random alignment directions as shown below.

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 Result Definitions

To produce meaningful results for surface body and solid shell bodies, you can re-align the random
direction of each element's solution coordinate systems to a uniform direction of a local coordinate
system. An example is shown below.

Procedure
To correct for random coordinate system alignments in surface bodies and solid shell bodies, and
to ensure a consistent alignment:

1. For each part, create a local coordinate system (p. 877) to specify the alignment of the elements of the
part.

2. Choose the Solution Coordinate System option for the result.

Note:

• The Coordinate System setting for result objects in a random vibration, spectrum, or explicit
dynamics analysis is set to Solution Coordinate System by default and cannot be changed
because the results only have meaning when viewed in the solution coordinate system.

• The solution coordinate system is not supported by explicit dynamics analyses for results.

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Material Properties Used in Postprocessing

The material properties listed below are used in postprocessing calculations to produce the displays
of probe and contour results. For reference, the corresponding labels (Lab argument) for the MP
command in Mechanical APDL are included in parentheses.

• Elasticity modulus (EX, EY, EZ)

• Shear modulus (GXY, GYZ, GXZ)

• Poisson's ratio (NUXY, NUYZ, NUXZ)

• Thermal conductivities (KXX, KYY, KZZ)

• Magnetic permeability (MURX, MURY, MURZ)

The following results, together with their identifiers (see User Defined Results (p. 1656)), are directly
affected by the material property values:

• Equivalent Strain (p. 1521) - uses only NUXY Poisson's ratio

1. Plastic (EPPL) and Creep (EPCR) strain always use NUXY = 0.5.

2. Elastic (EPEL), Thermal (EPTH) and Total (EPTO) default to 0.0.

• Structural Error (p. 1523) - uses elasticity modulus, shear modulus and Poisson's ratio.

• Thermal Error (p. 1624) - uses thermal conductivities

• Magnetic Error (p. 1630) - uses magnetic permeability

An error message is generated if an associated material property is not defined when evaluating
Structural, Thermal or Magnetic Error result.

If Poisson's ratio is not defined when evaluating Equivalent Strain, the Poisson's ratio will assume a
zero value.

Other results affected by material property values include Stress Tool (p. 1547) and Fatigue Tool (p. 1634)
results.

Note:

If a material property is temperature dependent, it is evaluated at the reference temperature

of the body to be used in the computation for the result.

Clearing Results Data

You can clear results and meshing data from the database using the Clear Generated Data option
from the File tab, or using the right-click (context) menu option. This reduces the size of the database
file, which can be useful for archiving.

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To clear all results data, simply select the Solution object and choose the Clear Generated Data
menu item from the File tab or from a right-mouse click menu. You can clear individual results by
selecting a result object before choosing the Clear Generated Data option.

Important:

• A geometry or mesh change clears all results data.

• The application clears the solution and the results if the mesh becomes obsolete. See Clearing
Generated Data in the Meshing User's Guide.

Averaged vs. Unaveraged Contour Results

Normally, contour results in the Mechanical application are displayed as averaged results. Some results
can also display as unaveraged contours. Averaged contours distribute the average elemental nodal
results across element and geometric discontinuities. A user option exists that allows you to control
whether results are also averaged across body boundaries that contain a conformal mesh. The default
setting does not calculate an average across bodies.

Using the Mechanical APDL application terminology, unaveraged contour results display as element
nodal contours that vary discontinuously even across element boundaries. These contours are determ-
ined by linear interpolation within each element and are unaffected by surrounding elements (that
is, no nodal averaging is performed). The discontinuity between contours of adjacent elements is an
indication of the gradient across elements.

Results that include the unaveraged contour display option are most elemental quantities such as
stress or strain. This option is not available for degree of freedom results such as displacements.

Nodal averaging of element quantities involves direct averaging of values at corner nodes. For higher-
order elements, midside node results are then taken as the average of the corner nodes.

In Mechanical, there are two distinct techniques for calculating averaged principal nodal results. The
calculation for the first technique is as follows (using stress as the result in question):

1. Average the component (X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ) stress values from the elements at a common node.

2. Calculate the principal stresses from the averaged component values

The calculation for the second technique is as follows:

1. Calculate the principal stress values (from the six component strains) on a per element basis.

2. Average these values from the elements at a common node.

For principal tensor results excluding equivalent strain, the first technique is normally used to calculate
the results. For equivalent stress, stress/strain intensity, max shear stress/strain, and principal
stresses/strains, the first technique is used to calculate the results. For equivalent strains, which are
calculated by the Mechanical APDL solver, the second technique is used. For random vibration ana-
lysis, equivalent stresses are calculated by the Mechanical APDL solver using the Segalman method,

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Using Results

so the second technique is also used. See the Average Across Bodies (p. 1490) topic below for additional
discussions. Also see the AVPRIN command in the Mechanical APDL Commands Reference.

Note:

If an elemental result is scoped to a surface body, then there may be two sets of results
at each node (Top and Bottom) and sometimes a third set of results (Middle). At release
12.0, if the solver writes Middle results to the result file, then Mechanical displays these
results if the Shell Face setting in the Details view equals Middle (Membrane). If the
solver did not write Middle results to the result file, then Mechanical displays the average
of Top and Bottom if the Shell Face setting in the Details View is Middle (Membrane).
For a given node on the shell, the application will average Top results, separately average
Bottom results, and separately average Middle results. When you export a result in the
application that is set to Top/Bottom, you may note that a node number is repeated in
the Excel file. This is because both the Top and Bottom stresses are listed.

Beginning at Release 16.0, Mechanical supports the Top/Bottom/Middle positions for

layered solid bodies. Therefore, layered solid elements mimic expanded shell elements,
which display as having a thickness between the Top face and Bottom face.

You can display contour results by setting the Display Option field to one of the following:

• Unaveraged: Displays unaveraged results.

• Averaged (default): Displays averaged results.

• Nodal Difference: Computes the maximum difference between the unaveraged computed result (for
example, total heat flux, equivalent stress) for all elements that share a particular node.

• Nodal Fraction: Computes the ratio of the nodal difference and the nodal average.

• Elemental Difference: Computes the maximum difference between the unaveraged computed result
(for example, total heat flux, equivalent stress) for all nodes in an element, including midside nodes.

• Elemental Fraction: Computes the ratio of the elemental difference and the elemental average.

• Elemental Mean: Computes the elemental average from the averaged component results.

Characteristics of unaveraged contour displays:

• Because of the added data involved in the processing of unaveraged contour results, these results take
a longer time to display than averaged results.

• Occasionally, unaveraged contour result displays tend to resemble a checkerboard pattern.

• Capped Isosurface displays can have missing facets.

Average Across Bodies

When you select Averaged as the Display Option, the Average Across Bodies property displays in
the Integration Point Results category. Setting this property to Yes (the default value is No) allows
you to averages the results across separate bodies on your model. This post-processing feature is
supported for most averaged element nodal contour results (like stress, strain, and thermal flux).

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 Result Definitions

If a node belongs to two different bodies, its averaged stress value of one of the bodies is typically
different from the stress value of the other body. Using the Average Across Bodies feature, the av-
erage value at this node is the sum of all of the stress values from all “scoped” elements that contain
the node (divided by the number of elements). The feature graphically renders a smoother result
contour at the interfaces of bodies. If bodies do not share any nodes, then the feature has no effect.

Calculation Conditions

Note the following conditions and characteristics for calculating averages across bodies:

• Principal values themselves are averaged when averaging results across bodies for principal and vector
sums. Calculated results, such as the types shown below, are averaged at the nodes at the interfaces of
bodies. That is, they do not average the components (SX, SY, etc.) across bodies. For example, this feature
averages equivalent stress (SEQV) values directly:

SEQV(node_1) + SEQV(node_2) + SEQV(node_N)/N

This differs from the usual method (except for equivalent strain) of averaging the components and
then computing SEQV.

– Principal Stresses (1, 2, 3)

– Stress Intensity (INT)

– Equivalent Stress (EQV)

– Principal Strains (1, 2, 3)

– Strain Intensity (INT)

– Equivalent Strain (EQV)

– Total Thermal Flux

The following result illustrations show the outcomes between not performing an average calculation,
performing an average calculation but not across bodies, and performing an average calculation
across bodies.

No Averaging Performed

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No Averaging Across Bodies Performed

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Averaging Across Bodies Performed

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• If the associated bodies have different material properties, such as Poisson's ratios, then, because this
feature averages quantities like equivalent elastic strain at common nodes, you may see unexpected results
at the interfaces. The Poisson Ratio employed to calculate elastic equivalent in one body may be significantly
different from the Poisson Ratio employed to calculate elastic equivalent in a different body. Therefore,
in this scenario, averaging across bodies at the interface is not recommended.

• If you choose to compare this feature against Mechanical APDL PowerGraphics with AVRES,1,FULL in
effect, PowerGraphics employs the effective Poisson's ratio in the AVPRIN,KEY,EFFNU command. The
EFFNU value may not match the Poisson's ratios in all bodies. PowerGraphics also calculates equivalent
strain from the average component strains if KEY (in the AVPRIN command) is set to ZERO. As a result,
there may be differences between this feature and PowerGraphics when the AVRES,1,FULL command is
employed.

Support Limitations

The following results features are not supported:

• Probe results

• Results in cyclic symmetry analyses

• Results on line bodies

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 Result Definitions

Averaging Element Nodal Results

For most element nodal results (like stresses and strains), the Mechanical solvers write only the un-
averaged corner node values to the result file. No element nodal results are written for mid-side
nodes. This difference is of critical importance.

To derive the value at a mid-side node, the Mechanical post processor must employ the values at the
corner nodes. There are three distinct techniques for this process:

1. For line elements, such as unexpanded beam and pipe stress, Mechanical calculates the average of
the unaveraged values of those corner nodes which share an edge with the mid-side node - corner
nodes, node I and node J. See Case 1 below.

2. For solid elements (i.e. shell, hexahedron, tetrahedron, wedge, and pyramid elements), the technique
calculates the mid-side node results from the averaged corner nodes. See Case 2 below.

3. For contact elements, the technique calculates the mid-side node results by averaging the un-aver-
aged values of adjacent corner nodes. Note: A result max may be at a mid-side node. See Case 3
below.

Corner Node Calculation Case 1

Consider the following example consisting solely of high order line elements, where:

• Element 1 contains nodes 1, 2, and 12.

• Element 2 contains nodes 2, 3, and 23.

• Element 3 contains nodes 3, 4, and 34.

• Nodes 12, 23, and 34 are mid-side nodes.

If:

• The element nodal solution for element 1 is 0.0 and 0.0 for nodes 1 and 2.

• The element nodal solution for element 2 is 100 and 80 for nodes 2 and 3.

• The element nodal solution for element 3 is 3 and 0.0 for nodes 3 and 4.

The unaveraged solution is then:

• The value at node 12 is the average of the values at the associated element's end points, namely 0.0.

• The value at node 23 is the average of the values at the associated element's end points, namely 90.

• The value at node 34 is the average of the values at the associated element's end points, namely 1.5.

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For the averaged solution of nodes 2 and 3:

• The value at node 2 is 50.

• The value at node 3 is 41.5.

Note that the value at the mid-side node 23 (90) exceeds the values at the end points.

Corner Node Calculation Case 2

Result averaging for solids: mid-side node results are the average of the averaged corner node values.

Raw Data Averaged Corner Nodes

Mid-Side Nodes Calculated from Averaged Corner Nodes

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 Result Definitions

Corner Node Calculation Case 3

Result averaging for contacts: calculate the final mid-side node results by averaging intermediate
mid-side values.

Raw Data Averaged Corner Nodes

Mid-Side Nodes Calculated from Averaged Corner Nodes

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Note:

Result maximum in this case may be at a mid-side node.

Multiple Result Sets

Many analyses produce multiple result sets over a domain, such as time in a static or transient struc-
tural analysis, or frequency/phase in a harmonic analysis, or cyclic phase in a cyclic modal analysis.
The By property options enable you to specify how you wish to review result contours from multiple
result sets. The options available to you depend on the type of analysis being performed.

Structural Analysis

• Time (default): This option displays the results for a particular Time in the solution history. By
default, this is the end time. For a solution that includes steps and substeps, you can use the
Display Time property to specify a desired time value.

If you specify a time that lies between two times that exist in the result file, the application
interpolates the results, except in these cases:

– For non-fracture tool results in an additive manufacturing analysis (with birth/death),

the set with time closest to the specified time is used.

– For non-fracture tool results in a changing mesh environment, if the mesh in the set
before the specified time differs from the mesh in the set after the specified time, the
set with time closest to the specified time is used.

– For fracture tool results when there are no mesh changes between the earlier and later
times and there is no additive manufacturing, the set before the specified time is used.

– For fracture tool results when there are either mesh changes between the earlier and
later times or there is additive manufacturing, the set with time closest to the specified
time is used.

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 Result Definitions

• Result Set: This option displays the contour result for a given Result Set contained in the result
file. By default, this value is the last set, which is to say, if only one set is available, then that is the
specified Result Set. For a solution that includes load steps and substeps, you specify the desired
chronological set number using the Set Number property. You must enter a valid set number.

• Maximum Over Time or Time of Maximum: Each node/element/sample point is swept through
the result sets to find its maximum result. Either the result itself is reported (sometimes referred
to as a "peak hold") or the time at which the peak occurred is reported.

• Minimum Over Time or Time of Minimum: Each node/element/sample point is swept through
the result sets to find its minimum result. Either the result itself is reported or the time at which
the minimum occurred is reported.

Harmonic Analysis

• Frequency (default): This option displays the contour result for a Frequency in the solution history.
By default, this is the final frequency value. For a solution that includes steps and substeps, you
can use the Frequency property to specify a desired value. Like Time, if you enter a frequency
that is not equal to an existing value in the result file, the application interpolates the result.

Note:

The application does not attempt to interpolate result values when (1) your
Harmonic Response analysis is using the Mode Superposition method or (2)
the Multiple RPMs property of the Analysis Settings is set to Yes. For these
cases, the application selects the closest frequency value available in the result
history of the file.

• Set: results display for specified sets.

• Maximum Over Frequency or Frequency of Maximum: With these options chosen, the phase
specified in the Sweeping Phase property is held constant and each node/element/sample point
is swept through frequency range to find its maximum result.

• Maximum Over Phase or Phase of Maximum: With these options chosen, frequency is held
constant and each node/element/sample point is swept through a phase period of 0° to 360° at
specified increments to find its maximum result. You can control the increment using the Phase
Increment entry.

• Maximum Over Cyclic Phase or Cyclic Phase of Maximum: Each node/element/sample point
is swept through a phase angle of 0° to 360° in 10 degree increments find its maximum result.

Note:

Maximum Over Cyclic Phase and Cyclic Phase of Maximum require that you
specify the Harmonic Index property as greater than zero.

Modal Analysis (Cyclic Only)

• Cyclic Phase (default)

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• Maximum Over Cyclic Phase or Cyclic Phase of Maximum. Each node/element/sample point
is swept through a phase angle of 0° to 360° in 10 degree increments find its maximum result.
This result is applicable during a cyclic modal analysis only.

Surface Body Results (including Layered Shell Results)

For surface bodies, stress and strain results at the top and bottom faces are displayed simultaneously,
by default. (See Surface Body Shell Offsets (p. 641) for information on identifying the top and bottom
faces.) The contours vary linearly through the thickness from the top face to the bottom face. However
you can choose to display only the Top, Middle, or Bottom stress/strains in the Details view of the
result item. Selecting Top, Middle, or Bottom will display the result at the selected location as a
uniform contour through the thickness.

Middle Stresses

• Normal and Shear results

The middle stresses are calculated at the shell mid-surface or at each layer mid-surface if layers are
present. The Middle option for Shell gives the actual result values at the mid-surface if the solver
was directed to calculate these results. In Mechanical APDL terminology, the solver computes results
at mid-surface if KEYOPT(8) for the shell element is set to 2 at the time of element creation. Other-
wise, the Middle results are computed as the average of the Top and Bottom results, that is, (Top
+ Bottom) / 2. Note that these results are valid only for linear analyses.

• Equivalent and Principal results

These results are derived from the Normal and Shear results. Hence the Normal and Shear com-
ponent results for Middle are computed first, and then the Equivalent and Principal results are
derived.

Element Nodal results (like stress/strain), as well as EDIR- and PNUM-type Elemental results, can be
plotted on a specific layer or on a specific ply by entering the desired Layer number (Layer only) or
by scoping (p. 1503) the result to a specific Ply using the Sub Scope By (p. 2195) property in the Details
view of the result object. Elemental results outputting volume or energy are calculated for the entire
element, regardless of the requested layer.

If the Layer specified does not exist for a particular surface body, the display of the result will be
translucent with zero values for minimums and maximums on that body. If you enter 0 for Layer, it
defaults to the Entire Section.

Note:

• A Layer number must be specified to calculate the Middle stresses and strains. If you set Layer
to 0 (Entire Section) while Shell is Middle, the Shell option will become invalid. Similarly, if you
have Layer set to Entire Section and you try to set Shell to Middle, Shell will become invalid.

• If there is a Layered Section in the model, convergence is not supported for results.

• If Layer is Entire Section, Top stresses and strains are for the top surface of the topmost layer
and the Bottom stresses and strains are for the outer surface of the bottom layer.

• If a Layered Section is present in the model and you enter a number larger than the maximum
number of layers that exists in the model, the Layer field will become invalid.

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 Result Definitions

• All stress tool results and all fatigue tool results are unsupported if Layered Sections are present
in the model.

• Only results from the section top and bottom are available on hyperelastic layered shells. Thus
no results will be reported on such bodies if the layer is not set to 0 "Entire Section".

• Imported Plies are not supported for an Explicit Dynamics analysis.

Layered Solid Body Results

Certain solid elements in the Mechanical APDL element library (including SOLID185, SOLID186, and
SOLSH190) support stress and strain results on layers. These layered solid elements are created on
solid bodies.

At Release 16.0, these elements support the Layer property, which specifies the layer to calculate
Shell result values. This property specifies a Layer number. In addition, the Position property appears
only for stress and strain results scoped to surface bodies or to a layer. This property is specified as
either Top/Bottom, Top, Middle, or Bottom.

For the elements, the convention is that the Bottom corresponds to nodes I-J-K-L and the Top cor-
responds to nodes M-N-O-P.

Note:

If the model does not include surface bodies or layered sections, the Layer and Position
properties do not display in the Details view and the application displays layer results in
Top/Bottom format.

For Explicit Dynamics Layer Results

Normal/shear stresses and strains are available in global and solution coordinate systems.

Stress and strain results for individual layers may be selected by using the Layer property in the result’s
Details view. Only a single result is available per layer.

Unconverged Results
A nonlinear analysis may fail to converge due to a number of reasons. Some examples may be initially
open contact surfaces causing rigid body motion, large load increments, material instabilities, or large
deformations that distort the mesh resulting in element shape errors.

In the Mechanical application, you can review this unconverged result as well as any converged results
at previous time points. These results are marked in the legend of contour/vector plots as ‘Unconverged’
indicating that these results must be used only for debugging purposes. Note that a plot of Newton-

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Raphson residuals (p. 1735) is a very useful tool to identify regions of your structure that led to the
convergence difficulty.

Note:

• Results in Solution Combination objects that use partial solutions will not be solved. You can
view partial results but cannot use them in further post/solution work.

• Newton-Raphson residuals (p. 1735) is a very useful tool to identify regions of your structure that
led to the convergence difficulty.

• The handling of unconverged solutions is the same for both probes and results, with the fol-
lowing exception: reaction probes scoped to a Compression Only boundary condition cannot
display results if the solver did not converge.

Handling of Degenerate Elements

The finite element method can create elements that are classified as degenerate. For example, a quad
element, with four nodes 1, 2, 3, and 4, may contain duplicate nodes 3 and 4. In this case, node 3
and 4 are located at the same (x, y, z).

The degenerate quad element (above, right) contains three distinct nodes and four distinct integration
(Gauss) points. Mechanical APDL's solver calculates element nodal results (like stress and strain and
flux, et. al.) at each of the integration points. Hence, element nodal results in the MAPDL result file
are stored as though an element is not degenerate (even when it is degenerate). For the element
(above, right), the file would contain stress and strain and flux listings for four nodes, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

At nodes that share the same (x,y,z) in an element, it is not necessarily true that the element nodal
results are equal for each coincident node. Depending upon the analysis, the element nodal results
for the element (above, right) at node 3 may not equal the element nodal results at node 4. During
the post processing phase, Mechanical drops the values of all but the first duplicate node at an (x,y,z).
The element (above, right) would display the stress and strain and flux contours for nodes 1, 2, and
3 (but not 4).

Result Data Display Error Handling

When defining a result, it is necessary to make sure that you have made selections that are supported
by the application. Normally, the application generates a message indicating that the result type is

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 Result Scoping

not available but there are instances when result information is not provided, that is, the application
will not display contour information or it will display generically colored contour information.

Note that:

• Result objects must be scoped to geometry that supports the elements and nodes used by the body;
failing to do so will cause Mechanical to display result contours in grayscale. For example, stress results
do not exist on gasket elements. Therefore, if you scope a stress result to a gasket body, the result
displays in grayscale.

• All possible result data is not provided by a result file. If you create an expression in a user-defined
result that is not applicable to the analysis, such as Total Deformation during in a thermal analysis,
then the result display will have no contour colors.

• The solver can create elements such as surface effect as well as interface elements. Results cannot
be scoped to these elements. For example, because of software limitations, contour colors for surface
effect results will not be shown, even though the surface effect elements cover meshed elements on
the body.

Result Scoping
The topics of this section examine the methods to scope your results. You can scope result on:
Geometry and Mesh
Path Construction Geometry
Surface Construction Geometry
Result File Items
Surface Coatings

Geometry and Mesh

All result objects can be scoped to:

• Geometry selections - edges, a single vertex, faces, parts, bodies, or the entire assembly.

• Geometry-based Named Selections (p. 761).

• Node-based Named Selections (p. 185)

• Node selections (p. 179) of the underlying mesh.

• Element or Element Face selections (p. 186) of the underlying mesh.

• Element or Element Face-based Named Selections (p. 186).

Support Requirements
Make sure that your result objects conform to the following:

• If you scope a result to one or more geometric entities (body, face, edge, or vertex) and subsequently
suppress all of the bodies associated with the scoped entities, the application, by default, sets the scoping
to All Bodies. However, the application still stores the suppressed geometric entity set for future reference.

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Therefore, if any of the bodies associated with the scoped entities are later unsuppressed, the result
scoping is set back to the originally defined (unsuppressed) geometric entities. If this behavior is undesirable,
it is recommended that you use a Named Selection to define the scoping of the result.

• Once a solution is computed, the scope of the result object cannot change. You must either add a new
result object with the desired scope, or you can right-click that result item, and choose Clear Generated
Data to change its scope.

• Result scoping has an effect on convergence. Refinement does not happen outside the scope for a given
convergence control. Multiple convergence controls are possible, however.

See the following subsections for additional information specific to the type of result scoping you
wish to perform:

• Composite Analysis Result Scoping (p. 1504)

• Node-Based Scoping (p. 1506)

• Element-Based Scoping (p. 1506)

Composite Analysis Result Scoping

For a Composite Analysis (p. 611), elemental strain and elemental stress results, elemental coordinate
system (p. 1453) results, User Defined Results (p. 1656) (for Structural analyses), and heat flux results (for
Thermal Analyses), can be scoped to Analysis Ply objects (p. 1948) using the Sub Scope By (p. 2195)
property and the corresponding Ply property. The result calculation uses the intersection of the
specified Ply and the Geometry property scoping. When scoping ply objects, the associated geometry
selection needs to be based on either bodies or elements (p. 186). Body- and element-based Named
Selections (p. 186) are supported. In addition, for shell topologies, you can scope to a face (which
represents an entire element).

Automated Result Scoping for Composites

The Imported Plies (p. 2078) object, as well as all of its child objects, offer an automated option for
creating results, including User Defined Results (p. 1656). Right-clicking on a ply object provides the
following dynamic menu options that enable you to create and scope a result at the same time.

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Depending upon the level within the Imported Plies object that you select, you can create individual
results, as shown below, or you can create a group of results.

This example shows the creation of results for all of the individual plies within a ply group. The feature
created a group of six results and scoped them accordingly. Once you create a group, the rules for
Group Tree Objects (p. 133) apply.

If your analysis includes multiple environments, only supported environments display on the menu
and, only result objects supported by the given scoping display as the menu extends. As illustrated
in the following example, multiple supported environments are selected and the supported result
types for the Transient Thermal selection are the only options available. See the Result Context
Tab (p. 24) section for additional information about how results are graphically represented following
a solution.

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Note:

Direct graphical node or element selection requires you to generate the mesh and have
the Show Mesh tool turned on.

Node-Based Scoping
The following are known characteristics related to node-based scoping:

• If all nodes of an element face are scoped, then Mechanical will draw contour bands on the entire face.

• If some nodes of an element face are not scoped, then Mechanical will draw the face as transparent and
draw the scoped nodes in contour colors.

• As is the case with other scoping that occurs within a body (such as vertex or edge), any applicable aver-
aging is done considering all of the nodes on a body.

Element-Based Scoping
Unlike results scoped to geometries or nodes, results scoped to elements evaluate only the scoped
elements. No adjacent elements are considered. The example results shown below illustrate this be-
havior. Refer to the Averaged vs. Unaveraged Contour Results (p. 1489) section of the Help for additional
information on this topic.

The following results illustrate contour bands for all nodes.

Global Averaged Result Global Unaveraged Result

Max. = 205 and Min. = -50 Max. = 276 and Min. = -74

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 Result Scoping

The following results illustrate contour bands for elements only.

Result Scoped to Three Elements

Result Scoped to One Element
Max. = 205: Matches the Global Averaged
Max. = 276: Matches the Global
Result
Unaveraged Result
Min. = -74: Matches the Global Unaveraged
(Min. Value = 127)
Result

Path Construction Geometry

When you defined a path (p. 867) in your analysis, you may wish to scope results directly on this
defined path. In order to do so, you can set the Scoping Method of the result object to Path and
then choose the name of the particular path that you defined. This enables you to produce Path
Results (p. 1454) as a result output.

Surface Construction Geometry

When you defined a surface (p. 872) in your analysis, you may wish to scope results directly on this
defined surface. In order to do so, you can set the Scoping Method of the result object to Surface
and then choose the name of the particular surface that you defined. This enables you to produce
Surface Results (p. 1460) as a result output.

Result File Items

The result object Scoping Method option, Result File Item, enables you to scope a result to the
following Mechanical APDL Solver generated data items generated in the result (.rst) file, once you
have performed a solution:

• Material IDs: The material ID assigned to the element by Mechanical APDL.

• Element Name IDs: Mechanical APDL element name string such as BEAM188, SOLID185, and SURF154.
In addition, for this option, you can enter an element group label, such as "beam", to include all beam
element types. Supported group labels include:

– COMBIN
– SURF – FOLLW

– MASS – TARGE – FLUID

– LINK – CONTAC – PRETS

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– PLANE– BEAM – MPC

– SOLID – PIPE – INTER

– SHELL – ELBOW – SOLSH

See the Element Library section of the Mechanical APDL Element Reference for a complete listing
of all available elements.

• Element Type IDs: The element type ID assigned to the element by Mechanical APDL.

• Component Name: Component names are created by the Mechanical APDL Solver. Components
are node- or element-based groupings, node- and element-based Name Selections that were written
to the result file from Mechanical, or components that the solver needed to generate in order to
properly solve the analysis. Solver generated components typically contain an underscore (i.e. "_")
at the beginning of the Component Name.

• Element IDs and Node IDs: During the mesh process, the application assigns each element and node
of the model an ID. The application sends the ID values to the solver during the solution process.
Once complete, you can scope one or more element or node IDs to a result. In addition, the solver
may generate new elements, not included in the original mesh, in order to process loads, contact
conditions, or support conditions. The application also assigns an ID to these elements as well as the
elements corresponding nodes. You can also use these system generated element and node IDs for
further post processing.

This scoping option is unique in that it obtains data from the result file following the solution. This
section examines the following topics for this feature. Select a link to jump to that topic.

• Background (p. 1508)

• Application (p. 1509)

• Examples (p. 1510)

Background
During the solution process, Mechanical identifies nodes and elements contained in the mesh and
sends this data to the solver for analysis processing. An element is identified by an element type
number, an element name and a material number. A typical element name, such as SOLID285, con-
sisting of a group label (SOLID) and a unique, identifying number (285).

Additional elements, nodes, and groups of nodes or elements, not included in the original mesh, may
also be created to process loads, contact conditions, or support conditions, that are required to
properly solve the analysis. Once the solution is complete, the data is written to the result file, and
the element data, as well as material data, becomes available to you.

In addition, during the solution process, node and element Name Selections are also written to the
result file and may be selected for scoping. The Mechanical solve process may also create additional
components for use in solving the analysis. The components typically contain an underscore (i.e. "_")
at the beginning of the Component Name.

The application presents this information in the Solution Summary Worksheet (p. 1473), using the
Material and Element Type Information and Solver Component Names options. As illustrated
below, the Worksheet option Material and Element Type Information lists Material IDs, Element

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 Result Scoping

Name IDs, and Element Type IDs generated during the solution as well as other appropriate inform-
ation such as Element Shape. The Solver Component Names option lists the solver generated
Component Name as well as the Component Type (nodes or elements) and the Number of Entities.
The Component Name always includes an underscore prefix.

Material and Element Type Information

Note:

The Material and Element Type Information option does not display elements with:

• Element type MPC184.

• A Material ID of 0.

Important:

If your analysis includes a Condensed Part (p. 1984) and a result is using the Result File
Item option for the Scoping Method, Material IDs and Element Name IDs are not
available for the Material and Element Type Information selection on the Solution
Quantities and Result Summary page.

Solver Component Names

Application
Once you solve your analysis, you can select the Result File Item option for the Scoping Method of
the desired result object in the Details view, as illustrated below for a total Deformation result.

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When you specify the Scoping Method as Result File Item, the following additional properties display
in the Details view:

• Item Type: The options for this property include Materials IDs (default), Element Name IDs, Element
Type IDs, and Component Name.

• Solver Component IDs: Based on the option selected in the Item Type property, you enter the ap-
propriate ID or Component Name in this property as listed in the Worksheet. The default value is
All. You can enter a number or a number range (i.e., 1, 2, 3, or 2-5). For Element Name IDs, you enter
a element name, such as BEAM188, or you can simply enter "beam" to include all beam element
types.

Note:

You may encounter a rare case when you are scoping a result to a solver component
for a body that contains multiple materials. In this instance, set the Mesh Source
property (Solution object) to the option Result File.

Examples
Here is an example model. It includes four line bodies as well as two user-created beam connections.

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 Result Scoping

Examining the Worksheet following a solution process for the material and element data, we have
the following. We are going to further examine the beam connections that correspond with Materials
15 and 16 (Element Type ID as well).

The following sequence of Total Deformation results illustrate the Result File Type scoping options,
Material ID, Element Type ID, and Element Name ID. Note that the Material ID and Element Type ID
present the same result data using different scoping options.

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For this example, we generalized the Element Name and used "Beam." This generates results for the
additional (four) line bodies of the model as well as the beam connections.

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 Result Scoping

Surface Coatings
You can apply a Surface Coating (p. 661) to your model using the option from the Modify group on
the Geometry Context Tab (p. 19). You can apply one or more of these coatings, or layers, to the
faces of your model. This feature places shell elements of a specified material and thickness on the
selected face or faces of your model.

Once properly defined, you can use these surface coating definitions as a Scoping Method for results.
The Surface Coating scoping option is supported by most result types, including User Defined res-
ults (p. 1656). During the solution process, the Mechanical APDL solver specifies the elements as either
SHELL181 (low order) and SHELL281 (high order).

Important:

During a Cyclic Symmetry analysis, the application does not expand Surface Coating results.

As illustrated in the example below, a Surface Coating is defined and specified as the Scoping
Method. The associated Surface Coating property in the Details view of the results is used to select
the coating defined under the Geometry object. If multiple coatings were specified, they would display
in the drop-down list of this Surface Coating property for the result. The default option for this
property is All.

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Structural Results
The following structural result topics are addressed in this section:
Deformation
Stress and Strain
Stabilization Energy
Strain Energy
Damage Results

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 Structural Results

Linearized Stress
Contact Results
Frequency Response and Phase Response
Stress Tools
Fatigue (Fatigue Tool)
Fracture Results (Fracture Tool)
Composite Failure Tool
Composite Sampling Point Tool
Contact Tool
Bolt Tool
Beam Tool
Beam Results
Structural Probes
Response PSD Tool
Gasket Results
Campbell Diagram Chart Results
Equivalent Radiated Power and Equivalent Radiated Power Level Results

Stress Tools (p. 1547) are used to determine the following results:

• Maximum Equivalent Stress Safety Tool (p. 1548)

• Maximum Shear Stress Safety Tool (p. 1549)

• Mohr-Coulomb Stress Safety Tool (p. 1551)

• Maximum Tensile Stress Safety Tool (p. 1553)

Structural Probes (p. 1576) can be used to determine the following results:

• Deformation

• Strain

• Position (p. 1587)

• Velocity

• Angular Velocity

• Acceleration

• Angular Acceleration

• Energy (p. 1590)

• Flexible Rotation Probe

• Force Reaction (p. 1591)

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• Moment Reaction (p. 1591)

• Joint (p. 1601)

• Response PSD (p. 1603)

• Spring (p. 1604)

• Bearings (p. 1605)

• Beam (p. 1605)

• Bolt Pretension (p. 1606)

• Generalized Plane Strain (p. 1606)

• Equivalent Radiated Power and Equivalent Radiated Power Level (p. 1613)

Deformation
Physical deformations can be calculated on and inside a part or an assembly. Fixed supports prevent
deformation; locations without a fixed support usually experience deformation relative to the original
location. Deformations are calculated relative to the part or assembly world coordinate system.

Component deformations (Directional Deformation)

Deformed shape (Total Deformation vector)

The three component deformations Ux, Uy, and Uz, and the deformed shape U are available as indi-
vidual results.

Scoping (p. 1171) is also possible to both geometric entities and to underlying meshing entities (see
example below). Numerical data is for deformation in the global X, Y, and Z directions. These results
can be viewed with the model under wireframe (p. 29) display, facilitating their visibility at interior
nodes.

Example: Scoping Deformation Results to Mesh Nodes

The following example illustrates how to obtain deformation results for individual nodes in a model.
The nodes are specified using criteria based named selections.

1. Create a named selection by highlighting the Model tree object and select the Named Selection option
from the Insert (p. 10) group of the Model Context tab.

2. Highlight the Selection object and in the Details view, set Scoping Method to Worksheet.

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 Structural Results

3. In the Worksheet, add a row and set the following items for the row. Refer to Specifying Named Selections
using Worksheet Criteria (p. 764) for assistance, if needed.

• Entity Type = Mesh Node.

• Criterion = Location X.

• Operator = Greater Than.

• Value = 0.1.

4. Add a second row with Criterion = Location Y, Value = 0.2, and all remaining items set the same as the
first row.

5. Add a third row with Criterion = Location Z, Value = 0.3, and all remaining items set the same as the
first row.

The table displays as shown below

6. Click the Generate button. The Geometry field in the Details view displays the number of nodes that
meet the criteria defined in the Worksheet.

7. After applying loads and supports to the model, add a Total Deformation result object, highlight the
object, set Scoping Method to Named Selection, and set Named Selection to the Selection object
defined above that includes the mesh node criteria. Before solving, annotations are displayed at each
selected node as shown below.

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8. Solve the analysis. Any element containing a selected node will display a contour color at the node. If
all nodes on the element are selected, the element will display contour colors on all facets. Element facets
that contain unselected nodes will be transparent. An example is shown below.

Note that all element facets are drawn, not just the facets on the surface or skin of the model.

To possibly reduce clutter for complex models, the size of the dots representing the nodes can
be changed by selecting the Large Vertex Contours option from the Display group of Result
Context Tab (p. 24).

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Working with Deformations

Deformations can be used to:

• Set Alert objects (p. 1944).

• Control accuracy and convergence and to view converged results.

• Study deformations in a selected or scoped area of a part or an assembly.

Important:

The deformation result can exhibit a node-based display limitation. If a node represents a
remote point, the application does not process result data for it and as a result, Mechanical
does not display result data. Deformed shapes, deformation contour colors, and deformation
MIN/MAX values can differ from the displays (and listings) of Mechanical APDL commands,
such as PRNSOL, PLNSOL, and MONITOR.

Velocity and Acceleration

In addition to deformation results, velocity and acceleration results are also available for Transient
Structural (p. 507), Harmonic Response (p. 266) (Full and MSUP), Rigid Dynamics (p. 340), Random Vibra-
tion (p. 291), and Response Spectrum (p. 298) analyses. Both total and directional components are
available for the Transient Structural and Harmonic Response analyses but only directional components
are available for Random Vibration and Response Spectrum (Total Deformation is available).

Considerations for Random Vibration

For Random Vibration analyses, only component directional deformations are available because the
directional results from the solver are statistical in nature. The X, Y, and Z displacements cannot be
combined to get the magnitude of the total displacement. The same holds true for other derived
quantities such as principal stresses.

Directional Deformation, Directional Velocity, and Directional Acceleration result objects in Random
Vibration analyses also include the following additional items in the Details view:

• Reference - Read-only reference indication that depends on the directional result. Possible indications
are:

– Relative to base motion for a Directional Deformation result.

– Absolute (including base motion) for a Directional Velocity or Directional Acceleration result.

• Scale Factor - A multiple of standard deviation values (with zero mean value) that you can enter which
determines the probability of the time the response will be less than the standard deviation value. By
default, the results output by the solver are 1 Sigma, or one standard deviation value. You can set the
Scale Factor to 2 Sigma, 3 Sigma, or to User Input, in which case you can enter a custom scale factor in
the Scale Factor Value field.

• Probability - Read-only indication of the percentage of the time the response will be less than the
standard deviation value as determined by your entry in the Scale Factor field. A Scale Factor of 1 Sigma
= a Probability of 68.3 %. 2 Sigma = 95.951 %. 3 Sigma = 99.737 %.

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Stress and Strain

Stress solutions allow you to predict safety factors, stresses, strains, and displacements given the
model and material of a part or an entire assembly and for a particular structural loading environment.

A general three-dimensional stress state is calculated in terms of three normal and three shear stress
components aligned to the part or assembly world coordinate system.

The principal stresses and the maximum shear stress are called invariants; that is, their value does
not depend on the orientation of the part or assembly with respect to its world coordinate system.
The principal stresses and maximum shear stress are available as individual results.

The principal strains ε1, ε2, and ε3 and the maximum shear strain γmax are also available. The principal
strains are always ordered such that ε1> ε2> ε3. As with principal stresses and the maximum shear
stress, the principal strains and maximum shear strain are invariants.

You can choose from the following stress/strain results:

Equivalent (von Mises)
Maximum, Middle, and Minimum Principal
Maximum Shear
Intensity
Vector Principals
Error (Structural)
Thermal Strain
Equivalent Plastic Strain
Accumulated Equivalent Plastic Strain
Equivalent Creep Strain
Equivalent Total Strain
Membrane Stress
Bending Stress

Normal (X, Y, Z) and Shear (XY, YZ, XZ) stress and strain results are also available.

It is assumed that whatever holds true for stress applies to strain as well. However, the relationship
between maximum shear stress and stress intensity does not hold true for an equivalent relationship
between maximum shear strain and strain intensity.

For more information about Stress/Strain, see the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference.

Considerations
The degree of uncertainty in the numerical calculation of Stress answers depends on your accuracy
preference. See Adaptive Convergence (p. 1752) for information on available options and their effect
on Stress answers.

For your convenience and future reference, Report can include stress, strain, and deformations value,
convergence histories, and any alerts for these values.

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Equivalent (von Mises)

Equivalent stress is related to the principal stresses by the equation:

Equivalent stress (also called von Mises stress) is often used in design work because it allows any
arbitrary three-dimensional stress state to be represented as a single positive stress value. Equivalent
stress is part of the maximum equivalent stress failure theory used to predict yielding in a ductile
material.

The von Mises or equivalent strain εe is computed as:

where:

ν' = effective Poisson's ratio, which is defined as follows:

• Material Poisson's ratio for elastic and thermal strains computed at the reference temperature of
the body.

• 0.5 for plastic strains.

Note:

Currently, for Linked MSUP analyses with the Expand Results From detail under Output
Controls set to Modal Solution, the Mechanical APDL solver does not calculate equivalent
strains. If you choose to display equivalent strain results, you will see zero contours.

Maximum, Middle, and Minimum Principal

From elasticity theory, an infinitesimal volume of material at an arbitrary point on or inside the
solid body can be rotated such that only normal stresses remain and all shear stresses are zero. The
three normal stresses that remain are called the principal stresses:

σ1 - Maximum
σ2 - Middle
σ3 - Minimum

The principal stresses are always ordered such that σ1 > σ2 > σ3.

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Maximum Shear
The maximum shear stress τmax, also referred to as the maximum shear stress, is found by plotting
Mohr's circles using the principal stresses:

or mathematically through:

For elastic strain, the maximum shear elastic strain γmax is found through:

γmax = ε1 - ε3

since the shear elastic strain reported is an engineering shear elastic strain.

Intensity
Stress intensity is defined as the largest of the absolute values of σ1 - σ2, σ2 - σ3, or σ3 - σ1:

Stress intensity is related to the maximum shear stress:

σI = 2τmax

Elastic Strain intensity is defined as the largest of the absolute values of ε1 - ε2, ε2 - ε3, or ε3 - ε1:

Elastic Strain intensity is equal to the maximum shear elastic strain:

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 Structural Results

εI = γmax

Equivalent Stress (and Equivalent Elastic Strain) and Stress Intensity are available as individual
results.

Note:

Computation of Equivalent Elastic Strain uses Poisson’s ratio. If Poisson’s ratio is tem-
perature dependent then the Poisson’s ratio value at the reference temperature of the
body is used to compute the Equivalent Elastic Strain.

Vector Principals
A Vector Principals plot provides a three-dimensional display of the relative size of the principal
quantities (stresses or elastic strains), and the directions along which they occur. Positive principals
point outwards and negative ones inwards.

Plots of Vector Principals help depict the directions that experience the greatest amount of normal
stress or elastic strain at any point in the body in response to the loading condition. The locus of
directions of maximum principal stresses, for example, suggests paths of maximum load transfer
throughout a body.

Request a Vector Principals plot in the same way that you would request any other result. Scop-
ing (p. 1503) is also possible. Numerical data for these plots can be obtained by exporting the result
values to an .XLS file. These files have 6 fields. The first three correspond to the maximum, middle,
and minimum principal quantities (stresses or elastic strains). The last three correspond to the
Mechanical APDL application Euler angle sequence (CLOCAL command in the ANSYS environment)
required to produce a coordinate system whose X, Y and Z-axis are the directions of maximum,
middle and minimum principal quantities, respectively. This Euler angle sequence is ThetaXY,
ThetaYZ, and ThetaZX and orients the principal coordinate system relative to the global system.
These results can be viewed using the options of the Vector Display (p. 31) group on the Result
Context Tab (p. 24).

Error (Structural)
You can insert an Error result based on stresses to help you identify regions of high error and thus
show where the model would benefit from a more refined mesh in order to get a more accurate
answer. You can also use the Error result to help determine where Mechanical will be refining
elements if Convergence (p. 1752) is active. The Error result is based on the same errors used in ad-
aptive refinement (p. 1753). Information on how these errors are calculated is included in POST1 -
Error Approximation Technique, in the Theory Reference for ANSYS and ANSYS Workbench .

Note:

The Error result is based on linear stresses and as such may be inaccurate in certain
nonlinear analyses (for example, when plasticity is active). Furthermore, the Error result
is currently restricted to isotropic materials. You may wish to refer to the Structural Ma-
terial Properties section of the Engineering Data help for additional information.

Presented below are example applications of using the Error result in a Structural simulation.

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3D Model:

2D Model, Base Mesh:

2D Model, Adaptive Refinement (Convergence Added):

2D Model, With Mesh Control:

Thermal Strain
Thermal strain is computed when coefficient of thermal expansion is specified and a temperature
load is applied in a structural analysis. To specify the coefficient of thermal expansion, you must
set Thermal Strain Effects (p. 224) to Yes in the Details view of the part or body objects before
initiating a solve.

Each component of thermal strain is computed as:

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 Structural Results

Where:

- thermal strain in one of the directions x, y, or z.

- Secant coefficient of thermal expansion defined as a material property in Engineering Data

(see “Chapter 2.4 Linear Material Properties” in the Element Reference of the Mechanical APDL ap-
plication Help for more information about the secant function).

- reference temperature or the "stress-free" temperature. This can be specified globally for the
model using the Reference Temperature field of Static Structural or Transient Structural analysis
types. Optionally you can also specify the reference temperature as a material property for cases
such as the analysis for cooling of a weld or solder joint where each material has a different stress-
free temperature.

Equivalent Plastic Strain

The equivalent plastic strain gives a measure of the amount of permanent strain in an engineering
body. The equivalent plastic strain is calculated from the component plastic strain as defined in
the Equivalent (p. 1521) stress/strain section.

Most common engineering materials exhibit a linear stress-strain relationship up to a stress level
known as the proportional limit. Beyond this limit, the stress-strain relationship will become nonlinear,
but will not necessarily become inelastic. Plastic behavior, characterized by nonrecoverable strain
or plastic strain, begins when stresses exceed the material's yield point. Because there is usually
little difference between the yield point and the proportional limit, the Mechanical APDL application
assumes that these two points are coincident in plasticity analyses.

In order to develop plastic strain, plastic material properties must be defined. You may define plastic
material properties by defining either of the following in the Engineering Data:

• Bilinear Stress/Strain curve.

• Multilinear Stress/Strain curve.

Note:

Yield stresses defined under the Stress Limits section in the Engineering Data are used
for the post tools only (that is, Stress Safety Tools and Fatigue tools), and do not imply
plastic behavior.

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Accumulated Equivalent Plastic Strain

The Accumulated Equivalent Plastic Strain result is the summation of the Equivalent Plastic
Strain (p. 1525) result increment for each step. Equivalent Plastic Strain is calculated from plastic
strain components directly and Accumulated Equivalent Plastic Strain is integrated from the
equivalent incremental plastic strain along the deformation path. This result is an indicator for the
hardening of an engineering body. Accumulated Equivalent Plastic Strain is based on the altern-
ating loading and the values are always increasing (like plastic work).

Accumulated Equivalent Plastic Strain and Equivalent Plastic Strain are equal for proportional,
monotonic loading, only.

Large Deflection Effects

Note that the display of this result changes based on the setting of the Large Deflection property.
When the property is set to On, the result displays zero values for any body with non-linear mater-
ials, as illustrated for the three body part shown below.

Setting the property to Off, the same body with non-linear materials displays transparently. This
display is like the Equivalent Plastic Strain result that displays non-linear materials transparently
regardless of the Large Deflection property setting.

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Equivalent Creep Strain

Creep is a rate-dependent material nonlinearity in which the material continues to deform under
a constant load. The material deforms under an initial applied load and the load diminishes over
time with an increase in deformation or creep strain. The equivalent creep strain gives a measure
of the amount of the creep strain in an engineering body. The equivalent creep strain is calculated
from component creep strains.

In order to develop creep strain, creep material properties must be defined. You may define creep
material properties by choosing one of the available 13 creep models in Engineering Data. This
result type is available in Mechanical only after you have selected a creep material for at least one
prototype in the analysis.

Equivalent Total Strain

The equivalent total strain gives a total value of strain in any engineering body. The total strain
components are calculated by addition of components of elastic, plastic, thermal, and creep strains
and then equivalent total strain is calculated from total strain components. This result type is
available in Mechanical only if at least one of the other three strain results is available for post
processing. In Mechanical APDL this strain in called Total Mechanical and Thermal Strain.

Membrane Stress
Membrane stress calculates the stresses along the thickness of the shell in longitudinal direction,
in transverse direction, and in plane shear. The result is available only for shell bodies and solids
that are meshed using the thin-solid meshing option. Each element of the body can display indi-
vidual stress values and give a checkboard appearance to the result contours. The results are calcu-
lated in the element coordinate system.

Shell membrane stress tensor (s11m, s22m, s12m) is the average of the in-plane stress tensor (s11(z),
s22(z), s12(z)) along the shell thickness direction:

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Where:

t is the total shell thickness,

z is the thickness location where the in-plane stress is evaluated.

Unlike linearized stress in other elements, a pre-defined path through the shell thickness is not re-
quired in order to compute shell membrane stress.

Note:

Make sure that the Output Control (p. 1151), General Miscellaneous is set to Yes or your
results may be under-defined.

Bending Stress
The result is available only for shell bodies and solids that are meshed using the thin-solid meshing
option and are calculated in the element coordinate system. Each element of the body can display
individual stress values and give a check-board appearance to the result contours.

Shell bending stress tensor (s11b, s22b, s12b) represents the linear variation portion of the in-plane
stress tensor (s11(z), s22(z), s12(z)) along the shell thickness direction:

Where:

t is the total shell thickness,

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 Structural Results

z is the thickness location where the in-plane stress is evaluated.

Note:

Make sure that the Output Control (p. 1151), General Miscellaneous is set to Yes or your
results may be under-defined.

Stabilization Energy
Stabilization can help with convergence problems, but it can also affect accuracy if the stabilization
energy or forces are too large. Although ANSYS automatically reports the stabilization force norms
and compares them to internal force norms, it is still very important to check the stabilization energy
and forces to determine whether or not they are excessive. If the stabilization energy is much less
than the potential energy (for example, within a 1.0 percent tolerance), the result should be acceptable.
Stabilization energy is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

When stabilization energy is large, check the stabilization forces at each DOF for all substeps. If the
stabilization forces are much smaller than the applied loads and reaction forces (for example, within
a 0.5 percent tolerance), the results are still acceptable. Such a case could occur when an elastic system
is loaded first, then unloaded significantly. It is possible that the final element potential energy is
small and stabilization energy is relatively large, but all stabilization forces are small. Currently, stabil-
ization forces are accessible in the .OUT file.

Even when both stabilization energy and forces are too large, the results could still be valid. Such a
scenario is possible when a large part of an elastic structure undergoes large rigid body motion (as
in a snap-through simulation). In such a case, the stabilization energy could be large as well as the
stabilization force for some DOFs at some substeps, but the results could still be acceptably accurate.
Nevertheless, consider the results along with other support data and use your own discretion.

To insert a Stabilization Energy result, highlight the Solution object in the tree, then select Stabil-
ization Energy from the Solution Context Tab (p. 24) or right-click the object and choose Insert>
Energy> Stabilization Energy.

The following figure shows an example stabilization energy contour plot:

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Strain Energy
Energy stored in bodies due to deformation. This value is computed from stress and strain results. It
includes plastic strain energy as a result of material plasticity.

The Strain Energy result is available in the Energy drop-down menu of the Results group on the
Solution Context (p. 24) tab. The option is also available from the context (right-click) menu of the
Solution object (Insert> Energy> Strain Energy).

Damage Results
Mechanical supports a number of damage results using non-linear material models, including the
Mullins Effect, Progressive Damage, and Physical Failure Criteria.

Mullins Effect
The Mullins effect is a phenomenon resulting from load-induced changes to constitutive response
exhibited by some hyper elastic materials, especially filled polymers. The effect is most evident during
cyclic loading, where the unloading response is more compliant than the loading behavior. During
the process of cyclic loading, stress-strain curve for these materials is dependent on the maximum
previous load, where the load is the strain energy of the virgin hyper elastic material. As the maximum
previous load increases, changes to the virgin hyper elastic constitutive model also increase, due to
the Mullins effect. Below the maximum previous load, the Mullins effect changes are not evolving;
however, the Mullins effect still modifies the hyper elastic constitutive response based on the maximum
previous load. If the load increases beyond the maximum previous all time value, the result is an irre-
versible and instantaneous softening of the material, which causes a hysteresis in the stress-strain
response.

The Mullins effect is modeled with the modified Ogden-Roxburgh pseudo-elastic model (TB,CDM,,,,PSE2)
and is applicable to any nearly or purely incompressible hyperelastic model (TB,HYPER). For more
information on the Mullins effect, see Mullins Effect Material Model.

Mechanical supports two results for the Mullins Effect: Mullins Damage Variable and Mullins Max.
Previous Strain Energy.

The Mullins Damage Variable is a unitless scale range from 0, at which the material is completely
damaged without any stiffness, to 1, at which the material is intact, without any loss of stiffness.

At a given time step, the Mullins Max. Previous Strain Energy result is the maximum value of strain
energy of the virgin material in the time interval [0, t0], where t0 is the beginning of a time step.
Depending on the unit system you choose, this result chooses the appropriate unit of energy. A
typical unit is the Joules (J) unit.

Progressive Damage
Progressive Damage is associated with the damage phenomenon that occurs in composite materials.
When a composite material is subjected to loading, the matrix and fiber controlled types of failure
can occur both separately or sequentially. After a certain point, the material experiences enough
damage in the form of the local failures that the material can no longer sustain the load. These local
failures govern the ultimate load that the material can withstand.

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Progressive Damage uses material damage initiation (TB, DMGI) and evolution criteria (TB, DMGE) to
analyze the progressive damage in composites. While Physical Failure Criteria analyzes the failure
criteria, Progressive Damage analyzes the progression of the damage.

Damage Initiation Criteria defines the criteria type for determining the onset of material damage
under loading. Depending upon the failure mode selected here, the respective failure criteria will be
computed for “Physical Failure Criteria”. The available failure modes for damage are:

• Maximum Strain

• Maximum Stress

• Puck

• Hashin

• LaRc03

• LaRc04

The Damage Evolution Law defines the material damage evolution law (or the way a material degrades)
following the initiation of damage. The stiffness reduction takes a value of 0 to 1, where 0 is no
damage and 1 is completely damaged.

For more information, see Damage Evolution Law and Damage Initiation Criteria in the Mechanical
APDL documentation.

The Progressive Damage model supports the following results:

Result Description
Damage Status The Damage Status result will be an enum type with values of
0, 1, or 2, where

• 0 -- undamaged

• 1 -- partially damaged

• 2 -- completely damaged

Fiber Tensile Damage The Fiber Tensile Damage Variable result value will be in the
Variable range of 0 to the “Tensile Fiber Stiffness Reduction” value set in
the Damage Evolution Law. In other words, if you set the Tensile
Fiber Stiffness Reduction to 0.6, the range of Fiber Tensile
damage variable result will be in the range of 0 to 0.6.

A value of 0 for this result means undamaged and a value of 1

means completely damaged. The result has no units.
Fiber Compressive The Fiber Compressive Damage Variable result value will be in
Damage Variable the range of 0 to the “Compressive Fiber Stiffness Reduction”
value set in the Damage Evolution Law. In other words, if you
set the Compressive Fiber Stiffness Reduction to 0.6, the range
of Fiber Tensile damage variable result will be in the range of 0
to 0.6.

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Result Description
A value of 0 for this result means undamaged and a value of 1
means completely damaged. The result has no units.
Matrix Tensile Damage The Matrix Tensile Damage Variable result value will be in the
Variable range of 0 to the “Tensile Matrix Stiffness Reduction” value set
in the Damage Evolution Law i.e. if you set the Tensile Matrix
Stiffness Reduction to 0.6, the range of Fiber Tensile damage
variable result will be in the range of 0 to 0.6.

A value of 0 for this result means undamaged and a value of 1

means completely damaged. The result has no units.
Matrix Compressive The Matrix Compressive Damage Variable result value will be in
Damage Variable the range of 0 to the “Compressive Fiber Stiffness Reduction”
value set in the Damage Evolution Law i.e. if you set the
Compressive Fiber Stiffness Reduction to 0.6, the range of Fiber
Tensile damage variable result will be in the range of 0 to 0.6.

A value of 0 for this result means undamaged and a value of 1

means completely damaged. The result has no units.
Shear Damage Variable The Shear Damage Variable result value will be in the range of 0 to
1. This value is computed using the results of Fiber Tensile Damage
Variable, Fiber Compressive Damage Variable, Matrix Tensile Damage
Variable, and Matrix Compressive Damage Variable. The result has no
units.
Energy Dissipated Per The Energy Dissipated Per Volume result value will be a positive
Volume real number.

This result uses a unit of “Energy/Volume” in the unit system you

choose.

Physical Failure Criteria

The respective failure criteria are computed for the failure modes chosen in the damage initiation
criteria. While the damage variables give you an idea where the damage is located and its likely dir-
ection of propagation, the Physical Failure Criteria helps you determine how much more load the
material can handle.

These failure criteria are computed based on the parameters given using the material damage initiation
(TB, DMGI) and evolution criteria (TB, DMGE). For more information, see Progressive Damage (p. 1530),
above, as well as Damage Evolution Law, Damage Initiation Criteria, and Physical Failure Criteria in
the Mechanical APDL documentation.

The Physical Failure Criteria model supports the following results:

Result Description
Max Failure Criteria The Max Failure Criteria is computed based on the maximum of Fiber
Tensile Failure Criterion, Fiber Compressive Failure Criterion, Matrix
Tensile Failure Criterion, and Matrix Compressive Failure Criterion.
Fiber Tensile Failure The Fiber Tensile Failure Criterion result value will be a positive
Criterion integer. A value of 0 indicates no failure, while 1 is a complete failure.

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Result Description
A value above 1 indicates the material has completely failed. The
higher this number, the higher the load above the prescribed limits,
although specifics are dependent on the stress limits you set and the
amount of loading applied.
Fiber Compressive Failure The Fiber Compressive Failure Criterion result value will be a positive
Criterion integer. A value of 0 indicates no failure, while 1 is a complete failure.
A value above 1 indicates the material has completely failed. The
higher this number, the higher the load above the prescribed limits,
although specifics are dependent on the stress limits you set and the
amount of loading applied.
Matrix Tensile Failure The Matrix Tensile Failure Criterion result value will be a positive
Criterion integer. A value of 0 indicates no failure, while 1 is a complete failure.
A value above 1 indicates the material has completely failed. The
higher this number, the higher the load above the prescribed limits,
although specifics are dependent on the stress limits you set and the
amount of loading applied.
Matrix Compressive Failure The Matrix Compressive Failure Criterion result value will be a positive
Criterion integer. A value of 0 indicates no failure, while 1 is a complete failure.
A value above 1 indicates the material has completely failed. The
higher this number, the higher the load above the prescribed limits,
although specifics are dependent on the stress limits you set and the
amount of loading applied.

Linearized Stress
The Linearized Stress results calculate membrane, bending, peak, and total stress along a straight line
path in the Mechanical application. To calculate linearized stress, you must first define a straight line
path object using Construction Geometry under Model. A path you define for linearized stress can
be of type Two Points or of type X axis Intersection and should have at least 47 sample points. The
number of points must be an odd number; otherwise the result will not solve and an error message
will be issued. The path must be straight and entirely within the model’s elements. The X axis Inter-
section option is recommend as it ensures that the start and end points are inside the mesh and that
the path is straight. Note that the Two Points method obtains the points from the tessellation of the
geometric model, and if the geometry faces are curved, the points might not be inside the mesh. For
these situations, you can use the Snap to mesh nodes feature (see Path (p. 867)) to ensure that the
two points are contained within the mesh.

Linearized stress does not support the Edge path type. To calculate linearized stresses:

1. In the object tree, select the Solution object.

2. On the Solution Context Tab (p. 24), open the Linearized Stress drop-down menu and select your
desired stress.

3. In the Details view, select the Path (p. 867) you have defined to calculate the linearized stress.

4. Select the coordinate system you have used for the model.

5. As desired, for 3D analyses (only), set the Zero Through-Thickness Bending Stress property to Yes
to ignore out-of-plane bending stresses (SX, SXY, SXZ) in the linearized bending stress calculations.

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6. Click Solve to calculate linearized stress along the path.

Geometry Select bodies that contribute toward stress calculation

Path The path you define to calculate the linearized stresses
Type Types of linearized stresses available
Coordinate System Coordinate systems you can select for stress calculation

About Linearized Stress

When the result is evaluated, component stress values at the path points are interpolated from the
appropriate element's average corner nodal values. Stress components through the section are linear-
ized by a line integral method and are separated into constant membrane stresses, bending stresses
varying linearly between end points, and peak stresses (defined as the difference between the actual
(total) stress and the membrane plus bending combination).

The Details view shows Membrane, Bending, Membrane + Bending, Peak, and Total stresses. The
bending stresses are calculated such that the neutral axis is at the midpoint of the path.

Principal stresses are recalculated from the component stresses and are invariant with the coordinate
system as long as stress is in the same direction at all points along the defined path. It is generally
recommended that calculations be performed in a rectangular coordinate system (e.g. global Cartesian).

The Details view also includes the following three choices for the 2D Behavior (2D analysis (p. 655)
only) property: Planar, Axisymmetric Straight, and Axisymmetric Curve. These choices are available
only for 2D geometries (e.g., plane stress).

For Axisymmetric Straight and Axisymmetric Curve, the Details view includes entries for Average
Radius of Curvature and Through-Thickness Bending Stress.

The Average Radius of Curvature represents the in-plane (X-Y) average radius of curvature of the
inside and outside surfaces of an axisymmetric section. If the radius is zero, a plane or 3D structure
is assumed. The curve radius is in the current units.

An Axisymmetric Straight analysis always has an infinite radius of curvature (which is denoted by
a value of -1).

The choices for Through-Thickness Bending Stress are:

• Include: Include the thickness-direction bending stresses.

• Ignore: Ignore the thickness-direction bending stresses.

• Include Using Y Dir. Formula: Include the thickness-direction bending stress using the same formula as
the Y (axial direction) bending stress. Also use the same formula for the shear stress.

If the Average Radius of Curvature is non-zero, Mechanical reports the linearized stresses in the
section coordinates (SX – along the path, SY – normal to the path, and SZ – hoop direction). In this
case, the choice of Coordinate System in the Details view is ignored.

If the Average Radius of Curvature is zero, Mechanical reports the linearized stresses in the active
results coordinate system.

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For 3D geometries only, the property Zero Through-Thickness Bending Stress is displayed. It includes
the following options:

• No (default): The application performs calculations as in previous revisions.

• Yes: When this option is selected, the bending stresses SX, SXY, SXZ are set to zero and the principal
bending stress calculation for S1, S2, S3, SINT, and SEQV are performed using these zeroed components.

Notes on Linearized Stress

• The line integral method is the same as that used in the Mechanical APDL command PRSECT, RHO, KBR,
and KBR3D.

• Mechanical does not support the Solution Coordinate System for this result.

• The Worksheet reports the linearized component and principal stresses for each stress category at the
beginning, mid-length, and end of the section path.

Contact Results
If your model contains Contact Regions, you can define the contact results as listed below under
the Solution object by inserting a Contact Tool. See the Reviewing the Results section of the Contact
Technology Guide for additional information.

• Gap

• Penetration

• Pressure

• Frictional Stress - available only for evaluating contact conditions after solution.

Note:

– To reflect total contact pressures or frictional stress, you must either set the Behavior (p. 909)
option to Asymmetric or Auto Asymmetric, or manually create an asymmetric contact
pair (p. 934).

– For node-to-surface contact, Pressure will display zero results. To display the associated
contact force, you must insert a user defined result (p. 1666) called CONTFORC. This is also the
case for the General Axisymmetric (p. 2035) feature, which employs node-to-surface contact.

• Sliding Distance - available only for evaluating contact conditions after solution. The total sliding distance
(SLIDE) is the maximum total sliding distance (algebraic sum) when the contact status is sticking or sliding
(STAT = 2, 3). It contains contributions from the elastic slip and the frictional slip. Elastic slip due to sticking
represents the reversible tangential motion from the point of zero tangential stresses. Ideally, the equivalent
elastic slip does not exceed the user-defined absolute limit. The higher the tangent stiffness, the smaller
the resulting elastic slip. The pair-based elastic slip can be monitored using the Contact Result Track-
er (p. 1748).

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• Fluid Pressure - Fluid penetration pressure (surface-to-surface contact only). Note that command snippets
are required to apply the loading to create this result. For more information, see Applying Fluid Pressure-
Penetration Loads in the Contact Technology Guide.

• Status. Status codes include:

– -3 - MPC bonded contact.

– -2 - MPC no-separation contact.

– 0 - open and not near contact.

– 1 - open but near contact.

– 2 - closed and sliding.

– 3 - closed and sticking.

The labels Far, Near, Sliding, and Sticking are included in the legend for Status.

Note:

– MPC-based contact definitions use negative values. They indicate the intentional removal
of one or more contact constraints to prevent over-constraint.

– Contact that has been deactivated via Auto Asymmetric behavior will be displayed with a
status of Far-Open. Results for deactivated pairs can be suppressed in the Contact Tool by
changing Both to either Contact or Target as necessary.

If you choose to display contact results with a display option other than Unaveraged, then Mech-
anical uses all elements in the selected regions to calculate the result. That is, Mechanical averages
contact across regions regardless of whether you scoped the result via Geometry Selection or via the
Worksheet.

For example, if you set the display option to Averaged, then the displayed result for a node is the
average of all values (from all selected elements) at that node. Contact elements can be coincident,
which may be difficult to discern visually, and Mechanical does not display unaveraged contact results
if it detects coincident elements in the scoping. However, Mechanical calculates and displays averaged
contact results for coincident elements.

In addition, if more than one face on a non-contact element (such as a solid element) includes contact
elements, Mechanical does not display unaveraged contact results because the application cannot
assign multiple contact values to a node.

The images below illustrate how contact results are affected by the different scoping types. The
model consists of two blocks contacting a third block.

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Using the Worksheet method, one Contact Tool was scoped to the contact pair on the left, and an-
other one was scoped to the contact pair on the right. This allows you to view the contact results for
each contact pair individually. The contact status for the contact pair on the left is shown below.

The contact status for the contact pair on the right is shown below.

A third Contact Tool scoped to the surface of the large block (using the Geometry Selection method)
enables you to view the contact status averaged over that surface, as shown below.

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Contact Results Restrictions

Note the following restrictions regarding contact results:

• When a contact result is scoped to a face of an assembly, a contact result may not be obtained in certain
cases, especially if the scoped face is not a part of any contact region.

• Contour contact results are not reported for 3D edge contact.

• If you use the Generate Initial Contact Results option on a Contact Tool contained in the Connections
folder, and use the Worksheet to scope these Initial Contact results, the application displays the contour
results for the geometry scoping of the contact pairs, not the individual contact elements. Therefore, and
as illustrated above by the third Contact Tool scoped to a surface, the results appear as if the scoping is
to the geometric faces.

• If the contact status of all nodes of a contact element is FAR (or 0), then 16.0 will report all contact results
as undefined.

• For any contact result, the averaged contact results at 16.0 can display values that differ from values of
previous revisions, if:

– (a) two contact elements share nodes, and,

– (b) one of the elements has a FAR contact status, and,

– (c) one of the elements does not have a FAR status.

This is because, prior to 16.0, the elements with FAR status reported values that were ZERO. At
16.0, these elements have no values and are not involved in the averaging process.

Frequency Response and Phase Response

Graphs can be either Frequency Response graphs that display how the response varies with frequency
or Phase Response plots that show how much a response lags behind the applied loads over a phase
period.

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Frequency Response
You can scope graphical results using:

• Geometry selection (vertex, face, edge, or nodes)

• Named Selections (p. 761)

• Contact Regions (p. 1994)

• Springs (p. 1037)

• Beam Connections (p. 1045)

• Support Boundary Conditions (p. 1346) (Fixed Support, Displacement, Frictionless Support, Cylindrical
Support)

• Remote Points (p. 789)

You can view these options as a value graphed along a specified frequency range. These include the
frequency results for stress, elastic strain, deformation, velocity, acceleration (frequency only), and
force reaction plotted as a graph. In addition, you can parameterize these frequency results. The plot
will include all the frequency points at which a solution was obtained. When you generate frequency
response results, the default plot (Bode) shows the amplitude and phase angle.

Note:

Direct graphical node selection requires you to generate the mesh and have the Node
selection option (p. 49) active.

The following equations describe how frequency graphs are defined and plotted.

Stress and Strain Results

The strain result is calculated using the displacement result. Using the Young’s Modulus and strain result,
the stress result can be evaluated. Because of this reason, the stress and strain results are in phase with
the displacement result.

Displacement Result
The displacement vector on a structure subjected to harmonic loading may be expressed as:

EQUATION 1

The Frequency Response chart for Displacement is calculated by expressing Equation (1) in time
domain as follows:

EQUATION 2

where:

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Velocity Result
The equation for velocity can be obtained by taking a time derivative of Equation (1). The frequency
response for velocity in time domain is calculated as follows:

EQUATION 3

where:

Acceleration Result
The equation for acceleration can be obtained by taking a double time derivative of Equation (1). The
frequency response for acceleration in time domain is calculated as follows:

EQUATION 4

where:

Force Reaction
The Frequency Response for Force Reaction is calculated by replacing displacement with force in Equation
(2) as shown below.

EQUATION 5

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where:

(Amplitude)

(Phase Angle)

Optionally, the Display property provides the following results values for graphs:

• Real

• Imaginary

• Real and Imaginary

• Amplitude

• Phase Angle

• Bode (default setting - plots both Amplitude and Phase Angle)

The Chart Viewing Style property provides the following options to plot results for a scale of an
axis:

• Linear: this option plots the result values linearly.

• Log X: this option plots the X-Axis logarithmically. If negative axis values or a zero value exists, this
option is not supported and the graph plots linearly.

• Log Y (default when graph has Amplitude): this option plots the Y-Axis is plotted logarithmically. If
negative axis values or a zero value exists, this option is not supported and the graph plots linearly.

• Log-Log: this option plots the X-Axis and Y-Axis logarithmically. If negative axis values or a zero value
exists, this option is not supported and the graph plots linearly.

For edges, faces, surface bodies, and multiple vertex selections (which contain multiple nodes), the
results can be scoped as minimum, maximum, or average using the Spatial Resolution option. This
option is also available for frequency and phase response results scoped on a single vertex.

Note:

The Spatial Resolution option is especially important for results scoped to a shell
vertex, where the default option, Use Average, may yield unexpected results.

The Use Minimum and Use Maximum settings of the Spatial Resolution option are based on the
amplitude and thus are reported from the location with either the largest or smallest amplitude. The

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Use Average setting calculates the average by calculating the real and imaginary components separ-
ately.

Note:

You cannot use the Mechanical application convergence capabilities for any results item
under a harmonic analysis. Instead, you can first do a convergence (p. 1752) study on a
modal analysis (p. 283) and reuse the mesh from that analysis.

Presented below is an example of a Frequency Response plot:

The average, minimum, or maximum value can be chosen for selected entities. Stress, Strain, Deform-
ation, Velocity, and Acceleration components vary sinusoidally, so these are the only result types
that can be reviewed in this manner. (Note that items such as Principal Stress or Equivalent Stress
do not behave in a sinusoidal manner since these are derived quantities.)

Phase Response
Similarly, Phase Response plots show the minimum, average, or maximum Stress, Strain, or Deform-
ation for selected graphical entities (vertex, face, edge, or nodes) or a Named Selection (p. 761). An
example of a Phase Response plot is illustrated below.

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However, unlike Frequency Response plots that show a response amplitude over a frequency range,
Phase Response plots show a response over a phase period, so you can determine how much a re-
sponse lags behind the applied load.

The following functions outline the relationships of response amplitude, phase response graphs, and
result contours (with associated caveats):

Response Amplitude
Response Amplitude is defined as the maximum value of the following expression:

value = sqrt(real*real + imag*imag)

Where real and imag represent all real and imaginary result values from the result file for the se-
lected frequency.

Phase Response Graph

Phase Response results report the following quantities at the nearest frequency requested from the
Frequency property.

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For the properties contained in the Results category:

Amplitude = sqrt(real*real + imag*imag)

Phase Angle =
Real = real
Imaginary = imag

And the graph is the image of the following, where Sweeping Phase is allowed to vary across a
user specified Duration:

value = Amplitude * cos( phase)

Where:
phase = (Phase Angle + Sweeping Phase)

Note:

Take caution when comparing the values in the Output column of the Tabular
Data for a Phase Response against maximum values of contour displays.

Result Contour
Drawing contour displays in a Harmonic Response analysis, Mechanical uses the phase specified by the
Sweeping Phase property defined by the user to evaluate the expression:

value = real*cos(phase) - imag*sin(phase)

Where real and imag represent all real and imaginary result values from the result file for the se-
lected frequency.

Because the formula for the Phase Response graph differs from the formula for the contour, an Output
value for the graph does not necessarily equal a maximum for a contour result at the same frequency.

General Approach to Harmonic Response Analysis Postprocessing

Generally speaking, you would look at Frequency Response plots at critical regions to ascertain what
the frequency of interest may be. In conjunction with Phase Response plots, the phase of interest
is also determined. Then, you can request Stress, Strain, or Deformation contour plots to evaluate
the response of the entire structure at that frequency and phase of interest.

Creating Contour Result from Frequency Response Results

You can use Frequency Response result types (not including Velocity and Acceleration) to generate
new result objects of the same type, orientation, frequency. The phase angle of the contour result
will be opposite in sign with the same magnitude as the frequency response result type. The sign of
the phase in the Sweeping Phase property of the contour result is reversed so that the response
amplitude of the frequency response plot for that frequency and phase defined by the Duration
property matches with the contour results. To create a Contour Result in a Harmonic Analysis:

1. Select and right-click the desired Harmonic result in the solution tree.

2. Choose Create Contour Result.

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As illustrated here, you can see how the feature automatically scopes the Type, Orientation, Coordin-
ate System, Frequency, and Sweeping Phase.

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Using Results

The Reported Frequency in the Information category is the frequency at which contour results were
found and plotted. This frequency can be potentially different from the frequency you requested.

Limitations
For a Mode Superposition Harmonic Response Analysis (standalone and linked MSUP), if the Store
Results At All Frequencies property in the Options category (p. 1133) of the Analysis Settings is set
to No, the Frequency Response and Phase Response results can be scoped to geometric entities only
(node-based scoping is not allowed).

If the Store Results At All Frequencies property in the Options category (p. 1133) of the Analysis
Settings is set to No, the Frequency Response results for force reactions cannot be extracted.

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Stress Tools
You can insert any of the following stress tools in a Solution object by choosing Stress Tool in the
Toolbox drop-down menu of the Solution Context Tab (p. 24) or by right-clicking on the Solution
object and selecting Insert > Stress Tool:

• Maximum Equivalent Stress Safety Tool (p. 1548)

• Maximum Shear Stress Safety Tool (p. 1549)

• Mohr-Coulomb Stress Safety Tool (p. 1551)

• Maximum Tensile Stress Safety Tool (p. 1553)

Note:

After adding a Stress Tool object, you can change the specific stress tool using the
Theory property.

The Stress Tools make use of the following material properties:

• Tensile Yield Strength

• Compressive Yield Strength

• Tensile Ultimate Strength

• Compressive Ultimate Strength

Safety Tools in the ANSYS Workbench Product

The ANSYS Workbench product uses safety tools that are based on four different stress quantities:

1. Equivalent stress (σe).

2. Maximum tensile stress (σ1).

3. Maximum shear stress (τMAX)

This uses Mohr's circle:

where:
σ1 and σ3 = principal stresses.

4. Mohr-Coulomb stress

This theory uses a stress limit based on

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Using Results

where:

Maximum Equivalent Stress Safety Tool

The Maximum Equivalent Stress Safety tool is based on the maximum equivalent stress failure
theory for ductile materials, also referred to as the von Mises-Hencky theory, octahedral shear stress
theory, or maximum distortion (or shear) energy theory. Of the four failure theories supported by
the Mechanical application, this theory is generally considered as the most appropriate for ductile
materials such as aluminum, brass and steel.

The theory states that a particular combination of principal stresses causes failure if the maximum
equivalent stress in a structure equals or exceeds a specific stress limit:

Expressing the theory as a design goal:

If failure is defined by material yielding, it follows that the design goal is to limit the maximum
equivalent stress to be less than the yield strength of the material:

An alternate but less common definition states that fracturing occurs when the maximum equivalent
stress reaches or exceeds the ultimate strength of the material:

Options
Define the stress limit in the Details view under Stress Limit Type. Use either Tensile Yield Per
Material, or Tensile Ultimate Per Material, or enter a Custom Value. By default, Stress Limit
Type equals Tensile Yield Per Material.

Select one of the following Stress Tool results from the Result group of the Stress Tool tab or by
right-clicking and selecting Insert > [result type]:

Safety Factor

Safety Margin

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 Structural Results

Stress Ratio

Notes
• The reliability of this failure theory depends on the accuracy of calculated results (p. 1752) and the repres-
entation of stress risers (peak stresses). Stress risers play an important role if, for example, yielding at
local discontinuities (e.g., notches, holes, fillets) and fatigue loading are of concern. If calculated results
are suspect, consider the calculated stresses to be nominal stresses, and amplify the nominal stresses
by an appropriate stress concentration factor Kt. Values for Kt are available in many strength of materials
handbooks.

• If fatigue is not a concern, localized yielding will lead to a slight redistribution of stress, and no real
failure will occur. According to J. E. Shigley (Mechanical Engineering Design, McGraw-Hill, 1973), "We
conclude, then, that yielding in the vicinity of a stress riser is beneficial in improving the strength of a
part and that stress-concentration factors need not be employed when the material is ductile and the
loads are static."

• Alternatively, localized yielding is potentially important if the material is marginally ductile, or if low
temperatures or other environmental conditions induce brittle behavior.

• Yielding of ductile materials may also be important if the yielding is widespread. For example, failure
is most often declared if yielding occurs across a complete section.

• The proper selection and use of a failure theory relies on your engineering judgment. Refer to engineering
texts such as Engineering Considerations of Stress, Strain, and Strength by R. C. Juvinall (McGraw-Hill) and
Mechanical Engineering Design by J. E. Shigley (McGraw-Hill) for in-depth discussions on the applied
theories.

Maximum Shear Stress Safety Tool

The Maximum Shear Stress Safety tool is based on the maximum shear stress failure theory for
ductile materials.

The theory states that a particular combination of principal stresses causes failure if the Maximum
Shear (p. 1522) equals or exceeds a specific shear limit:

where the limit strength is generally the yield or ultimate strength of the material. In other words,
the shear strength of the material is typically defined as a fraction (f < 1) of the yield or ultimate
strength:

In a strict application of the theory, f = 0.5. Expressing the theory as a design goal:

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Using Results

If failure is defined by material yielding, it follows that the design goal is to limit the shear stress
to be less than a fraction of the yield strength of the material:

An alternate but less common definition states that fracturing occurs when the shear stress reaches
or exceeds a fraction of the ultimate strength of the material:

Options
Define the stress limit in the Details view under Stress Limit Type. Use either Tensile Yield Per
Material, or Tensile Ultimate Per Material, or enter a Custom Value. By default, Stress Limit
Type equals Tensile Yield Per Material.

Define coefficient f under Factor in the Details view. By default, the coefficient f equals 0.5.

Select one of the following Stress Tool results from the Result group of the Stress Tool tab or by
right-clicking and selecting Insert > [result type]:

Safety Factor

Safety Margin

Stress Ratio

Notes
• The reliability of this failure theory depends on the accuracy of calculated results and the representation
of stress risers (peak stresses). Stress risers play an important role if, for example, yielding at local discon-
tinuities (e.g., notches, holes, fillets) and fatigue loading are of concern. If calculated results are suspect,
consider the calculated stresses to be nominal stresses, and amplify the nominal stresses by an appro-
priate stress concentration factor Kt. Values for Kt are available in many strength of materials handbooks.

• If fatigue is not a concern, localized yielding will lead to a slight redistribution of stress, and no real
failure will occur. According to J. E. Shigley (Mechanical Engineering Design, McGraw-Hill, 1973), "We
conclude, then, that yielding in the vicinity of a stress riser is beneficial in improving the strength of the
part and that stress-concentration factors need not be employed when the material is ductile and the
loads are static."

• Alternatively, localized yielding is potentially important if the material is marginally ductile, or if low
temperatures or other environmental conditions induce brittle behavior.

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• Yielding of ductile materials may also be important if the yielding is widespread. For example, failure
is most often declared if yielding occurs across a complete section.

• The proper selection and use of a failure theory relies on your engineering judgment. Refer to engineering
texts such as Engineering Considerations of Stress, Strain, and Strength by R. C. Juvinall (McGraw-Hill) and
Mechanical Engineering Design by J. E. Shigley (McGraw-Hill) for in-depth discussions on the applied
theories.

Mohr-Coulomb Stress Safety Tool

The Mohr-Coulomb Stress Safety Tool is based on the Mohr-Coulomb theory for brittle materials,
also known as the internal friction theory.

The theory states that failure occurs when the combination of the Maximum, Middle, and Minimum
Principal (p. 1521) equal or exceed their respective stress limits. The theory compares the maximum
tensile stress to the material's tensile limit and the minimum compressive stress to the material's
compressive limit. Expressing the theory as a design goal:

where σ1 > σ2 > σ3; σ3 and the compressive strength limit assume negative values even though
you must actually enter positive values for these quantities. Also, a given term is only used if it in-
cludes the correct sign. For example, σ1 must be positive and σ3 must be negative. Otherwise, the
invalid term is assumed to be negligible.

Note that the Mohr-Coulomb Stress Safety tool evaluates maximum and minimum principal stresses
at the same locations. In other words, this tool does not base its calculations on the absolute
maximum principal stress and the absolute minimum principal stress occurring (most likely) at two
different locations in the body. The tool bases its calculations on the independent distributions of
maximum and minimum principal stress. Consequently, this tool provides a distribution of factor
or margin of safety throughout the part or assembly. The minimum factor or margin of safety is
the minimum value found in this distribution.

For common brittle materials such as glass, cast iron, concrete and certain types of hardened steels,
the compressive strength is usually much greater than the tensile strength, of which this theory
takes direct account.

The design goal is to limit the maximum and minimum principal stresses to their ultimate strength
values by means of the brittle failure relationship:

An alternative but less common definition compares the greatest principal stresses to the yield
strengths of the material:

The theory is known to be more accurate than the maximum tensile stress failure theory used in
the Maximum Tensile Stress Safety tool, and when properly applied with a reasonable factor of
safety the theory is often considered to be conservative.

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Options
Define the tensile stress limit in the Details view under Tensile Limit Type. Use either Tensile Yield
Per Material, or Tensile Ultimate Per Material, or enter a Custom Value. By default, Tensile
Limit Type equals Tensile Yield Per Material.

Define the compressive stress limit in the Details view under Compressive Limit Type. Use either
Comp. Yield Per Material, or Comp. Ultimate Per Material, or enter a Custom Value. By default,
Compressive Limit Type equals Comp. Yield Per Material.

Select one of the following Stress Tool results from the Result group of the Stress Tool tab or by
right-clicking and selecting Insert > [result type]:

Safety Factor

Safety Margin

Stress Ratio

Notes
• The use of a yield strength limit with brittle materials is not recommended since most brittle materials
do not exhibit a well-defined yield strength.

• For ductile and some other types of materials, experiments have shown that brittle failure theories may
be inaccurate and unsafe to use. The brittle failure theories may also be inaccurate for certain brittle
materials. Potential inaccuracies are of particular concern if the accuracy of calculated answers (p. 1752)
is suspect.

• The reliability of this failure criterion is directly related to treatment of stress risers (peak stresses). For
brittle homogeneous materials such as glass, stress risers are very important, and it follows that the
calculated stresses should have the highest possible accuracy or significant factors of safety should be
expected or employed. If the calculated results are suspect, consider the calculated stresses to be
nominal stresses, and amplify the nominal stresses by an appropriate stress concentration factor Kt.
Values for Kt are available in many strength of materials handbooks. For brittle nonhomogeneous ma-
terials such as gray cast iron, stress risers may be of minimal importance.

• If a part or structure is known or suspected to contain cracks, flaws, or is designed with sharp notches
or re-entrant corners, a more advanced analysis may be required to confirm its structural integrity. Such
discontinuities are known to produce singular (i.e., infinite) elastic stresses; if the possibility exists that
the material might behave in a brittle manner, a more rigorous fracture mechanics evaluation needs to
be performed. An analyst skilled in fracture analysis can use the Mechanical APDL application to determine
fracture mechanics information.

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• The proper selection and use of a failure theory relies on your engineering judgment. Refer to engineering
texts such as Engineering Considerations of Stress, Strain, and Strength by R. C. Juvinall (McGraw-Hill) and
Mechanical Engineering Design by J. E. Shigley (McGraw-Hill) for in-depth discussions on the applied
theories.

Maximum Tensile Stress Safety Tool

The Maximum Tensile Stress Safety tool is based on the maximum tensile stress failure theory for
brittle materials.

The theory states that failure occurs when the maximum principal stress (p. 1521) equals or exceeds
a tensile stress limit. Expressing the theory as a design goal:

The maximum tensile stress failure theory is typically used to predict fracture in brittle materials
with static loads. Brittle materials include glass, cast iron, concrete, porcelain and certain hardened
steels.

The design goal is to limit the greatest principal stress to be less than the material's ultimate strength
in tension:

An alternate definition compares the greatest principal stress to the yield strength of the material:

For many materials (usually ductile materials), strength in compression and in tension are roughly
equal. For brittle materials, the compressive strength is usually much greater than the tensile
strength.

The Mohr-Coulomb theory used in the Mohr-Coulomb Stress Safety tool is generally regarded as
more reliable for a broader range of brittle materials. However, as pointed out by R. C. Juvinall
(Engineering Considerations of Stress, Strain, and Strength, McGraw-Hill, 1967), "There is some evidence
to support its use with porcelain and concrete. Also, it has been used in the design of guns, as
some test results on thick-walled cylinders tend to agree with this theory."

Options
Define the stress limit in the Details view under Stress Limit Type. Use either Tensile Yield Per
Material, or Tensile Ultimate Per Material, or enter a Custom Value. By default, Stress Limit
Type equals Tensile Yield Per Material.

Select one of the following Stress Tool results from the Result group of the Stress Tool tab or by
right-clicking and selecting Insert > [result type]:

Safety Factor

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Safety Margin

Stress Ratio

Notes
• The use of a yield strength limit with brittle materials is not recommended since most brittle materials
do not exhibit a well-defined yield strength.

• For ductile and some other types of materials, experiments have shown that brittle failure theories may
be inaccurate and unsafe to use. The brittle failure theories may also be inaccurate for certain brittle
materials. Potential inaccuracies are of particular concern if the accuracy of calculated answers is suspect.

• The reliability of this failure criterion is directly related to treatment of stress risers (peak stresses). For
brittle homogeneous materials such as glass, stress risers are very important, and it follows that the
calculated stresses should have the highest possible accuracy or significant factors of safety should be
expected or employed. If the calculated results are suspect, consider the calculated stresses to be
nominal stresses, and amplify the nominal stresses by an appropriate stress concentration factor Kt.
Values for Kt are available in many strength of materials handbooks. For brittle nonhomogeneous ma-
terials such as gray cast iron, stress risers may be of minimal importance.

• If a part or structure is known or suspected to contain cracks, flaws, or is designed with sharp notches
or re-entrant corners, a more advanced analysis may be required to confirm its structural integrity. Such
discontinuities are known to produce singular (i.e., infinite) elastic stresses; if the possibility exists that
the material might behave in a brittle manner, a more rigorous fracture mechanics evaluation needs to
be performed. An analyst skilled in fracture analysis can use the Mechanical APDL application program
to determine fracture mechanics information.

• The proper selection and use of a failure theory relies on your engineering judgment. Refer to engineering
texts such as Engineering Considerations of Stress, Strain, and Strength by R. C. Juvinall (McGraw-Hill) and
Mechanical Engineering Design by J. E. Shigley (McGraw-Hill) for in-depth discussions on the applied
theories.

Fatigue (Fatigue Tool)

See Fatigue Results (p. 1633).

Fracture Results (Fracture Tool)

To review fracture results in Mechanical, you insert a Fracture Tool (p. 2030) object under the Solution
folder, select a crack from the drop-down menu of the Crack Selection property, and then add
Fracture Results (p. 1558) under the Fracture Tool.

Fracture Results include the following:

• SIFS Results

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• J-Integral

• VCCT Results

• Material Force

• T-Stress

• C*-Integral

• Equivalent SIFS Range (the specified crack must be associated with Fatigue SMART Crack
Growth (p. 1095))

Mechanical computes the fracture parameter result based on the type and subtype of the result
definition. The type is based on a SIFS, JINT, VCCT, Material Force, T-Stress and C*-Integral based
result. The subtype for SIFS result is the Mode I Stress Intensity Factor (K1), Mode II Stress Intensity
Factor (K2) and Mode III Stress Intensity Factor (K3). The subtype for the VCCT based result is Mode
I Energy Release rate (G1), Mode II Energy Release rate (G2), Mode III Energy Release rate (G3), and
Total Energy Release rate (GT). The subtype for the Material Force result include X Axis, Y Axis, and
Z Axis of the Material Force in the local coordinates of the crack front nodes. The JINT, T-Stress and
C*-Integral results are mixed mode results, and have no subtype associated with them.

Note:

• The computation for the J-Integral result includes the effect of body forces.

• The application enables you to compute the Equivalent SIFS Range result in addition to one
fracture parameter result (SIFS results or J-Integral) when the SMART Crack Growth associated
to the crack is of type Fatigue (Crack Growth Option = Fatigue).

For more information about Fracture Results, see:

Fracture Tool
Defining a Fracture Result

The Active Contour property indicates the contour number for which the results are shown under
the Results parameter. The Geometry window displays the graphical result for the active contour.
The “1” in the Graphics window indicates the start of the crack front, while “2” indicates the end of
the crack front.

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The results are plotted in the Graph window for all contours, starting from the Contour Start value
and ending at the Contour End value. The X axis in the Graph window indicates the distance along
the crack front. The start of the crack front has a value of zero, and the end of the crack front has the
maximum value. The Tabular Data window displays the data points in a table format.

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Fracture Tool
The Fracture Tool enables you to group together all of the different types of fracture results asso-
ciated with one or more Semi-Elliptical Crack or Arbitrary Crack or Pre-Meshed Crack objects
defined in the Fracture folder.

To define a Fracture Tool:

1. Select the Solution object in the tree Outline.

2. Display the Solution Context tab, open the Toolbox drop-down menu, and select Fracture Tool.

Note:

The application automatically inserts the SIFS (K1) result object under the Fracture
Tool.

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3. Specify the Crack Selection Mode property as either Single Crack (default) or All Cracks.

Important:

If you specify the All Cracks option, the use of Fracture Probes (p. 2031) is not sup-
ported.

4. If you selected Single Crack for the Crack Selection Mode property, the Crack Selection property
is available. Specify the crack for which you want to group results.

Defining a Fracture Result

To define a Fracture Result:

1. Select the Fracture Tool from the Tree Outline.

2. From the Fracture Tool context tab, select desired results. Options include:

• SIFS Results>SIFS(K1) inserts a Mode 1 Stress Intensity Factor result.

• SIFS Results>SIFS(K2) inserts Mode 2 Stress Intensity Factor result.

• SIFS Results>SIFS(K3) inserts Mode 3 Stress Intensity Factor result.

• J-Integral (JINT) inserts a J-Integral result.

• VCCT Results>VCCT(G1) inserts Mode 1 Energy Release Rate result.

• VCCT Results>VCCT(G2) inserts Mode 2 Energy Release Rate result.

• VCCT Results>VCCT(G3) inserts Mode 3 Energy Release Rate result.

• VCCT Results>VCCT(GT) inserts Total Energy Release Rate result.

• Material Force>Material Force (X Axis) inserts Total Material Force result in the X Axis of the
local crack front node coordinates.

• Material Force>Material Force (Y Axis) inserts Total Material Force result in the Y Axis of the
local crack front node coordinates.

• Material Force>Material Force (Z Axis) inserts Total Material Force result in the Z Axis of the
local crack front node coordinates.

• T-Stress

• C*-Integral

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• Equivalent SIFS Range (available when specified crack is associated with Fatigue SMART Crack
Growth)

Tip:

In the Details view, you can change the type of fracture result to SIFS, J-Integral(JINT)
VCCT, Material Force, T-Stress, or C*-Integral, change the SIFS result subtype to K1,
K2 and K3, change the VCCT result subtype to G1, G2, G3 and GT, and change the
Material Force subtype to X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis.

Note:

The C*-Integral result is only valid when a creep material is used and the Creep
Controls are turned on.

3. Define each Fracture Result in the Details view. Options specific to fracture results include:

• Contour Start: Specifies the first contour number for which the result will be plotted in the graph
and displayed in the tabular data. The value must not be greater than the value of Contour End.
This option is applicable to SIFS, JINT, Material Force, T-Stress and C*-Integral types of fracture
result.

• Contour End: Specifies the last contour number for which the result will be plotted in the graph
and displayed in the tabular data. The value must not be greater than value of the Solution Contours
option specified for the associated crack object. Since the maximum of 10 contours can be plotted
in Graph window at one point of time, the difference between Contour End and Contour Start
must not be greater than 9. This option is applicable to SIFS, JINT, Material Force, T-Stress and C*-
Integral types of fracture result.

• Active Contour: Specifies the contour number for which the results are plotted in the Graphics
window and are shown in the Details view. By default, it takes the "Last" value which is the contour
number specified for Contour End. This option is applicable to SIFS, JINT, Material Force, T-Stress
and C*-Integral types of fracture result.

Note:

The Contour Start and Contour End properties are not available when the Crack
Selection Mode property of the Fracture Tool is set to All Cracks.

For information on other Details view options, see Results and Result Tools (Group) (p. 2191).

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Using Results

Composite Failure Tool

The Composite Failure Tool is a post-processing option that you can use for composite ply structures
that were modeled using ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP).

Important:

• The application supports the Composite Failure Tool on the same operating systems as ANSYS
Composite PrepPost. See the Supported Platforms section of the ANSYS Composite PrepPost
User's Guide for specific platform information.

• For a Static Structural system linked to a ACP-Pre system, created prior to 2020 R1, Mechanical
does not support the Composite Failure Tool. You can resolve this issue by cleaning and up-
dating the ACP-Pre system and then refreshing the inputs of the Static Structural system.

This section addresses the following topics:

• Tool Overview (p. 1560)

• Result Types (p. 1561)

• Composite Failure Tool Promotion (p. 1562)

• Application (p. 1563)

Tool Overview
This tool provides result data that corresponds to that of the failure definition in ACP Post. In addition,
and as illustrated below, the Details view properties for the object provide a set of failure criteria
and functionality. You enable these failure criteria using the properties of the Reinforced Ply Criteria
category (see Composite Failure Tool Result Objects (p. 1978)). The Worksheet provides additional details
for each criteria enabling you to make further specifications.

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 Structural Results

The properties of the Composite Failure Tool enable you to configure your own combined failure
criteria for the strength assessment of composites. Both established and basic as well as recent and
advanced failure criteria are included in the program and you can combine them with the goal to
incorporate all relevant failure modes which turn up in a composite structure. This helps to design
robust structures and to work efficiently. A discussion related to the best practices for using this tool
is available in the Guide to Composite Failure Criteria topic in the ANSYS Composite PrepPost User's
Guide.

Result Types
The Composite Failure Tool supports the following result objects:

Safety Factor (SF)

This result type is an indication of the margin to failure. That is, the applied load multiplied by the
safety factor determines the failure load. Failure is experienced when you have a Safety Factor less
than 1.

SF x F applied = F f

Safety Factor values that are greater than one indicate a positive margin to failure and values
less than one indicate a negative margin. Safety Factor values are always greater than zero.

Inverse Reserve Factor (IRF)

This result type is an inverse margin to the Safety Factor. The failure load can be defined as the load
value divided by IRF. Failure is experienced when you have an Inverse Reserve Factor greater than
1.

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Using Results

IRF = 1/SF

The critical values of reserve factors lie between zero and one, whereas the non-critical values
range from one to infinity. Whether the results are shown in numeric form or as contour
plots, the non-critical values tend to be emphasized in comparison to critical values.

Safety Margin
The Safety Margin result is obtained from the safety factor. Failure is experienced when you have
a Safety Margin less than 0.

SM = SF - 1

A positive safety margin indicates the relative amount that the applied load can be increased
before reaching failure load. Correspondingly, a negative safety margin indicates how much
the applied load should be decreased. Safety margins are typically expressed as percentages.

User-Defined Results
See the User-Defined Results (p. 1656) section of the Mechanical Help.

Also see the Composite Failure Tool (Group) (p. 1976) object reference page for additional information
about these result types.

Composite Failure Tool Promotion

The purpose of this feature is to enable you to create and share one or more combinations of failure
criteria by using them in various tools or across analyses. Through the promotion feature, as illustrated
below, you can promote a defined Composite Failure Tool to the Composite Failure Criteria
Definitions (p. 1975) object. By default, the promoted object maintains the name of the original object,
such as the default tool name, "Composite Failure Tool."

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After promotion, the properties of the corresponding Composite Failure Tool object become read
only, except for the Defined By and the Composite Failure Criteria properties.

Application
To define results using the Composite Failure Tool:

1. Make sure that your composite analysis is properly defined.

2. Highlight the Solution object and select Composite Failure Tool from the Toolbox drop-down menu
or highlight the Solution object, right-click, and then select Insert > Composites > Composite Failure
Tool. The Composite Failure Tool becomes the active object in the tree, it contains an Inverse Reserve
Factor result object by default, and the Worksheet displays.

3. Specify the Defined By property as Direct Input (default) or Composite Failure Criteria Definitions.
In order to select Composite Failure Criteria Definitions, you must first specify failure criteria in the
Reinforced Ply Criteria category and promote the Composite Failure Tool. This creates the required
criteria object and you must specify in the Composite Failure Criteria property that becomes available
when you select the Composite Failure Criteria Definitions option. Review the above Composite
Failure Tool Promotion topic as needed.

4. Specify failure criteria by turning the properties of the Reinforced Ply Criteria category of the Details
view On or Off. The Worksheet aromatically displays and populates with the criteria that you have
specified. You can further customize the criteria using the check boxes available in the Worksheet. In
addition, further failure criteria changes can be made in the Worksheet, specifically, Weighting values.

5. Insert results objects as desired (Inverse Reserve Factor, Safety Factor, and Safety Margin) from the
Composite Failure Tool Context tab or using the right-click context menu.

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6. For individual result objects, specify elemental max or ply-wise results using the options of the Sub
Scope By property, Entire Section (default) or Ply. Based on your selection, either Ply Maximum or
Elemental Maximum displays in the Display Option property.

7. The properties Show Critical Failure Mode, Show Critical Layer, and Threshold for Text Visualization
are used to configure the overlaid text plot as shown below. The acronyms indicate the failure mode
and the indices the critical layer where failure occurs. The text labels are not shown if they are below
the defined threshold which is, by default, 0.25. If working with very large models, it is suggested that
you set a meaningful threshold so that thousands of text labels do not display. This makes it easier to
examine the structure and improves the performance.

8. Composite Failure Tool promotion may occur as desired.

Composite Sampling Point Tool

The Composite Sampling Point Tool is a post-processing option that you can use for composite ply
structures that were modeled using ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP). See the Sampling Points section
in the ANSYS Composite PrepPost User's Guide for more information.

This tool works in tandem with the Composite Failure Tool. That is, to generate and display result
data, you must scope the Composite Sampling Point Tool to existing Composite Failure Criteria.
This criteria is created by promoting a defined Composite Failure Tool object. Be sure to review the
Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560) section as it is a prerequisite for using this feature.

Note:

This feature does not support the Linux platform.

Application
To define results using the Composite Sampling Point Tool:

1. Make sure that your composite analysis is properly defined.

2. Define and promote a Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560).

3. With the Composite Failure Tool selected, right-click and select Insert > Composites > Composite
Sampling Point Tool. The application inserts a Composite Sampling Point Tool object. It is automat-
ically the active object and by default, includes the child object Composite Sampling Point.

Note:

You can also insert a Composite Sampling Point Tool by right-clicking on the Solution
object or in the geometry windows and selecting Insert > Composites > Composite
Sampling Point Tool.

4. Specify the Composite Failure Criteria property. The Worksheet displays automatically and contains
the criteria as specified in the Composite Failure Criteria object.

5. Select the Composite Sampling Point child object.

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6. Using the Geometry property, select the desired faces on your geometry. The sampling point is created
at the location of hit point on the geometry face and the direction of the sampling point is aligned with
the face normal.

7. Solve or evaluate the results of the analysis. The Worksheet displays automatically. Select desired result
data from the available options. The following example illustrates result data. This example illustrates
that you can display the material, thickness, and angle as text labels for every ply in the plot. The angle
displayed for modeling and production plies always matches the design angle in the modeling ply and
material definitions.

Note:

The worksheet does not display result content using the units specified in the Units
option.

The Worksheet also displays the thickness distributions of the post-processing results (Strains,
Stresses, and Failures groups) as 2D plots. Stresses and strains shown in the 2D plot display the
values at the interpolated element center at the top and bottom of the layer. The 2D failure plot
shows the worst IRF, RF or MoS factor of all failure criteria, failure modes evaluated, and integration
point level. In addition, the display can show failure modes as text labels for every ply. And you
can enable the polar properties of the laminate using the Polar group.

Also see the Composite Sampling Point (p. 1981) object reference section.

Contact Tool
The Contact Tool enables you to examine contact conditions on an assembly both before loading,
and as part of the final solution to verify the transfer of loads (forces and moments) across the various

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Using Results

contact regions. The Contact Tool is an object you can insert under a Connections (p. 1988) object
for examining initial contact conditions, or under a Solution (p. 2211) or Solution Combination
(p. 2215) branch object for examining the effects of contact as part of the solution. The Contact Tool
enables you to conveniently scope contact results (p. 1535) to a common selection of geometry or
contact regions. In this way, all applicable contact results can be investigated at once for a given
scoping.

A Contact Tool is scoped to a given topology, and there exist two methods for achieving this: the
Worksheet method and the Geometry Selection method. Under the Worksheet method, the Contact
Tool is scoped to one or more contact regions. Under the Geometry Selection method, the Contact
Tool can be scoped to any geometry on the model. Regardless of the method, the scoping on the
tool is applied to all results grouped under it.

To use a Contact Tool, prepare a structural analysis for an assembly with contacts. You then use
either the Geometry Selection or Worksheet scoping method for results.

Evaluating Initial Contact Conditions

Note:

To calculate initial contact results, the Contact Tool assumes small deflection. This assump-
tion affects the resulting pinball radius of the scoped contacts if their Pinball Region
property is set to Program Controlled.

To evaluate initial contact conditions using the Worksheet method:

1. Insert a Contact Tool in the Connections folder (Contact Tool from the Connections Context tab or
right-click on the Connections object and then select Insert > Contact Tool). The tool is inserted and
includes a default Initial Information child object.

2. In the Details view of the Contact Tool, ensure that Worksheet (the default) is selected in the Scoping
Method field. The Worksheet appears. Scoped contact regions are those that are checked in the table.

3. You can modify your selection of contact regions in the Worksheet using the following procedures:

• To add or remove pre-selected groups of contact regions (All Contacts, Nonlinear Contacts, or
Linear Contacts), use the drop-down menu and the corresponding buttons.

• To add any number of contact regions, you can also drag-drop or copy-paste any number of contact
regions from the Connections folder into the Contact Tool in the Tree View. Also, one or more
contact regions can be deleted from the Contact Tool worksheet by selecting them in the table and
pressing the Delete key.

• To change the Contact Side of all contact regions, choose the option in the drop-down menu (Both,
Contact, or Target from the drop-down menu and click the Apply button).

• To change an individual Contact Side, click in the particular cell and choose Both, Contact, or Target
from the drop-down menu.

4. Add contact result objects of interest under the Contact Tool folder using the option of the Contact
Tool Context tab. Or, you can right-click on the tool and select Insert > [desired result]. The specific
contact result objects are inserted.

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5. Obtain the initial contact results using a right mouse button click the Contact object, or Contact Tool
object, or any object under the Contact Tool object, then choosing Generate Initial Contact Results
from the context menu. Results are displayed as follows:

• When you highlight the Initial Information object, a table appears in the Worksheet that includes
initial contact information (p. 1570) for the contact regions that you specified in step 2 above. You can
display or hide the various columns (p. 123) in the table. The table rows display in various colors that
indicate the detected contact conditions. A brief explanation of each color is provided in the legend
that is displayed beneath the table. Copies of the legend explanations are presented below in quotes,
followed by more detailed explanations.

– Red: "The contact status is open but the type of contact is meant to be closed. This applies to
bonded and no separation contact types."

Workbench has detected an open contact Status (p. 1535) condition, which is invalid based
on the definitions of Bonded and No Separation contact types (p. 907). It is very likely that
the model will not be held together as expected. The geometry of the contact may be too
far apart for the closed condition to be satisfied. Review of the Contact Region (p. 1994)
definition is strongly recommended.

– Yellow: "The contact status is open. This may be acceptable."

Workbench has detected an open contact Status (p. 1535) condition on a nonlinear contact
type, Frictionless, Rough, or Frictional, which is probably acceptable under certain conditions
as stated in their descriptions (p. 907).

If the Status is Far Open, the Penetration and the Gap will be set to zero even though the
Resulting Pinball (p. 924) is non-zero.

Note:

Currently, contact results are not saved to results (.rst) file for all contact elements
that are outside the pinball region to optimize the file size. Results for Far-field
contact elements were reported as zero in prior releases.

– Orange: "The contact status is closed but has a large amount of gap or penetration. Check penet-
ration and gap compared to pinball and depth.”

Workbench has detected that any of the following contact results are greater than 1/2 of
the Resulting Pinball, or greater than 1/2 of the Contact Depth: Gap, Penetration, maximum
closed Gap, maximum closed Penetration. This could lead to poor results in terms of stiffness
of the contacting interface. It is recommended that you alter the geometry to reduce the
gap or penetration.

– Gray: "Contact is inactive. This can occur for MPC and Normal Lagrange formulations. It can also
occur for auto asymmetric behavior."

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Using Results

Refer to the individual descriptions for the MPC and Normal Lagrange formulations (p. 912),
and the description for Auto Asymmetric behavior (p. 909).

Note:

The “not applicable” designation, N/A appears in the following locations and situations:

• All result columns when the contact pair is inactive (row is gray, or Inactive appears under
the Status column).

• The Geometric Gap column for Frictionless (p. 908), Rough (p. 908), or Frictional (p. 908)
contact Types (p. 907) and an Interface Treatment (p. 926) set to Add Offset (p. 928),
Ramped Effects.

• When you highlight any of the contact result objects, the Geometry tab appears and displays the
graphical result for the contact regions that you specified in step 2 above.

To evaluate initial contact conditions using the Geometry Selection method:

1. Select one or more bodies that are in contact.

2. Insert a Contact Tool in the Connections folder (Contact Tool from the Connections Context tab or
right-click on the Connections folder and then select Insert > Contact Tool). The tool is inserted and
includes a default Initial Information child object.

Note:

The scoping of the Initial Information object is only available using the Worksheet
method. Selecting bodies as in Step 1 above has no effect on Initial Information
results.

3. In the Details view of the Contact Tool, select Geometry Selection in the Scoping Method field. The
bodies that you selected in step 1 are highlighted in the Geometry tab.

4. Add contact result objects of interest under the Contact Tool folder using the option of the Contact
Tool Context tab. Or, you can right-click on the tool and select Insert > [desired result]. The specific
contact result objects are inserted.

5. Obtain the initial contact results using a right mouse button click the Contact object, or Contact Tool
object, or any object under the Contact Tool object, then choosing Generate Initial Contact Results
from the context menu. When you highlight any of the contact result objects, the Geometry tab appears
and displays the graphical result for the bodies that you selected in step 1.

Evaluating Contact Conditions After Solution

Note:

The default method will be the last one that you manually chose in the Scoping Method
drop-down menu. If you have already selected geometry, the Scoping Method field

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 Structural Results

automatically changes to Geometry Selection. The default however will not change until
you manually change the Scoping Method entry.

To evaluate contact conditions after solution using the Worksheet method:

1. Insert a Contact Tool from the Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context tab or right-click
on the Solution folder and then select Insert > Contact Tool > Contact Tool). The tool is inserted and
includes a default Status child object.

2. In the Details view, select Worksheet in the Scoping Method field. The Worksheet appears. Scoped
contact regions are those that are checked in the table.

3. You can modify your selection of contact regions in the Worksheet using the following procedures:

• To add or remove pre-selected groups of contact regions (All Contacts, Nonlinear Contacts, or
Linear Contacts), use the drop-down menu and the corresponding buttons.

• To add any number of contact regions, you can also drag-drop or copy-paste any number of contact
regions from the Contact folder into the Contact Tool in the Tree View. Also, one or more contact
regions can be deleted from the Contact Tool worksheet by selecting them in the table and pressing
the Delete key.

• To change the Contact Side of all contact regions, choose the option in the drop-down menu (Both,
Contact, or Target from the drop-down menu and click the Apply button).

• To change an individual Contact Side, click in the particular cell and choose Both, Contact, or Target
from the drop-down menu.

4. Add more contact results as needed in the Contact Tool folder (Contact> [Contact Result, for example,
Pressure] from the Contact Tool Context tab, or right mouse button click Contact Tool, then Insert>
[Contact Result, for example, Pressure]).

5. Solve database. Upon completion, you will see contact results with the common scoping of the Contact
Tool.

To evaluate contact conditions after solution using the Geometry Selection method:

1. Select one or more bodies that are in contact.

2. Insert a Contact Tool from the Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context tab or right-click
on the Solution folder and then select Insert > Contact Tool > Contact Tool). The tool is inserted and
includes a default Status child object. Because you have already selected one or more bodies, Geometry
Selection is automatically set in the Scoping Method field within the Details view.

3. Add more contact results as needed to the Contact Tool folder either by right-clicking on the object
and selecting Insert > [desired result] or using the options of the Contact Tool Context tab.

4. Solve database. Upon completion, you will see contact results with the common scoping of the Contact
Tool.

The configuration of the Contact Tool, in particular the location (Solution vs Solution Combination)
and the scoping method, affects the availability of results. A Contact Tool in the Solution Combination
folder has the limitation that it supports only pressure, frictional stress, penetration and distance.

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Contact Tool Initial Information

When a Contact Tool is inserted under the Connections object, it includes a default object, Initial
Information. This object provides the following information from the Worksheet.

• Name: Contact Region name.

• Contact Side: Selected contact side, either Contact or Target.

• Type: contact type, Bonded, No Separation, Frictionless, Rough, Frictional.

• Status: the status of the contact, Open, Closed, Far Open.

• Number Contacting: the number of contact or target elements in contact.

• Penetration: the resulting penetration.

• Gap: the resulting gap.

• Geometric Penetration: the penetration that initially exists between the Contact and Target surfaces.

• Geometric Gap: the gap that initially exists between the Contact and Target surfaces. For Frictional
or Frictionless contact, this is the minimum gap. For Bonded or No Separation contact, this is the
maximum closed gap detected.

• Resulting Pinball: user specified or the Mechanical APDL application calculated pinball radius.

• Contact Depth: average contact depth of elements.

• Normal Stiffness: the calculated maximum normal stiffness value.

• Tangential Stiffness: the calculated maximum tangential stiffness value.

• Real Constant: the contact Real Constant number.

The following table outlines how to interpret the Gap and Penetration columns in the Initial Contact
Information when there is a true initial geometric gap at the contact interface.

Contact Type Interface Offset Status Penetration Gap Geometric Geometric

Treatment Penetration Gap
True
Bonded or No
NA NA Closed 0 0 0 Geometric
Separation
Gap
Bonded or No Far
NA NA 0 0 0 0
Separation Open
Frictionless,
Add Offset, Far
Rough, or 0 0 0 0 0
No Ramping Open
Frictional
Frictionless, Add Offset,
Far
Rough, or Ramped 0 0 0 0 NA
Open
Frictional Effects

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Contact Type Interface Offset Status Penetration Gap Geometric Geometric

Treatment Penetration Gap
True
Frictionless, < True True
Add Offset, Near Geometric
Rough, or Geometric 0 0 Geometric
No Ramping Open Gap -
Frictional Gap Gap
Offset
True
Frictionless, Add Offset, < True
Near Geometric
Rough, or Ramped Geometric 0 0 NA
Open Gap -
Frictional Effects Gap
Offset
Offset -
Frictionless, > True True
Add Offset, True
Rough, or Geometric Closed 0 0 Geometric
No Ramping Geometric
Frictional Gap Gap
Gap
Offset -
Frictionless, Add Offset, > True
True
Rough, or Ramped Geometric Closed 0 0 NA
Geometric
Frictional Effects Gap
Gap

The following table outlines how to interpret the Gap and Penetration columns in the Initial Contact
Information when there is a true initial geometric penetration at the contact interface.

Contact Interface Offset Status Penetration Gap Geometric Geometric

Type Treatment Penetration Gap
Bonded or True
No NA NA Closed 0 0 Geometric 0
Separation Penetration
Bonded or
Far
No NA NA 0 0 0 0
Open
Separation
Offset +
Frictionless, Add | Offset | < True
True
Rough, or Offset, No Geometric Closed 0 Geometric 0
Geometric
Frictional Ramping Penetration Penetration
Penetration
Add Offset +
Frictionless, | Offset | < True
Offset, True
Rough, or Geometric Closed 0 Geometric NA
Ramped Geometric
Frictional Penetration Penetration
Effects Penetration
| – Offset | | – Offset
Frictionless, Add True
> Near | - True
Rough, or Offset, No 0 Geometric 0
Geometric Open Geometric
Frictional Ramping Penetration
Penetration Penetration
Add | – Offset | | – Offset
Frictionless, True
Offset, > Near | - True
Rough, or 0 Geometric NA
Ramped Geometric Open Geometric
Frictional Penetration
Effects Penetration Penetration

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Bolt Tool
When examining numerous bolt loads, use the Bolt Tool to obtain bolt-specific results.

Scoping
You scope the Bolt Tool to defined Bolt Pretension (p. 1226) boundary conditions that you activate
using the Worksheet. Bolt Pretension boundary condition and Worksheet usage are the only sup-
ported methods for specifying the data of a Bolt Tool. Therefore, all of the support and scoping re-
quirements of the Bolt Pretension boundary condition must be considered.

Result Types
The Bolt Tool provides the following results:

• Adjustment: This represents the displacement that occurs from the pretension. In Mechanical APDL
terms, this is the displacement reported from the pretension node. This result is also available for
reporting regardless of how the bolt is defined.

• Working Load: This represents a constrained force reaction from the pretension load. In Mechanical
APDL terms, this is the constrained reaction reported from the pretension node. This is essentially
the sum of all the forces acting through the pretension cut. This result is applicable for load steps
when the load is defined by either Locked or Adjustment or Increment.

Application
To define results using the Bolt Tool:

1. Make sure that all Bolt Pretension (p. 1226) loads are properly defined.

2. Highlight the Solution object and select Bolt Tool from Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution
Context Tab (p. 24). You can also right-click on the Solution object and select Insert > Bolt Tool > Bolt
Tool. The Bolt Tool becomes the active object in the tree, it contains an Adjustment result object by
default, and the Worksheet displays.

3. All existing Bolt Pretension loads populate the Worksheet. By default, all loads are applied, as shown
by the activated checkboxes for each table row. You can modify the table entries as needed.

Add Adjustment and Working Load results to the tool as required.

In addition, the following right-click menu options are available in the Worksheet:

• Scope To All Bolts

• Clear Scoping

• Activate all Selections

• Deactivate all Selections

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Beam Tool
You can apply a Beam Tool to any assembly in order to view the linearized stresses on beam (line)
bodies. It is customary in beam design to employ components of axial stress that contribute to axial
loads and bending in each direction separately. Therefore, the stress outputs (which are linearized
stresses) associated with beam bodies have been focused toward that design goal.

Note:

Note the following limitations for the Beam Tool:

• The Beam Tool does not support bending or combined stress results when scoped to a
geometry that:

– Includes a User Integrated cross-section (or):

– Includes a user-defined cross-section when the Cross Section (For Solver) property is
set to the Pre-Integrated option. Specify the Mesh setting for this property in order
to obtain the stress results.

– Originated from the SpaceClaim Eurocode Library.

• The Beam Tool is not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

The Beam Tool is similar to the Contact Tool (p. 1565) in that the tool, not the results themselves
control the scoping. By default, the scoping is to all beam bodies. You can change the scoping in the
Details view, if desired.

To insert a Beam Tool, highlight the Solution object then select Beam Tool from the Toolbox drop-
down menu. Three beam stress results are included under the Beam Tool object: Direct Stress,
Minimum Combined Stress, and Maximum Combined Stress. You can add additional beam stress
results or deformation results (p. 1516) by highlighting the Beam Tool object and choosing the partic-
ular result from the Beam Tool Context tab. As an alternative, you can right-click on the Beam Tool
and select Insert > Beam Tool > [desired result].

Presented below are definitions of the beam stress results that are available:

• Direct Stress: The stress component due to the axial load encountered in a beam element.

• Minimum Bending Stress: From any bending loads a bending moment in both the local Y and Z directions
will arise. This leads to the following four bending stresses: Y bending stress on top/bottom and Z bending
stress on top/bottom. Minimum Bending Stress is the minimum of these four bending stresses.

• Maximum Bending Stress: The maximum of the four bending stresses described under Minimum
Bending Stress.

• Minimum Combined Stress: The linear combination of the Direct Stress and the Minimum Bending
Stress.

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• Maximum Combined Stress: The linear combination of the Direct Stress and the Maximum Bending
Stress.

Caution:

Be cautious when adding Beam Tool results to the Solutions Combination (p. 1699) feature.
As stated above, Beam Tool minimum and maximum results can originate from one of
four different physical locations. As a result, the application could add solution results from
different physical locations together. For this reason, carefully review stress results used
with the Solutions Combination feature.

Beam Results
Beam results can be applied only to line body edges and are defined as follows in reference to the
solution coordinate system of each beam or pipe element:

• Axial Force: the force along a beam element axis (X component).

• Bending Moment: the moment in the plane perpendicular to the beam element axis (Y and Z components).

• Torsional Moment: the moment about the beam element axis (X component).

• Shear Force: the force perpendicular to the beam element axis (Y and Z components).

• Shear-Moment Diagram (p. 1574): simultaneously illustrates the distribution of shear forces, bending
moments and displacements, as a function of arc length along a path consisting of line bodies.

To apply a beam result, define a path by using edges, on the line body edges as described in “Defining
a Path using an Edge” in Path (p. 867). For Shear-Moment Diagrams, the defined line body edges must
be contiguous.

Beam results are not available to the Samcef or ABAQUS solver.

Note:

• User Defined Result (p. 1656) equivalents of the above results are BEAM_AXIAL_F, BEAM_BEND-
ING_M, BEAM_TORSION_M, and BEAM_SHEAR_F.

• An Axial Force display will not include an arrow (that is, a vector). The force consists of only
the X component. A positive force denotes tension; a negative force denotes compression.

• If a path is coincident with an edge, beam results from scoping to the path may not match
beam results from scoping to the edge. The path for beams only allows contributions from
beam elements with both endpoints in the path. An edge can allow contributions from elements
that have only one node on the edge.

Shear-Moment Diagram
A shear-moment diagram is a beam result (p. 1574) that you can apply only to paths, which simultan-
eously illustrates the distribution of shear forces, bending moments and displacements, as a function
of arc length along the path consisting of line bodies.

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These three quantities are included in a shear-moment diagram because they are so closely related.
For example, the derivative of the moment is the shear:

dM/dx = V(x)

You can pre-define the path by selecting a contiguous set of line body edges, then inserting a
Shear-Moment Diagram object in the tree. Insert from the Beam Results drop-down menu on
the Solution Context tab, or by a right-click the Solution folder and choosing Insert> Beam Results
from the context menu.

With the Shear-Moment Diagram object highlighted, the Path, Type and Graphics Display settings
in the Details view control the curves you can display in the Worksheet or the Graph window.
Descriptions are presented below. When the X, Y, or Z component is indicated, they are in the
local coordinate system whose X axis is directed instantaneously along the beam. The Y and Z axes
can be inspected using an Element Triad (p. 1453) result. All Type and Graphics Display directions
are referenced to this axis.

• Path: The specific path to which the shear-moment diagram is to apply. For ease of use, before inserting
the Shear-Moment Diagram object, you can define the path by selecting a contiguous set of line body
edges. You can choose to use this path or any other pre-defined paths (p. 867) that you have created
for other path results (p. 1454).

• Type: The shear-moment diagram to display. Choices are:

– Total Shear-Moment Diagram

– Directional Shear-Moment Diagram (VY-MZ-UY)

– Directional Shear-Moment Diagram (VZ-MZ-UZ)

• Graphics Display: Controls which quantity is plotted in the Graph window and reported as Minimum
and Maximum values in the Details view.

Example in Worksheet:

You can toggle the display of all the Max and Min annotation labels by right-clicking anywhere in
the top diagram and choosing Hide/Show Annotation Labels.

Example in Graph and Tabular Data Windows:

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Example of Tracking Graph with Path Position:

When you click anywhere along the Length axis, the vertical bar and length that display corresponds
to the position of the + annotation on the path as shown below.

Structural Probes
This section provides:

• A general description of structural probe types (p. 1577).

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• An explanation of the differences for rigid body probes (p. 1586) during Explicit Dynamics analyses.

• A list of links (p. 1587) to more specific probe type sections and information.

The following structural probe types are available.

Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Deformation Static Structural, Transient Structural, Rigid Deformation: X axis, Y axis, Z axis, Total
Dynamics, Explicit Dynamics, Workbench
LS-DYNA

Strain Static Structural, Transient Structural, Explicit Strain: Components, Principals, Normal X, Normal
Dynamics Y, Normal Z, XY Shear, YZ Shear, XZ Shear,
Minimum Principal, Middle Principal, Maximum
Principal, Intensity, Equivalent (von-Mises)

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Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Stress Static Structural, Transient Structural, Explicit Stress: Components, Principals, Normal X, Normal
Dynamics,Workbench LS-DYNA Y, Normal Z, XY Shear, YZ Shear, XZ Shear,
Minimum Principal, Middle Principal, Maximum
Principal, Intensity, Equivalent (von-Mises)

Position (p. 1587) Static Structural, Transient Structural, Rigid Result Selection: X axis, Y axis, Z axis
Dynamics, Explicit Dynamics

Velocity Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, Explicit Velocity: X axis, Y axis, Z axis
Dynamics, Workbench LS-DYNA

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Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Angular Velocity Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, Angular Velocity: X axis, Y axis, Z axis

Acceleration Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, Explicit Acceleration: X axis, Y axis, Z axis
Dynamics, Workbench LS-DYNA

Angular Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics Angular Acceleration: X axis, Y axis, Z axis
Acceleration

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Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Energy (p. 1590) Static Structural, Transient Structural, Rigid For Static Structural and Transient Structural
Dynamics, Explicit Dynamics analyses: Kinetic, Strain.

For Rigid Dynamics analyses: Kinetic,

Potential, External, Total

For Explicit Dynamics analyses: Internal,

Kinetic, Plastic Work, Hourglass, Contact, Total

Flexible Static Structural and Transient Structural Rotation of X, Y, and Z axes

Rotation
Probe

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 Structural Results

Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Force Static Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, Force Reaction: X axis, Y axis, Z axis
Reaction (p. 1591) Harmonic Response, Random Vibration,
1
(p. 1585) Response Spectrum, Explicit
Dynamics9 (p. 1586)

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Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Moment Static Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, Moment Reaction: X axis, Y axis, Z axis
Reaction (p. 1591) Harmonic, Random Vibration, Response
1
(p. 1585) Spectrum, Explicit Dynamics9 (p. 1586)

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 Structural Results

Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Joint (p. 1601) Static Structural, Transient Structural, Rigid See Joint Probes (p. 1601)
Dynamics, Explicit Dynamics, Workbench
LS-DYNA 8 (p. 1586)

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Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Response Random Vibration X axis, Y axis, and Z axis.

2
PSD (p. 1603)
(p. 1585) Displacement, Stress, Strain, Acceleration,
Velocity

Spring (p. 1604) Static Structural, Transient Structural, Elastic Force 3 (p. 1585), Damping Force 4
(p. 1585
Modal, Harmonic Response, Random Elongation, Velocity 5 (p. 1585)
Vibration, Response Spectrum, Rigid
8
Dynamics, Workbench LS-DYNA
(p. 1586)

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 Structural Results

Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Bearing (p. 1051) Static Structural, Transient Structural, Modal, Elastic Force 1, Elastic Force 2, Damping Force 1,
Harmonic Response, Random Vibration, Damping Force 2, Elongation 1, Elongation 2,
Response Spectrum Velocity 1, Velocity 2

Beam (p. 1605) Static Structural, Transient Structural, Axial Force, Torque, Shear Force at I, Shear Force
Workbench LS-DYNA 8 (p. 1586) at J, Moment at I, and Moment at J

Bolt Static Structural, Transient Structural, Random Adjustment (Static and Transient Structural),
Pretension (p. 1606)Vibration, Response Spectrum Tensile Force

Generalized 2D: Static Structural, Transient Structural Rotation: X, Y; Moment: X, Y; Fiber Length Change;
Plane Force
Strain (p. 1606)

1: Force and Moment Reaction probes,

• will not solve if scoped to a Contact Region that includes a rigid body.

• do not support Mesh Connections for Modal and Harmonic Response analyses.

2: The Response PSD Probe (p. 1603) provides an excitation response plot across the frequency domain
of an input PSD load. It also evaluates the root mean square (RMS) and expected frequency of a re-
sponse PSD. It is assumed that the excitations are stationary random processes from the input PSD
values.

3: Random Vibration and Response Spectrum analyses support the Elastic Force result only.

4: The Damping Force result is calculated for Transient Structural analysis only when damping is
defined.

5: Velocity result is calculated only for Static Structural, Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, and
Workbench LS-DYNA analyses.

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6: Remote Points must be constrained and Beams and Springs must be grounded.

7: The application displays a Geometry property if you select Surface (p. 872) as the Location
Method. To specify a Surface for the scoping of the probe, the application requires you to also
manually specify the body or bodies (via the Geometry property) to be sliced. You then specify the
Extraction property as either Mesh From Positive Side or Mesh From Negative Side. The probe
only examines the elements cut by the plane (and only nodes on those elements which are on the
selected side of the plane).

Note:

Surfaces used in reaction probes do not currently intersect all geometries, such as line
bodies, joints, springs, and MPC contact.

8: For Workbench LS-DYNA, if your project was solved in a version earlier than ANSYS 2020 R1, you
will not be able to evaluate the following: Spring Probe, Beam Connection Probe, and Joint Probe.

9: For Explicit Dynamics, the only valid options for Location Method are Geometry or Boundary
Condition. For more information, see Force Reaction and Moment Reaction Result Trackers for Explicit
Dynamics in the Explicit Dynamics Analysis Guide.

Note:

• Refer to the Probe Details View (p. 1466) section for additional information about the above
scoping options.

• For a linked Mode-Superposition Harmonic Response analysis, the Expand Results From
property (see Output Controls (p. 1151)) in the Harmonic Response analysis must be set to Har-
monic Solution in order to support the Elongation result.

• For a linked Mode-Superposition Transient Structural analysis, the Expand Results From
property (see Output Controls (p. 1151)) in the Transient Structural analysis must be set to
Transient Solution in order to support the Elongation result and, if damping is defined, the
Damping Force result.

Differences in Probes Applied to Rigid Bodies

The following table describes the differences between probes applied to rigid bodies in an Explicit
Dynamics analysis, compared to probes applied to rigid bodies in a Static Structural or Transient
Structural analysis.

Characteristic Explicit Dynamics Analysis Static Structural or Transient

Structural Analysis
How rigid part is Meshed with solid element containing Meshed as a single element
meshed multiple nodes. containing a single node.
Centroid of the rigid Need not be represented by any node Results at the single node represent
part in the mesh. The Mechanical the displacement, velocity, etc. at
application computes the part centroid the centroid of the part.
by averaging the element centroids.

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 Structural Results

Characteristic Explicit Dynamics Analysis Static Structural or Transient

Structural Analysis
Each element centroid is the average
of the element's nodes.
Display of minimum Probe applied to rigid body Probe applied to rigid body does
and maximum results displays both the minimum and not display both the minimum and
maximum results at a given time maximum results at a given time
because there are multiple because there is only one element
elements and nodes reporting and one node reporting results.
results.

The position probe represents the

sum of the minimum (or
maximum) displacement with the
average nodal coordinate.

More Information on Probes

See the Probes (p. 1462) section for further information. In addition, see the following sections for details
on these probe types:
Position
Energy (Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, and Explicit Dynamics Analyses)
Reactions: Forces and Moments
Joint Probes
Response PSD Probe
Spring Probes
Bearing Probes
Beam Probes
Bolt Pretension Probes
Generalized Plain Strain Probes
Fracture Probes (Fracture Tool)

Position
The Position probe must be scoped to a rigid body and supports Static Structural, Transient Struc-
tural, Rigid Dynamics, and Explicit Dynamics analyses.

This probe extracts the positions of the scoped geometric entity during time for a specified axis,
or all axes.

As shown in the following animation, the graphical display for the Position probe includes a curve
that connects all 3D positions from result values (as contained in Tabular Data). The trace of the
results is based on the scoped entity over time. When animated, the evolution is shown from an
empty curve (at the beginning) to a full trajectory at the end of simulation time. A small red ball
marks the current position along the curve.

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Rigid Dynamics Solver

With the Rigid Dynamics Solver, the position probes can also be used to report the location of the
resulting contact force. In order to get the contact force location, the Location Method field must
be set to Contact Region. Then the Contact Region drop down allows you to select the contact
region for which the position will be reported.

Note:

Contact regions between the same pair of parts are merged into a single contact region.
Consequently, the probes will report the same values for the entire contact region.

If the contact is open, the position probe will report zero for all components, leading to
abrupt jumps to the global origin in the trajectory plot. In some situations, the position
probe seems to report erratic location information. Typically, in a cylinder/plane frictionless
contact, the contact forces/torque can be equally reported anywhere along the contact
line as in (a) below. The position in the plane perpendicular to the contact line is perfectly
consistent in that case as in (b) below.

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(a) contact probe viewed in X-Y

(b) contact probe viewed in X-Z

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Energy (Transient Structural, Rigid Dynamics, and Explicit Dynamics Analyses)

A Transient Structural analysis supports the following energy outputs:

Strain Energy: Energy stored in bodies due to deformation. This value is computed from stress
and strain results. It includes plastic strain energy as a result of material plasticity.
Kinetic Energy: Kinetic energy due to the motion of parts in a transient analysis.

A Rigid Dynamics analysis supports the following energy outputs:

Kinetic Energy: Kinetic energy due to the motion of parts in a transient analysis is calculated
as ½ *mass* velocity2 for translations and ½ *omegaT*Inertia*omega for rotations.
Potential Energy: This energy is the sum of the potential energy due to gravity and the
elastic energy stored in springs. The potential energy due to gravity is proportional to the
height of the body with respect to a reference ground. The reference used in a Rigid Dy-
namics analysis is the origin of the global coordinate system. Because of this, it is possible
to have a negative potential energy (and negative total energy) depending on your model
coordinates. The elastic energy includes only energy due to deformation of spring(s) in a
rigid body dynamic analysis and is calculated as ½ * Stiffness * elongation2.
External Energy: This is all the energy the loads and joints bring to a system.
Total Energy: This is the sum of potential, kinetic and external energies in a Rigid Dynamics
analysis.

Note:

Energy results are not available for Rigid Dynamics analysis on a body per-body
basis. An energy probe scoped on a body will return the energy of the whole part
to which body belongs.

An Explicit Dynamics analysis supports the following energy outputs:

Internal Energy:
This is the energy stored in bodies due to deformation. This includes both Plastic Work and
Hourglass Energies.

Kinetic Energy:
Kinetic energy due to the motion of parts in a Explicit Dynamics analysis.

Plastic Work:
This energy is the plastic strain energy as a result of material plasticity.

Hourglass Energy:
The 2D and 3D Lagrangian volume and shell elements in Explicit Dynamics use hourglass control
to remove zero energy modes of deformation. The forces of the hourglass control algorithms
dissipate energy in resisting the zero energy modes of deformation.

In Explicit Dynamics, this energy is calculated and accumulated in the element internal
energy. The hourglass energy is also accumulated independently to the internal energy to
allow users to interrogate and assess the relevance of hourglass energy in a simulation.

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 Structural Results

Contact energy:
Contact energy is accumulated on a per body basis as:

For the purpose of energy accountancy, the contact energy is added to the work done on
the system.

Total Energy:
This is the sum of internal and kinetic energies in a Explicit Dynamics analysis.

Reactions: Forces and Moments

You can obtain reaction forces and moments using Force Reaction probes or Moment Reaction
probes. At the solver level, the output of reaction forces and moments is controlled via the Mech-
anical APDL OUTRES command. Support types marked RSOL are governed by the RSOL option,
which refers to nodal constraint reactions. Those marked NLOAD and MISC are governed by the
NLOAD and MISC options, which refer to the elemental nodal loads and elemental miscellaneous
data, respectively. In addition, some analysis and support types require you turn them on in the
Output Controls. If no setting is specified for a reaction type, the output occurs automatically.

When you request a Force Reaction or a Moment Reaction in a Cartesian coordinate system at a
specific time point by setting Display to Single Time Point in the Details view for Static Structural
and Transient Structural Analysis, the Force Reaction or Moment Reaction is displayed by an arrow
in the Geometry window. Force Reaction uses a single arrowhead and Moment Reaction uses
double arrowhead. The arrows are drawn on the deformed mesh.

Similarly, when the force or moment reaction results are requested based on Frequency or Set
Number and Phase Angle for Harmonic analysis or Mode Number for Modal analysis, the base of
the arrow of the moment probe is placed at the Summation Point (or "centroid"; the simple calcu-
lated average; unweighted by length, area, or volume). However, a Moment Reaction probe whose
Location Method is a remote point will place the base of the arrow at the location of the remote
point. In this case, there is no detail for Summation Point, and Mechanical does not employ a moment
arm calculation. The moments are precisely the nodal moments for the remote point in the result
file (as printed by the PRRSOL command in Mechanical APDL).

Large Scale Deformation

For large scale deformation analyses (NLGEOM,ON), both Mechanical APDL and Mechanical use
the displaced mesh when calculating moment arms for moment probes:

moment_arm = (x+ux,y+uy,z+uz) - (sx,sy,sz)

Where sx,sy,sz is the setting of the Summation property, x,y,z is the nodal location, and
ux,uy,uz is the displacement at the node location.

Important:

Currently for Mechanical, the specified Summation is not modified (or offset) to
account for the displacements (or deformations).

When NLGEOM ,OFF is specified, the displacements are not used in the moment arm calculation:

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moment_arm = (x,y,z) - (sx,sy,sz)

Rigid Dynamics Solver

For the Rigid Dynamics solver, when force or moment reaction probes use Contact Region for the
Location Method, it allows you to display the resulting contact forces on a specific contact region.
The contact region can be picked using the Contact Region drop-down menu. The Contact Force
menu allows you to display either the Total force, the Normal, or the Tangent force. By definition,
frictionless contact always reports a normal force and the tangent force reports zero for all compon-
ents.

Note:

Contact regions between the same pair of parts are merged into a single contact region.
Consequently, the probes will report the same values for the entire contact region.

Reaction Type Output Settings

The following topics discuss each type of reaction, the option that controls the output, and any
required setting in the Output Controls. In addition, at the end of the section there is a listing of
Support Requirements and Limitations (p. 1598). Make sure you review this content.

Fixed Boundary Conditions

For fixed boundary conditions, including:

• Face, Edge, and Vertex Rotations (do not include Force reactions)

• Displacements for Faces, Edges, and Vertices

• Cylindrical Support

• Frictionless face

• Simply Supported Edge and Vertex

• Finite Element (FE) Connection Boundary Conditions (Nodal Displacement and Nodal Rotation)

Reaction Output Controlled By

Type
Static The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Transient - OUTRES command.
Full
Modal The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Harmonic OUTRES command.
Response -
To enable the output, set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Full
Controls.
Harmonic If results are expanded from a modal solution, then the output of these
Response - options are controlled by both the RSOL and NLOAD options of the
Mode-Superposition

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Reaction Output Controlled By

Type
Transient - OUTRES command. You must set both Calculate Reactions and Nodal
Mode-Superposition
Forces to either Yes or Constrained Nodes in the Output Controls.

Note:

Constrained Nodes is the preferred option, as the results

file size will be smaller and the process time shorter.

Otherwise, the output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option
of the OUTRES command. Set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Controls.
Response In the upstream Modal analysis, under the Analysis Settings Output
Spectrum Controls (p. 1151), you must set the Nodal Forces property to either Yes
Random or Constrained Nodes and set the Store Modal Results property to
Vibration Program Controlled or For Future Analysis.

Note:

The Constrained Nodes setting is the preferred setting

because the results file size will be smaller and the
processing time shorter.

Remote Displacement

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static
The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Transient - OUTRES command.
Full
Modal
Harmonic
Response - The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Full OUTRES command.
Response
Spectrum To enable the output, set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Controls.
Random
Vibration
PSD
Harmonic
If results are expanded from a modal solution, then the output of these
Response -
options are controlled by both the RSOL and NLOAD options of the
Mode-Superposition

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Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
OUTRES command. You must set both Calculate Reactions and Nodal
Forces to either Yes or Constrained Nodes in the Output Controls.

Note:
Transient -
Constrained Nodes is the preferred option, as the results
Mode-Superposition
file size will be smaller and the process time shorter.

Otherwise, the output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option
of the OUTRES command. Set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Controls.

Compression Only Support

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Transient - OUTRES command. Reaction probes scoped to a Compression Only
Full boundary condition cannot display results if the solver did not converge.

Elastic Support

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static The output of these options are controlled by the NLOAD option of the
OUTRES command.
Transient -
Full To enable the output, set Nodal Forces = Yes in the Output Controls.

Imported Displacement

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static
The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Transient - OUTRES command.
Full

Weak Springs

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static
The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Transient - OUTRES command.
Full

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 Structural Results

Grounded Beam

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static
The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Transient OUTRES command.
Full
Modal The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
OUTRES command.
Harmonic
Response - To enable the output, set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Full Controls.
Harmonic If results are expanded from a modal solution, then the output of these
Response - options are controlled by both the RSOL and NLOAD options of the
Mode-Superposition
OUTRES command. You must set both Calculate Reactions and Nodal
Forces to either Yes or Constrained Nodes in the Output Controls.

Note:

Transient - Constrained Nodes is the preferred option, as the results

Mode-Superposition file size will be smaller and the process time shorter.

Otherwise, the output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option
of the OUTRES command. Set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Controls.

Contact

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static The underlying element options are controlled by the NLOAD option of
the OUTRES command. To enable the output, set Nodal Forces = Yes
in the Output Controls.
Transient - The contact element options are governed by the MISC option of the
Full OUTRES command. To enable the output, set either the Contact Miscel-
laneous or General Miscellaneous property to Yes in the Output Con-
trols.
Modal
Standalone
Harmonic These analysis types do not support contact reactions using the contact
Response - element option. They only support contact reactions using the underlying
Full element option.
Standalone
Harmonic You control the underlying element options using the NLOAD option of
Response - the OUTRES command. To enable the output, set the Nodal Forces
property to Yes in the Output Controls category.
Mode-Superposition
Harmonic
Response

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Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Analysis
Linked to
Modal
Analysis
Transient -
Linked to
Modal
Analysis

Remote Point

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static
The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
Transient - OUTRES command.
Full
Modal The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option of the
OUTRES command.
Harmonic
Response - To enable the output, set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Full Controls.
Harmonic If results are expanded from a modal solution, then the output of these
Response - options are controlled by both the RSOL and NLOAD options of the
Mode-Superposition
OUTRES command. You must set both Calculate Reactions and Nodal
Forces to either Yes or Constrained Nodes in the Output Controls.

Note:

Transient - Constrained Nodes is the preferred option, as the results

Mode-Superposition file size will be smaller and the process time shorter.

Otherwise, the output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option
of the OUTRES command. Set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the Output
Controls.

Grounded Spring

Reaction Type Output Controlled By

Static The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option
Transient - Full of the OUTRES command.
Modal The output of these options are controlled by the RSOL option
of the OUTRES command.
Harmonic Response
- Full To enable the output, set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the
Output Controls.

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Reaction Type Output Controlled By

Harmonic Response If results are expanded from a modal solution, then the output
- of these options are controlled by both the RSOL and NLOAD
Mode-Superposition options of the OUTRES command. You must set both Calculate
Reactions and Nodal Forces to either Yes or Constrained Nodes
in the Output Controls.

Note:

Transient - Constrained Nodes is the preferred option, as

Mode-Superposition the results file size will be smaller and the process
time shorter.

Otherwise, the output of these options are controlled by the

RSOL option of the OUTRES command. Set Calculate Reactions
= Yes in the Output Controls.
Random Vibration To enable the output, set Calculate Reactions = Yes in the
Response Spectrum Output Controls of the upstream Modal analysis.

Mesh Connection

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static
Transient - The output of these options are controlled by the NLOAD option of the
Full OUTRES command.
Modal
To enable the output, set Nodal Forces = Yes in the Output Controls.
Transient -
Mode-Superposition

Geometry

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static The underlying element options are controlled by the NLOAD option of
the OUTRES command.

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Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
To enable the output, set Nodal Forces = Yes in the Output Controls.

Transient - Note:
Full
Mechanical supports geometry scoping for vertices, edges,
and faces only.

Note:

A limitation exists when the scoping of a Force Reaction or Moment Reaction probe
is applied to a geometry entity (Location Method = Geometry Selection) that
shares more than one body. The (unscoped) elements that are adjacent to the
scoped body contribute to the probe's results.

Surface

Reaction
Output Controlled By
Type
Static
The output of these options are controlled by the NLOAD option of the
Transient -
OUTRES command.
Full
Transient - To enable the output, set Nodal Forces = Yes in the Output Controls.
Mode-Superposition

Support Requirements and Limitations

• Force Reaction probes support Cartesian or cylindrical coordinate systems. Moment Reaction probes
support Cartesian coordinate systems only.

• For solved Force Reaction and Moment Reaction probes, the arrow that displays for the probe repres-
ents a resultant vector, regardless of the axial direction that you specify in the Result Selection property
of the probe. Vector displays in Mechanical always use the Global Coordinate System.

• A Moment Reaction probe cannot be scoped to a Grounded Spring.

• For the Moment Reaction probe, the Summation property is available for most Location Method
property selections and enables you to select Centroid or Orientation System for your scoped entity.
If your selected Location Method does not display this property, the application automatically uses
the centroid of the scoped entity for the moment calculation.

• A reported reaction may be inappropriate if that support shares a face, edge, or vertex with another
support, contact pair, or load. This is because the underlying finite element model will have both loads
and supports applied to the same nodes.

If a model contains two or more supports that share an edge or vertex, use caution in evaluating
the listed reaction forces at those supports. Calculation of reaction forces includes the force acting
along bounding edges and vertices. When supports share edges or vertices the global summation

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 Structural Results

of forces may not appear to balance. Reaction forces may be incorrect if they share an edge or
face with a contact region.

• For a Moment Reaction scoped to a contact region, the location of the summation point may not be
exactly on the contact region itself.

• If you set Extraction equal to Contact (Underlying Element) or Target (Underlying Element) in the
Details view of either a Force Reaction or Moment Reaction probe, the reaction calculations work by
summing the internal forces on the underlying elements under a contact region. These probes can also
extract reaction data from surface effect elements. The application creates surface effect elements
during the solution process to simulate loads, such as pressures. However, the application does not
currently display surface effect elements from the Mesh object or the Connections object.

Therefore, a reported reaction may be inappropriate on a contact face if that face shares topology
with another contact face/edge or external load (such as a force or fixed support), which would
contribute to the underlying elements' internal force balance. In addition, during a Transient
analysis, inertial and damping forces are also included. Another possible scenario could arise for
MPC contact of solid surfaces. In this case, if a gap is detected, the solver may build constraints
on an additional layer into the solid mesh from the TARGET elements. This produces a more ac-
curate response but will invalidate any reactions from the underlying solid elements of the TARGET
elements. If symmetric contact is chosen, be careful to verify which side becomes active for the
TARGET elements so that the correct reaction can be determined.

• When scoping Force Reaction or Moment Reaction probes to geometry, it is possible that there may
be elements (and as a result, element-based reactions) that are currently unavailable for summing
purposes. For example, you scope a pressure to a face on your geometry. The solution process also
applies surface effect elements to the same face to simulate the pressure loading. The probes, scoped
to geometry, currently cannot extract reaction data from the surface effect elements and therefore, in
the case of this example, only the underlying solid/shell/line elements of the original mesh contribute
reaction data to the probe results.

• For Modal analysis, reaction results in damped modal analysis provide a By field option in the result
definition to compute results based on Mode Number, Phase of Maximum, and Maximum Over
Phase.

• For a Harmonic Response analysis, reaction results support all options of the result definition available
for other harmonic results, and are reported based on the nearest frequency results available; no inter-
polation is done.

• In order to evaluate reactions successfully for a standalone Mode Superposition Harmonic Response
analysis that has the Clustering property set to On, you need to also make sure that either the Stress,
Strain, Nodal, or the General Miscellaneous properties in the Analysis Settings>Output Controls
are also set to Yes.

• Reaction results sweep through a phase period of 0o and 360o at a specified increment. In previous re-
leases of Mechanical (14.5 and earlier), the default value for this increment was 1o in order to determine
the Phase of Maximum and the Maximum Over Phase values. For Harmonic Response analyses only,
the phase increment can be controlled using the Phase Increment option. A Phase Increment entry
can be between 1o and 10o. The default Phase Increment value is 10o but for legacy database results it
is 1o.

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• For Random Vibration and Response Spectrum analysis, reaction results can only be scoped to a Remote
Displacement boundary condition. Animation of reaction results is not supported for modal and har-
monic analysis.

• Since Beam Connections are, by definition, three dimensional in nature, the reactions object scoped
to grounded beams may produce reactions in all three directions/axes for two-dimensional analysis.
The Tabular Data view will reflect the reactions in all three axes, while the Results view will only reflect
values in two axes. The total reactions will be calculated taking into account the reaction components
in all three axes.

• For a force reaction scoped to a contact region, if you set Extraction = Contact (Contact Element), the
reaction calculations come directly from the contact elements themselves. This results in accurate force
reactions even when the contact region overlaps with other boundary conditions, such as other contact
regions, supports, etc. Characteristics of the Contact (Contact Element) setting are that MPC contact
is not supported, nor are reactions from the Target (Underlying Element) side. This feature should
only be used with Asymmetric contact and requires that either the Contact Miscellaneous or the
General Miscellaneous property be set to Yes in the Output Controls. A limitation of the Contact
(Contact Element) setting is when you use linear contact (that is, either Bonded or No Separation
contact types) with loads that are unrealistically very high or very low in magnitude. These situations
can produce inaccurate force reactions.

Furthermore, in certain rare cases that involve large or concentrated initial interference and/or
thermal expansion applications, the reactions calculated by the contact element option may
differ from those calculated by the underlying elements. If you experience such as scenario, the
underlying element approach is more accurate. Try to tighten the tolerances of the Newton-
Raphson Option property under the Nonlinear Controls (p. 1147) category of the Analysis
Settings (also see the CNVTOL command) to improve the contact element reaction calculations.

• When a probe is scoped to a Mesh Connection, the Mechanical application reports the following reac-
tions:

– Forces and Moments summed from the element nodal forces and moments in the result file.

– The Extraction detail determines which elements (Master or Slave) contribute to the force or moment
sum.

• The Surface Location Method enables you to study reactions on cutting planes. You can extract generated
member forces and reactions through a model by using a reaction probe scoped to a Surface (p. 872)
. For this probe type, you must explicitly select the body or bodies (via the Geometry property) to be
sliced. You then specify for the Extraction property based upon whether you want to study the nodes
in front or behind the plane. The Force Reaction probe operates the on elements cut by the plane (and
only nodes on those elements which are on the selected side of the plane). Currently, surface probes

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 Structural Results

cannot intersect a plane strain or an axisymmetric model and consequently no results display for this
scoping.

Important:

Do not apply reaction probes to cutting planes that intersect a boundary condition
because the reported reactions become unreliable.

Note:

Surfaces used in reaction probes do not currently intersect all geometries, such as line
bodies, joints, springs, and MPC contact.

Joint Probes
The joint type determines the available result types. Refer to the Joint Types (p. 962) section for a
discussion of joint types and the free degrees of freedom. The following table presents each of the
joint probe results available through the Result Type drop down menu in the Details view.

Joint Probe Result Type Applicable Joint Type(s)

Total Force All
Total Moment All except Slot and Spherical
Relative Displacement All except Revolute, Universal, and Spherical
Relative Velocity All except Revolute, Universal, and Spherical
Relative Acceleration All except Revolute, Universal, and Spherical
Relative Rotation All except Translational
Relative Angular Velocity All except Translational
Relative Angular Acceleration All except Translational
Damping Force Bushing
Damping Moment Revolute, Cylindrical, and Bushing
Constraint Force Revolute, Cylindrical, and Bushing
Constraint Moment Revolute, Cylindrical, and Bushing
Elastic Moment Revolute, Cylindrical, and Bushing
Elastic Force Bushing
Friction Force Translational, Cylindrical
Friction Moment Revolute, Cylindrical

Joint Probe Characteristics and Requirements

Review the following characteristics and requirements to ensure that you properly configure your
result.

• A joint defines the interface between two bodies. One of the bodies is referred to as a Reference body
and the other as the Mobile body. The results from the joint measure the relative motion of the mobile
body with respect to the reference body.

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• A joint definition also includes specification of a local “reference” coordinate system for that joint. All
results from the joint are output in this reference coordinate system.

• The reference coordinate system moves with the reference body. Depending on the motion of the ref-
erence body it might be difficult to interpret the joint results.

• All of these results have X, Y, and Z components in the reference coordinate system.

• Relative rotation is expressed in Euler angles. When all three rotations are free, the general joint cannot
report an angle that accounts for the number of turns. A typical behavior will be to switch from +π ra-
dians to -π radians for increasing angles passing the π limit, as illustrated below.

• For spherical and general joints the output of relative rotations is characterized by the Cardan (or Bryant)
angles; the rotation around the joint Y axis is limited to between -90 degrees to +90 degrees. When this
rotation magnitude value reaches 90 degrees, the output may “jump” to the opposite sign.

• The convention for the deformations differs for joints in a Rigid Dynamics analysis vs. those in a Transient
Structural or Explicit Dynamics analysis. For the Rigid Dynamics type, the reference of zero deformation
is taken after the model has been assembled, and the initial conditions have been applied. For the
Transient Structural and Explicit Dynamics analysis types, the initial location of bodies is used as reference,
before applying initial conditions.

• When you request a force or moment at a specific time point by setting Display time = time value in
the Details view of a Joint probe, the force or moment will be displayed by an arrow in the Geometry
window. Force will use a single arrowhead and moment will use double arrowhead.

• Joints compute no reactions forces or moments for the free degrees of freedom of the joint. However,
Displacement, Velocity, Acceleration, Rotation, Rotational Velocity and Rotational Acceleration conditions
- generate forces and moments, that are reported in the constraint force and moment.

• Joint forces and moment conditions are not reported in the joint force and moment probe.

• Joint force and moment are by definition the action of the reference body on the moving body. For the
ANSYS and Explicit Dynamics solvers, the joint constraint forces and moments are reported in the joint
reference coordinate system. The elastic forces/moments and damping forces/moments in the joints
are reported in the reference and mobile axes of the joint which follow the displacements and rotations
of the underlying nodes of the joint element. When using the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solver, the joint
forces and moments components are always reported in the joint reference coordinate system.

• For analyses that use the Mechanical APDL solver, joint force and moment probes are not supported
for Body-Body fixed joints when rigid bodies are present in the model. If these outputs are important,
consider forcing the use of Joint elements via the Solver Element Type (p. 979) property for the fixed
joint.

• For Workbench LS-DYNA analyses, only the Total Force and Total Moment results are available.

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Response PSD Probe

The Response PSD probe provides a spectrum response of a structural component subjected to a
random excitation. Response PSD is plotted as square of spectrum response over excitation frequency
range. The plot provides an information as to where the average power is distributed as a function
of frequency. The square root of the area under the response PSD is the so-called root-mean-square
(RMS) value. It is a one-sigma, or one-standard-deviation, value in a statistical term. The centroid
of the area under the response PSD probe, with respect to frequency, is referred to as the "expected
frequency."

You can use the Response PSD Tool (p. 1608) to control the sampling points of the Response PSD
probe.

The Details View properties and selections for the Response PSD object are described below.

Property Control Description

Definition Type Read-only control: only Response PSD is allowed for this result.
Location The response PSD is a point based result. The location of the point
Method can be provided using geometry selection or coordinate system. For
the geometry selection, only vertex is allowed for the selection. For
the coordinate system, a local/customized coordinate system defining
a certain location can be used for evaluation of the response PSD. It
can also be scoped to a Remote Point if there is one defined in
geometry.
Geometry Appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.
Orientation Read-only control - only Solution Coordinate System is allowed
for this result.
Location Appears if Location Method is set to Coordinate System.
X Coordinate Read-only field that displays coordinate that is based on the Location
property of the coordinate system.
Y Coordinate Read-only field that displays coordinate that is based on the Location
property of the coordinate system.
Z Coordinate Read-only field that displays coordinate that is based on the Location
property of the coordinate system.
Reference Two options are available for the response PSD result evaluation;
Relative to base motion (or relative motion) and Absolute (including
base motion). For the Relative to base motion, the response of any
location in a structural component is calculated in term of a relative
motion between the base and the structural component, and vice
versa.
Remote Appears if Location Method is set to Remote Points.
Points
Suppressed Include (No) or exclude (Yes) the result in the analysis.
Options Result Type Result Type: The result types include three basic motion
characteristics (Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration), Stress
(including normal and shear) and Strain (including normal and
shear).

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Property Control Description

Result Selec- Defines the direction, in Solution Coordinate System, in which
tion response specified in the result type is calculated.
Selected Fre- Defines the frequency range for RMS calculation. Options include
quency Full (default) and Manual. The Full setting uses the entire
Range excitation frequency range.
Range Minim- Appears if Selected Frequency Range property is set to Manual.
um This property specifies the minimum frequency of the range.
Range Maxim- Appears if Selected Frequency Range property is set to Manual.
um This property specifies the maximum frequency of the range.
Results RMS Value Read-only field that displays value calculated during solution.
RMS Percent- Read-only field that displays the percentage of the
age root-mean-square of the selected frequency range over the entire
available frequency range.
Expected Fre- Read-only field that displays the value calculated during the solution.
quency

Note:

The values for this response probe may differ compared to the results generated by the
RPSD command (see Response PSDs in POST26) in Mechanical APDL. This is due to a
difference in the number of sampling points as well as frequencies taken by the probe
versus the Mechanical APDL command.

Spring Probes
You can use a probe (p. 1462) to display the following longitudinal result items from a spring.

Elastic Force: The force is calculated as (Spring Stiffness * Elongation). The force acts along the
length of the spring.
Damping Force: Damping force is calculated as (Damping Factor * Velocity) and acts to resist
motion.
Elongation: The elongation is the relative displacement between the two ends of the springs.
The elongation could be positive (stretching the spring) or negative (compressing the spring).
Velocity: Velocity is the rate of stretch (or compression) of the spring. This quantity is only
calculated in a Static Structural, Transient Structural, Workbench LS-DYNA, and Rigid Dynamics
analysis.

Note:

During a Static Structural analysis, velocity is calculated as the difference of the relative
displacement of two nodes (defining the spring) divided by the duration of the time
step.

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Bearing Probes
A Bearing is essentially a two-spring-damper system that is aligned in any two coordinate axes of
a coordinate system; primarily a rotating plane.

For rotations in the X-Y plane, the result items for the first axis are in X direction and the results
for the second axis are in Y direction. The application adds a suffix (number 1 and 2) to each result
item. The X-Z and Y-Z rotation planes also use this convention.

You can use a Bearing probe to display the following result items.

Elastic Force 1
The force is calculated as (Spring Stiffness * Elongation). The force acts along the length of the spring
along the first axis.

Elastic Force 2
The force is calculated as (Spring Stiffness * Elongation). The force acts along the length of the spring
along the second axis.

Damping Force 1
Damping force is calculated as (Damping Factor * Velocity) and acts to resist motion along the first
axis.

Damping Force 2
Damping force is calculated as (Damping Factor * Velocity) and acts to resist motion along the second
axis.

Elongation 1
The elongation is the relative displacement between the two ends of the spring in the first axis. The
elongation could be positive (stretching the spring) or negative (compressing the spring).

Elongation 2
The elongation is the relative displacement between the two ends of the spring in the second axis.
The elongation could be positive (stretching the spring) or negative (compressing the spring).

Velocity 1
Velocity is the rate of stretch (or compression) of the spring in the first axis. This quantity is only calcu-
lated in a Transient Structural analysis.

Velocity 2
Velocity is the rate of stretch (or compression) of the spring in the second axis. This quantity is only
calculated in a Transient Structural analysis.

Beam Probes
The Beam Probe results provide you the forces and moments in the beam from your analysis. Using
the Beam Probe you can determine the Axial Force, Torque, Shear Force at I, Shear Force at J, Moment
at I, Moment at J. You can also add the Force reaction and Moment Reaction probes to view reaction
force moment for the beam. To add beam probes:

1. Select the Solution object.

2. On the Solution Context tab, select the Probe drop-down menu and select Beam.

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3. In the Details view, specify the desired Boundary Condition from the drop-down list.

4. Under Options category, select a desired result from the Result Selection property.

Bolt Pretension Probes

When a Bolt Pretension load (p. 1226) is applied, the Mechanical application reports the following
reactions:

Adjustment: This represents the displacement that occurs from the applied pretension measured
at the point where the bolt is sliced. In Mechanical APDL terms, this is the displacement reported
from the pretension node. This result is also available for reporting regardless of how the bolt is
defined.

Working Load/Preload Reaction: This represents a constrained force reaction from the pretension
load. It is the reaction from the applied constraint when a bolt is either specified as Locked, Adjust-
ment, or Increment, and reports a zero value during a step in which you have applied the preload
(since there is no reaction at the bolt slice during preload step). In Mechanical APDL terms, this is
the constrained reaction reported from the pretension node. This is essentially the sum of all the
forces acting through the pretension cut. This result is only applicable for load steps when the load
is defined by either Locked or Adjustment or Increment.

Generalized Plain Strain Probes

When a Generalized Plane Strain load (p. 1237) is applied (2D application), the Mechanical applic-
ation reports the following reactions:

• Fiber Length Change: Fiber length change at ending point.

• Rotation X Component: Rotation angle of end plane about x-axis.

• Rotation Y Component: Rotation angle of end plane about y-axis.

• Force: Reaction force at end point.

• Moment X Component: Reaction moment on end plane about x-axis.

• Moment Y Component: Reaction moment on end plane about y-axis.

Fracture Probes (Fracture Tool)

When the crack selected in the Crack Selection property of your Fracture Tool (p. 2030) is associated
with a SMART Crack Growth (p. 1095) object, a Probe group of options is available in the Fracture
Tool Context tab and includes the fracture parameter probes listed below. Fracture probes enable
you to view the time history of a fracture parameter (i.e., SIFS, Crack Extension, etc.) for a specific
crack front node along the crack front (tip) only.

• SIFS (K1)

• SIFS (K2)

• SIFS (K3)

• J-Integral (JINT)

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 Structural Results

• Crack Extension

• Total Number of Cycles *

• Equivalent SIFS Range *

* Available when the Crack Growth Option property, of SMART Crack Growth object, is set to
Fatigue.

Also see the Fracture Probes (p. 2031) object reference page.

Display Features
Once evaluated, probe results are plotted against time in the Graph window as illustrated below
for a SIFS (K1) Probe.

Another graphical display feature is that, when you have a fracture probe object selected, crack
surfaces display in green in the Geometry window, as illustrated below. Furthermore, you can also
see the tip of the crack.

Using the Crack Length Percentage property, you can move the probe along the crack front. Be-
cause the results vary along the crack front, you can use this percentage entry to select a point
along the tip you wish to examine. By changing the Crack Length Percentage you should receive
different time history plots. An example is illustrated below.

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Using Results

Crack Length Percentage 0% Crack Length Percentage 70%

Charting Fracture Probes

Using the data generated by fracture probes, you can employ the New Chart and Table (p. 1449)
option to plot your probes results against time or against one another. For example, the result of
a SIFS probe is plotted versus the result of a Crack Extension probe is illustrated below.

Response PSD Tool

You can apply a Response PSD Tool to any Random Vibration (p. 291) analysis (only) in order to
control the frequency sampling of Response PSD probes (p. 1603).

Scoping and Result Types

When inserted, the Response PSD Tool automatically generates a Response PSD probe (p. 1603) as
its child object. You then properly scope both objects as desired.

Application
To define results using the Response PSD Tool:

1. Display the Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context tab (p. 24) and select Response
PSD Tool or right-click on the Solution (p. 2211) object or in the Geometry window and select In-
sert>Response PSD Tool>Response PSD Tool.

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 Structural Results

2. A Response PSD Tool object is placed under Solution object and includes a Response PSD probe.
As needed, modify the following properties:

• Include All Excitation Frequencies: Options include Yes (default) and No. Selecting Yes includes
all excitation frequencies in the sampling. The No option includes minimum and maximum excit-
ation frequencies in addition to the frequency samplings for natural frequencies.

• Include User Defined Frequencies: Options include Yes and No (default). Selecting Yes enables
you to manually enter frequencies in the Tabular Data table (User Defined Frequency Steps).

• Clustering Frequency Points: The default value is 20. This property enables you to define the
number of frequencies generated for both sides of the natural frequencies for response PSD result
evaluations. If your response PSD curve contains a number of spikes, you can add more frequency
points to obtain a more accurate RMS result, however; this increases evaluation time.

3. Properly scope the properties of the Response PSD probe (p. 1603).

For additional information, see the object reference page (p. 2181) for the Response PSD Tool.

Gasket Results
Gasket results are structural results associated with ANSYS interface elements. When used with ANSYS
structural elements, interface elements simulate an interface between two materials. The behavior at
these interfaces is highly nonlinear.

To mesh a body using interface elements, use one of two ways:

1. Highlight the Body object in the tree and set Stiffness Behavior (p. 224) to Gasket. In this case, a Gasket
Mesh Control will be added as a child of the gasket body in the model tree. You need to define the source
face of the gasket in the Gasket Mesh Control to define the gasket material orientation.

2. Highlight the Body object in the tree and set the Stiffness Behavior (p. 224) to Flexible. In this case,
you need to define a Gasket Mesh Control (p. 2034) in the mesh folder.

The following gasket results are available in the Mechanical Application:

• Normal Gasket Pressure - corresponding to Mechanical APDL command PLNSOL,GKS,X

• Shear Gasket Pressure - corresponding to Mechanical APDL commands PLNSOL,GKS,XY and

PLNSOL,GKS,XZ

• Normal Gasket Total Closure - corresponding to Mechanical APDL command PLNSOL,GKD,X

• Shear Gasket Total Closure - corresponding to Mechanical APDL commands PLNSOL,GKD,XY and
PLNSOL,GKD,XZ

These results are only available in the solution coordinate system (p. 1486).

Campbell Diagram Chart Results

A Campbell diagram chart result is only valid in Modal analyses. The Campbell diagram chart result
is mainly used in rotor dynamics for rotating structural component design. When a structural compon-
ent is rotating, an inertial force is introduced into the system. The dynamic characteristics of the
structural component change as a result of the inertia effect, namely, gyroscopic effect. To study

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Using Results

changes in dynamic characteristics of a rotating structure, more than one solve point in Rotational
Velocity (p. 1183) is required.

Prerequisites
In addition to being applicable to only Modal analyses, you must ensure that the following Analysis
Settings are activated in order to properly apply a Campbell Diagram. Select the Analysis Settings
object in your Modal Analysis and perform the following settings:

• Under Solver Controls: Damped = Yes.

• Under Rotordynamics Controls:

– Coriolis Effect = On

– Campbell Diagram = On

In addition, a Rotational Velocity (p. 1183) boundary condition must be created in order to properly
scope the Campbell Diagram.

Applying a Campbell Diagram

To insert a Campbell diagram chart result, highlight the Solution object in the tree, then select
Campbell Diagram from the Solution Context Tab (p. 24), or right-click the object and choose In-
sert>Campbell Diagram.

The following is an example of a Campbell diagram result chart:

In this chart, each line represents a frequency evolution of a whirl mode with respect to increased
rotational velocities. The whirl frequency value of an eigenmode at each rotational velocity is also

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 Structural Results

listed in the table. For each whirl mode, it is either labeled as forward (FW) or backward (BW) whirl
direction. In some cases, when there is no evident whirl direction, the whirl frequency is labeled as
UNDETERMINED. If a whirl mode is identified as FW, the rotating structural component whirls the
same direction as the rotation direction, and vice versa. If a whirl mode is evaluated to be unstable
(marked as UNSTABLE), the whirl orbit will evolve into a divergent trajectory, instead of an elliptical
trajectory.

In addition to whirl modes, a line (black color) of any ratio between whirl frequency and rotational
velocity is plotted. The intersection between this line and each whirl mode is indicated with a red
triangular marker. The rotational velocity corresponding to this intersection is called critical speed.
At critical speed, the rotating structural component will experience a peak as the rotating frequency
resonates with the natural whirl frequency.

The Campbell diagram chart result can be customized in Details of Campbell Diagram as follows:

Scope
• Rotational Velocity Selection: This field displays the user-defined Rotational Velocity of the analysis for
which the Campbell diagram chart result is evaluated. If one is not defined, the field is highlighted in
yellow and displays the value None.

Campbell Diagram Controls

• Y Axis Data: The data type options include: Frequency (default), Stability, Logarithmic Decrement, and
Modal Damping Ratio.

• Critical Speed: Option for users to display critical speeds. The default is Yes. Requires you to provide a
value in the Ratio field. The option is only valid for frequency.

• Ratio: Value used to evaluate critical speeds. The default value is 1.0.

• Sorting: Option to display data in a sorted mode manner when some modes are crossing/intercepting
each other. The default is Yes.

• Stable Motion Sign: This option displays when you specify Logarithmic Decrement for the Y Axis Data
property. This option controls the sign of Logarithmic Decrement value for stable motion. The options
include Stable - Negative (default) and Stable - Positive.

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Note:

Any change made in these fields requires a result re-evaluation.

Axis

Note:

Two different unit types, rad/s and RPM, are available to define rotational velocity in the
chart. The selection can be made in Units option on the Home tab.

• X Axis Label: Allows users to provide a customized label for rotational velocity.

• X Axis Range: There are two options to display the rotational velocity data range; Program Controlled
and User Defined. The default setting is Program Controlled, which uses minimum and maximum de-
termined by the system. The option of User Defined allows users to provide a customized range to be
used in the chart. The minimum and maximum values are displayed in the X Axis Minimum and X Axis
Maximum fields following the result evaluation.

• X Axis Minimum: Minimum rotational velocity value is displayed according to the selection made in X
Axis Range.

• X Axis Maximum: Maximum rotational velocity value is displayed according to the selection made in X
Axis Range.

• Y Axis Label: Allows users to provide a customized label for Frequency, Stability, Logarithmic Decrement,
or Modal Damping Ratio depending on the selection made in Y Axis Data.

• Y Axis Range: The options include Program Controlled and User Defined, to display the frequency,
stability, logarithmic, or modal damping ratio value range depending on the selection made in Y Axis
Data property. The default setting, Program Controlled, uses the minimum and maximum determined
by the system. The option of User Defined enables you to provide a customized range. The minimum
and maximum values are displayed in the Y Axis Minimum and Y Axis Maximum fields following the
result evaluation.

• Y Axis Minimum: Minimum frequency, stability, logarithmic decrement, or modal damping ratio value is
displayed according to the selection made in Y Axis Range property.

• Y Axis Maximum: Maximum frequency, stability, logarithmic decrement, or modal damping ratio value
is displayed according to the selection made in Y Axis Range property.

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Equivalent Radiated Power and Equivalent Radiated Power Level Results

Equivalent radiated power results estimate the radiated structure-borne sound power from a vibrating
structural surface. These results are available in 3D Harmonic Response (p. 266) and Harmonic Acous-
tics (p. 313) (if you define a structural Physics Region (p. 2162)) analyses. The result is evaluated on
faces that you select, either using face geometry section or face-based Named Selections, and the
result is displayed on a graph over the specified frequency range. You specify the frequency range
using the Specified setting for the Frequency Range property. When you generate frequency response
results, the plot shows Equivalent Radiated Power (ERP) or Equivalent Radiated Power Level
(ERPL) as a function of the frequency. See the expressions described below as well as the PLAS
command for the ERP and ERPL acoustic quantities.

Important:

Equivalent Radiated Power and Equivalent Radiated Power Level results can only be
scoped to surfaces.

Note:

If the Multiple RPMs property (p. 1115) is activated in the Analysis Settings, the result file
must exist for the result to be displayed.

Equivalent Radiated Power

Equivalent Radiated Power (ERP) is expressed as:

Where:

= speed of sound (equal to 343.25 m/s).

= mass density (equal to 1.2041 kg/m3).
= radiation factor (equal to 1).
= normal velocity of vibrating structural surface

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Equivalent Radiated Power Level

The Equivalent Radiated Power Level (ERPL) is expressed as:

ERPL = 10 Log (ERP/Wref )

Where Wref is the reference sound power (equal to 10-12W).

ERP Waterfall Diagram Results

For a 3D Harmonic Response analysis that includes multiple RPMs loads, the following result options
become active in the Frequency Response menu:

• ERP Waterfall Diagram

• ERP Level Waterfall Diagram

These results calculate diagrams for ERP and ERPL for all RPM loading conditions to display equivalent
waterfall diagrams, as illustrated below.

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 Volume Result

ERP Waterfall Diagram ERP Level Waterfall Diagram

Because Waterfall Diagrams can plot large amounts of data, the application provides a zoom feature
in the diagram window. See the Zoom and Pan on Waterfall Diagrams (p. 1696) for the steps to use
this feature.

Volume Result
You can scope this result type to bodies and elements, either through direct geometry or element se-
lection or using direct geometry-based or element-based Named Selections. You can also scope the
result using the Result File Item (p. 1507) option. The default setting for the Scoping Method property
is Geometry Selection and the Geometry property is set to All Bodies. The Volume result displays
the Total volume of your scoping as well as the Minimum and Maximum volume of all elements that
result from the loading. This result is useful for visualizing the volume of elements when structural
loading is applied.

The Volume result is supported for the following analysis types:

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• Static • Steady-State Thermal

Structural
• Transient Thermal
• Transient
Structural • Electric

• Modal • Thermal-Electric

• Harmonic • Response Spectrum

Response

• Eigenvalue
Buckling

Volume Probe
The Location Method options for the Volume probe includes Geometry Selection. Geometry selec-
tions include bodies and mesh elements. Once evaluated, the probe displays the time history of the
total volume computed over the geometry selection.

See the Probe Details View (p. 1466) section for a description of all other Details view properties.

The Volume probe is supported for the following analysis types:

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

• Steady-State Thermal

• Transient Thermal

• Electric

• Thermal-Electric

Acoustic Results
Mechanical supports the following result types. The availability of the result type may vary based on
the type of acoustics analysis you are performing.
Acoustics Contour Results
Acoustic Far-field Results
Acoustic Frequency Response
Acoustic Power Loss Results
Acoustic Diffuse Sound Transmission Loss
Acoustic Waterfall Diagrams

Also refer to the Reviewing Analysis Results section of the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide for
more information.

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 Acoustic Results

Acoustics Contour Results

The following contour result options are supported for acoustic analyses:

Contour Description
Result
Option
Pressure Nodal pressures are calculated as part of the overall nodal solution. This
corresponds to Mechanical APDL command PLNSOL,PRES.
Total The acoustic total velocity is calculated by the Mechanical APDL solver as the
Velocity corresponding sum of the pressure gradient. This corresponds to Mechanical
APDL command PLNSOL,PG, SUM.
Directional The acoustic directional velocity is calculated by the Mechanical APDL solver as
Velocity the corresponding component of the pressure gradient. The available directions
are X, Y, and Z. This corresponds to Mechanical APDL command PLNSOL,PG,
X/Y/Z.
Kinetic Acoustic kinetic energy in element. This corresponds to Mechanical APDL
Energy command PLNSOL,KENE.
Potential The acoustic potential energy in the element. This corresponds to Mechanical
Energy APDL command PLNSOL,MENE.

The following result options are supported for Harmonic Acoustics analyses:

Contour Description
Result Option
Sound The Acoustic Sound Pressure Level is calculated as part of the overall nodal
Pressure solution. This corresponds to Mechanical APDL command PLNSOL,SPL.
Level
A-Weighted The Acoustic A-Weighted Sound Pressure Level is calculated as part of the
Sound overall nodal solution. This corresponds to Mechanical APDL command
Pressure PLNSOL,SPLA.
Level
Frequency The Acoustic Frequency Band SPL is calculated for the requested nodes. This
Band corresponds to Mechanical APDL command PRAS,BSPL.
SPL
A-Weighted The Acoustic A-Weighted Frequency Band SPL is calculated for the requested
Frequency nodes. This corresponds to Mechanical APDL command PRAS,BSPA.
Band
SPL

Acoustic Far-field Results

The far sound pressure field and far-field parameters (for example, radiation patterns, directivity, radi-
ated power, radiation efficiency, and target strength) are essential for sound radiation or sound
scattering analysis. The equivalent source surface principle using Green’s function allows us to evaluate
these parameters.

The surface equivalence principle enables you to calculate the pressure fields beyond the FEA domain.
It states that the pressure field exterior to a given surface can be exactly represented by an equivalent

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Using Results

source placed on that surface and allowed to radiate into the region external to that surface. Refer
to Far Sound Pressure Field and Far-Field Parameters topic in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis
Guide for more information.

Where:

r = far-field observation position.

rs = equivalent source position on the enclosed surface.

The following Far-field results are available in Mechanical:

Polar Plot Results Microphone Results

• Far-field SPL • Far-field SPL Mic

• Far-field A-Weighted SPL • Far-field A-Weighted SPL Mic

• Far-field Maximum Pressure • Far-field Maximum Pressure Mic

• Far-field Phase • Far-field Maximum Phase Mic

• Far-field Directivity

• Far-field Maximum Scattered

Pressure

• Far-field Target Strength

• Far-field Sound Power Level

See the Results and Result Tools (Group) (p. 2191) object reference page for additional informaiton
about the Details view properties for these results.

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 Acoustic Results

Polar Plot Results

Polar plot results enable you to evaluate acoustic quantities on a spherical arc or surface defined by
phi (from x to y), theta (from z to x-y plane), and r (radius) as illustrated in the following global polar
coordinate system. You enter these values. In addition, these values are located outside the model
mesh.

The arc or spherical surface on which the application calculates the results is displayed in the Geometry
window prior to result generation.

Microphone Results
Microphone results enable you to evaluate acoustic quantities outside of the mesh by defining co-
ordinates corresponding to the microphone location. Using the properties of the result object (p. 2191),
you define either a singular microphone location in the Details view or up to nine microphone locations
using the Worksheet.

Notes

Important:

If your Harmonic Acoustics analysis specifies an Incident Wave Source (p. 1308) excitation:

• The Far-field Sound Power Level and Far-field Directivity results are not supported when the
Incident Wave Location property is set to Outside the Model (default).

• In order to post process the Far-field Sound Power Level and Far-field Directivity results, the
Scattering Field Formulation property must be set to On. Refer to the Scattering Con-
trols (p. 1141) section for additional information.

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Using Results

• The Far-field Maximum Scattered Pressure and Far-field Target Strength results are not supported
when the Incident Wave Location property is set to Inside the Model.

Note:

• Currently, Far-field results are not:

– Supported for animation.

– Supported for user Defined Results.

– Calculated at points on the finite element model. The Geometry window legend displays
the minimum and maximum values but no contours are displayed on the elements.

• Except for the Sound Power Level Far-field and Microphone results, all Far-field Results are
evaluated for a single frequency or a single set specified by the user. If a specified frequency
is not contained in the result file frequency history, then the nearest frequency from the file is
used.

• The Far-field Sound Power Level and Microphone results evaluate at all frequencies and the
minimum and maximum displayed in the Geometry window legend represent the extremes
over all frequencies.

• When you specify the Model Type property as either 2.5D Z-Direction Extrusion or 2.5D Y-
Axis Rotation Extrusion, the location of microphone results is projected onto X-Y plane.

• The following capabilities are disabled if you have imported or restored an archive file (that
does not include a result file).

– Exporting Far-field Results to an ASCII file.

– The Worksheet and Tabular Data upon clicking a Far-field Result.

Re-solve the project in order to restore these post processing capabilities.

Acoustic Frequency Response

These Frequency Response (p. 1538) options enable you to chart Acoustics results and display how the
response varies with the frequency. Frequency Response options include the following acoustics-
based results (p. 1617):

• Pressure

• Directional Velocity

• Kinetic Energy

• Potential Energy

• Sound Pressure Level

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 Acoustic Results

• A-Weighted Sound Pressure Level

You can view these options as a value graphed along a specified frequency range. The plot includes
all of the frequency points at which a solution was obtained. When you generate frequency response
results, the default plot (Bode) shows the amplitude and phase angle. These Acoustic Frequency Re-
sponse results are available for Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) analyses only. The application evaluates
the corresponding acoustic quantities using the following equation (Equation (2) of Frequency Re-
sponse (p. 1538)).

Where:

Acoustic Power Loss Results

The following acoustic power loss results are available for Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) analyses.

• Transmission Loss: This result solves for the Sound Power Level loss between the Incident Power
on the Inlet Port and the Transmitted Power at Outlet Port.

• Absorption Coefficient: This result solves for the ratio of sound energy absorbed by a given Inlet
Port to incident sound energy upon the surface

• Return Loss: This result solves for the difference between the Incident Sound Power and the Reflected
Sound Power on Inlet Port.

These results use a pre-defined Input Port (p. 1337) and/or Output Port (p. 1337) in order to derive
acoustic power quantities based on the surface loading conditions applied during the analysis.

Port definition requires that the:

• General Miscellaneous property of the Analysis Setting be active (default).

• Port Position property of the selected Port (p. 1337) object be set to On Exterior Surface (default
setting).

• Port Behavior property of the Port be set to Transparent (default setting).

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Refer to the PLAS command in the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more information.

Acoustic Diffuse Sound Transmission Loss

When you have defined a Diffuse Sound Field (p. 1306) excitation condition, the Diffuse Sound Field
Transmission Loss result enables you to predict the transmission loss of the structural panel specified
by the excitation. This result calculates the average transmission loss for multiple sampling phases at
each frequency over the frequency range. Refer to the PLAS command in the Mechanical APDL
Command Reference for more information.

Acoustic Waterfall Diagrams

A Harmonic Acoustics (p. 313) analysis that includes multiple RPM loading conditions, provides the
following result options:

• Far-field Sound Power Level Waterfall Diagram

• Far-field SPL Mic Waterfall Diagram

These results calculate diagrams for Far-field Sound Power Level and SPL Microphone for all RPM
loading conditions to display waterfall diagrams. An example is illustrated below.

Because Waterfall Diagrams can plot large amounts of data, the application provides a zoom feature
in the diagram window. See the Zoom and Pan on Waterfall Diagrams (p. 1696) for the steps to use
this feature.

Thermal Results
The following thermal result topics are addressed in this section:

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 Thermal Results

Temperature
Heat Flux
Heat Reaction
Error (Thermal)
Thermal Flow Results
Thermal Probes
Thermal Contact Results

Thermal Probes (p. 1625) can be used to determine the following results:

• Temperature

• Heat Flux

• Heat Reaction

Note:

Currently, thermal analyses do not support the Contact Tool (p. 1565).

Temperature
In a steady-state or transient thermal analysis, temperature distribution throughout the structure is
calculated. This is a scalar quantity.

Scoping allows you to limit the temperature display to particular geometric entities. Similarly scoping
allows you to get reactions at specific boundary condition objects. Temperature results can be displayed
as a contour plot. You can also capture the variation of these results with time by using a probe.

Heat Flux
The Mechanical application calculates the heat flux (q/A, energy per unit time per unit area)
throughout the body. Heat flux can be output as individual vector components X, Y or Z.

You can display the X, Y, and Z components of heat flux in different coordinate systems.

Scoping allows you to limit the heat flux display to particular geometric entities. Similarly scoping
allows you to get reactions at specific boundary condition objects. Heat flux results can be displayed
as a contour plot. You can also capture the variation of these results with time by using a probe.

Plots of Vector Heat Flux

A Vector Heat Flux plot provides the direction of heat flux (relative magnitude and direction of flow)
at each point in the body.

The following graphic illustrates an example showing a high temperature area at the top and a low
temperature area at the bottom. Note the direction of the heat flow as indicated by the arrows.

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Using Results

Request Vector Heat Flux plots in the same way that you would request any other result. After inserting
the result object in the tree and solving, click the Graphics button (p. 31) in the Result Context tab.

Heat Reaction
You can obtain heat reaction (q, energy per unit time) at locations where a temperature, imported
temperature, convection, or radiation boundary condition is specified. Heat reaction is a scalar.

To obtain a heat reaction result, insert a Reaction probe (p. 1447) and specify an existing Boundary
Condition, Geometry, Contact Region, or Surface construction geometry. See Thermal Probes (p. 1625)
for more information.

Error (Thermal)
The values for this result have no unit of measure. The description of this result is the same as Error
(Structural) (p. 1523) except that heat flux is the basis for the errors instead of stresses. However, the
structural error result differs in that it has an energy-based unit of measure (Joule, etc.).

Thermal Flow Results

You use the following flow-based result types for 2D and 3D thermal fluid flow analyses. Your model
must include a line body (p. 650) that you specify as Thermal Fluid for these result types to be available
for selection.

• Fluid Flow Rate: rate of fluid flow through the specified Line Body.

• Fluid Heat Conduction Rate: heat flow rate due to conduction within the fluid.

See FLUID116 in the Mechanical APDL Element Reference. The Output Data topic examines the solution
output for these results.

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 Thermal Results

Thermal Probes
The following thermal probe types are available.

Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Temperature Steady-State Thermal and Transient Temperature: overall
Thermal

Heat Flux Steady-State Thermal and Transient Heat Flux: X axis, Y axis, Z axis
Thermal

Heat Reaction Steady-State Thermal and Transient Heat: overall

Thermal

Radiation Steady-State Thermal and Transient Outgoing Net Radiation,

Thermal Emitted Radiation, Reflected
(see note below) Radiation, Incident Radiation

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Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output

Note:

• Refer to the Probe Details View (p. 1466) section for additional information about the above
scoping options.

• If you receive a negative value for the Outgoing Net Radiation result, then the application is
detecting that heat is entering the scoped entity.

• For 2D plane stress models the Radiosity Solver method assumes an infinite third dimension
so the Radiation Probe results will be proportional to the Workbench model thickness.

• For plane and cyclic symmetries the Radiation Probe results are calculated for the full symmetry
model.

See the Probes (p. 1462) section for further information.

Thermal Contact Results

If your model contains Contact Regions, you can define the contact results as listed below under
the Connections object or the Solution object by inserting a Contact Tool. See the Reviewing the
Results section of the Mechanical APDLContact Technology Guide for additional information.

Thermal Flux: available only for evaluating contact conditions after solution. This data represents
the total heat flux at the contact surface.

Status: status codes include:

• -3: MPC bonded contact.

• -2: MPC no-separation contact.

• 0: open and not near contact.

• 1: open but near contact.

• 2: closed and sliding.

• 3: closed and sticking.

The labels Far, Near, Sliding, and Sticking are included in the legend for Status.

Note:

• MPC-based contact definitions use negative values. They indicate the intentional removal of
one or more contact constraints to prevent over-constraint.

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 Magnetostatic Results

• Contact that has been deactivated via Auto Asymmetric behavior will be displayed with a
status of Far-Open. Results for deactivated pairs can be suppressed in the Contact Tool by
changing Both to either Contact or Target as necessary.

Please review the descriptions, restrictions, and caveats for contact results and displays that are included
in the Contact Results (p. 1535) section under Structural Results (p. 1514).

Magnetostatic Results
A magnetostatic analysis offers several results items for viewing. Results may be scoped to bodies and,
by default, all bodies will compute results for display. You can use the Details view to view vector results
in several ways. Magnetic Flux Density, Magnetic Field Intensity, and Force represent the magnitude of
the results vector and can be viewed as a contour or as a directional vector. Any directional solution
represents direction vector components (X, Y, Z) of the vector. They may be displayed as a contour.

The following electromagnetic result topics are addressed in this section:

Electric Potential
Total Magnetic Flux Density
Directional Magnetic Flux Density
Total Magnetic Field Intensity
Directional Magnetic Field Intensity
Total Force
Directional Force
Current Density
Inductance
Flux Linkage
Error (Magnetic)
Magnetostatic Probes

Magnetostatic Probes (p. 1631) can be used to determine the following results:

• Flux Density

• Field Intensity

• Force Summation

• Torque

• Energy

• Magnetic Flux

Known Limitation

In some instances, during the solution process for magnetic analyses, the application may automatically
generate new elements that are not included in the original mesh or within a geometry body. Further-
more, these elements may contain magnetic force (FMAG) results.

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These elements are considered to be supplementary elements. If one of these supplementary elements
share a node with an element from the original mesh, the forces from the supplementary elements can
contribute to the force value at the shared node.

Regardless of whether you scope results to a body, the supplementary elements may still contribute
to the force results at nodes of the scoped body.

Using the /POST1 command, you can counteract this effect by unselecting the element type associated
with the supplementary elements with the command string: ESEL,U,TYPE.

Electric Potential
Electric potential represents contours of constant electric potential (voltage) in conductor bodies.
This is a scalar quantity.

Total Magnetic Flux Density

Magnetic Flux Density is computed throughout the simulation domain and is a vector quantity. Se-
lecting this option allows you to view the magnitude of the vector as a contour or as a directional
vector.

Directional Magnetic Flux Density

Magnetic Flux Density vector components are computed throughout the simulation domain. Selecting
this option allows you to view individual vector components (X, Y, Z) as a contour.

Total Magnetic Field Intensity

Magnetic Field Intensity is computed throughout the simulation domain and is a vector quantity.
Selecting this option allows you to view the magnitude of the vector as a contour or as a directional
vector.

Directional Magnetic Field Intensity

Magnetic Field Intensity vector components are computed throughout the simulation domain. Selecting
this option allows you to view individual vector components (X, Y, Z) as a contour.

Total Force
Total Force results represent electromagnetic forces on bodies. This is a vector quantity. Selecting
this option allows you to view the magnitude of the vector as a contour or as a directional vector.

Directional Force
Vector components of force and torque are computed throughout the simulation domain. They are
meaningful only on non-air bodies. Selecting this option allows you to view individual vector force
components (X, Y, Z) as a contour. The total summed forces and torque are available in the Details
view. For example, requesting the z component of directional force/torque will report the net force
acting in the z direction and the net torque acting about the z axis of the specified coordinate system.

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 Magnetostatic Results

Current Density
Current density can be computed for any solid conductor body. It is displayed as a vector and is best
viewed in wireframe mode. You can use the Vector group to adjust the vector arrow viewing options.
You can use the element-aligned option in the Vector group for current density vectors, but not the
grid-aligned option.

Inductance
Inductance can be computed for conductor bodies. It is defined as a measure of the differential
change in flux linkage to the differential change in current. This is represented by the equation below,
where dψ is the differential change in flux linking conductor j produced by a differential change in
current for conductor i. Note that this is valid for linear and nonlinear systems, the inductance will
be a function of current.

Inductance is often used as a parameter in electric machine design and in circuit simulators.

A conductor body must have a current load to be considered in inductance calculations. Inductance
results are presented in the Worksheet View. The results are presented in table form. The example
below shows inductance results for a two-conductor system. The diagonal terms represent self-induct-
ance, while the off-diagonal terms represent mutual inductance. In this case, L11 = 1e - 4, L22 = 8e -
4, L12 = L21 = 4e - 4 Henries.

Cond1 Cond2
(H) (H)
Cond1 1e-4 4e-4
Cond2 4e-4 8e-4

The Details view for inductance allows you to define a Symmetry Multiplier. Use this if your simulation
model represents only a fraction of the full geometry. The multiplier should be set to compensate
for the symmetry model. For example, if you create a half-symmetry model of the geometry for sim-
ulation, set the Multiplier to '2.' Changing the multiplier will update the Worksheet results.

Note:

• Computing inductance can be time-consuming and should only be used if needed.

• Loads (Voltage, and Current) must be constant when Inductance is specified. Tabular and
function loads are not supported.

• Inductance can only be used with a single step, single substep solution. User settings to the
contrary will be overridden.

• Inductance requires the Direct solver setting (default) for the Solver Type property of Analysis
Settings. User settings to the contrary will be overridden.

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Flux Linkage
Flux linkage can be computed for any system incorporating a conductor. Solving for flux linkage cal-
culates the flux, ψ, linking a conductor. This is commonly referred to as the "flux linkage." For nonlinear
systems, the flux linkage will be a function of current. Flux linkage is also a function of stroke (e.g.,
displacement of an armature).

Flux linkage is often used to compute the emf (electromotive force) in a conductor, defined using
the equation below, where V is the electromotive force, typically expressed in volts.

Conductor bodies must have defined current loads to be considered in flux linkage calculations. Flux
linkage results are presented in the Worksheet View. The results are presented in table form. The ex-
ample below shows flux linkage results for a two-conductor system.

Flux Linkages
(Wb)
Cond1 5e-4
Cond2 10e-4

The Details view for flux linkage allows you to define a Symmetry Multiplier. Use this if your simulation
model represents only a fraction of the full geometry. The multiplier should be set to compensate
for the symmetry model. For example, if you create a half-symmetry model of the geometry for sim-
ulation, set the Multiplier to '2.' Changing the multiplier will update the Worksheet results.

Note:

• Computing flux linkage can be time-consuming and should only be used if needed.

• Loads (Voltage, and Current) must be constant when flux linkage is specified. Tabular and
function loads are not supported.

• Flux linkage can only be used with a single step, single substep solution. User settings to the
contrary will be overridden.

• Flux linkage requires the Direct solver setting (default) for the Solver Type property of Ana-
lysis Settings. User settings to the contrary will be overridden.

Error (Magnetic)
The description of this result is similar to Error (Structural) (p. 1523) except that flux density is the basis
for the errors instead of stresses.

When all materials are linear, Workbench uses relative permeability (MURX, MURY, MURZ) values
which are available in the material properties.

When nonlinear materials are present, Workbench does not extract relative permeability from the
material properties. Instead, for a given element, Workbench first sums the flux density vectors of the

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 Magnetostatic Results

result nodes to form a vector called B. Workbench next sums the field intensity vectors of the result
nodes to form a vector called H.

MURX, MURY, and MURZ are all assigned the value ( |B|/|H| ) / MUZERO, where:

• |B| is the length of the B vector,

• |H| is the length of the H vector,

• MUZERO is free space permeability.

If the H vector has a zero length, the contribution of this element to the energy error will be set to
0.

Magnetostatic Probes
The following magnetostatic probe types are available.

Probe Type Applicable Analysis Types Output Characteristics

Flux Density Magnetostatic Flux Density: X axis, Y axis, Z axis Scope to: body.

Scope by: bodies,

Orientation coord
Field Intensity Magnetostatic Flux Intensity: X axis, Y axis, Z axis Scope to: body.

Scope by: bodies,

Orientation coord
Force Summation Magnetostatic Force Sum: X axis, Y axis, or Z axis; Scope to: body.
Symmetry Multiplier
Scope by: bodies.

Orientation coord
1
Torque Magnetostatic Torque: (p. 1632) X axis, Y axis, or Z axis; Scope to: body.
Symmetry Multiplier
Scope by: bodies.

Orientation coord

Summation: Orien
Energy Magnetostatic Magnetic Co-energy Scope to: body.

Scope by: System

2
Magnetic Flux Magnetostatic Magnetic Flux (p. 1632) Scope to: body.

Scope by: edge.

Note:

A limitation exists when the scoping of a Force Summation or a Torque probe is

applied to a geometry entity (Location Method = Geometry Selection) that shares

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Using Results

more than one body. The (unscoped) elements that are adjacent to the scoped body
contribute to the probe's results.

1 - Torque results represent the torque on a body due to electromagnetic forces. Torque is specified
about the origin of a coordinate system. By default, the global coordinate system is used. To change
the specification point, create a local coordinate system and specify the results about the new origin.
The torque result is listed in the Details view.

2 - Magnetic Flux is computed along the edge scoping. The scoping should produce a single continuous
path along a model edge. Flux is reported as magnitude only.

See the Probes (p. 1462) section for further information.

Electric Results
The following electric result types are available:

Result Type Description

Electric Represents contours of constant electric potential (voltage) in conductor bodies. This is
Voltage a scalar quantity.
Total Electric Is computed throughout the simulation domain and is a vector sum quantity. Selecting
Field Intens- this option allows you to view the total magnitude of the vectors as a contour.
ity
Directional Its vector components are computed throughout the simulation domain. This option
Electric Field allows you to view individual vector components (X, Y, Z) as contours.
Intensity
Total Current Can be computed for any solid conductor body. It is displayed as a vector and is best
Density viewed in wireframe mode. You can use the Vector Display group to adjust the vector
arrow viewing options. You can use the element-aligned option in the Vector Display
group for current density vectors, but not the grid-aligned option.
Directional Its vector components are computed throughout the simulation domain. This option
Current allows you to view individual current density vector components (X, Y, Z) as contours.
Density
Joule Heat Occurs in a conductor carrying an electric current. Joule heat is proportional to the square
of the current, and is independent of the current direction.

Note:

This result when generated by non-zero contact resistance is not

supported.

Electric Probes (p. 1633) can be used to determine the following results:

• Electric Voltage

• Field Intensity

• Current Density

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 Fatigue Results

• Reaction

Electric Probes
The following electric probe types are available.

Probe Applicable Analysis Output Characteristics

Type Types
Electric Electric Voltage Scope to: body.
Voltage
Scope by: bodies, location only,
vertex, edge, face.
Field Electric X axis, Y axis, Z axis, Scope to: body.
Intensity Total
Scope by: bodies, location only,
vertex, edge, face.

Orientation coordinate system: any;

defaults to Global Cartesian.
Current Electric X axis, Y axis, Z axis, Scope to: body.
Density Total
Scope by: bodies, location only,
vertex, edge, face.

Orientation coordinate system: any;

defaults to Global Cartesian.
Joule Electric Analysis and Power Scope to: body only.
Heat Thermal-Electric
Analysis Scope by: body.
Reaction Electric Current: overall Scope to: body.

Scope by: Boundary Condition.

Refer to the Probe Details View (p. 1466) section for additional information about the above scoping
options. Also see the Probes (p. 1462) section for further information.

Fatigue Results
Fatigue provides life, damage, and safety factor information and uses a stress-life or strain-life approach,
with several options for handling mean stress and specifying loading conditions. An example of the
strain-life approach is a part/body with notch where, although the nominal response is elastic, the local
response may present as a plastic. Review the following sections with regards to fatigue material
properties, the theory of the calculations associated with the material properties, loading conditions,
and results.
Fatigue Material Properties
Fatigue Stress Life versus Strain Life
Frequency-Based Fatigue
Fatigue Analysis Application
Fatigue Results

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Using Results

Fatigue Combination

Fatigue Material Properties

Engineering Data contains example materials which may include fatigue curves populated with data
from engineering handbooks. You can also add your own fatigue curves. The Fatigue Tool will use
the information from these curves for each material in the model when calculating life, damage, safety
factors, etc. If Young's Modulus is temperature dependent, then the fatigue calculations are carried
out using the Young's Modulus computed at the reference temperature of the body.

For the strain-life approach, the materials must have Strain-Life Parameters defined. For the Stress-
Life approach, the materials must have S-N Curve defined. To add this data to a material follow the
Add Material Properties procedure (see Adding Material Properties in the Engineering Data User's
Guide).

Strain-Life Parameters
The following four strain-life parameter properties and the two cyclic stress-strain parameters must have
data defined:

• Strength Coefficient

• Strength Exponent

• Ductility Coefficient

• Ductility Exponent

• Cyclic Strength Coefficient

• Cyclic Strain Hardening Exponent

S-N Curve
The alternating stress, or stress-life (SN), mean curve data can be defined with respect to mean stress,
r-ratio, or temperature. The Interpolation method (Log-Log, Semi-Log, or Linear) can be defined. The
curve data must be defined to be greater than zero.

• Mean Stress

Use this definition if experimental SN data was collected at constant mean stress for individual
SN curves.

• R-Ratio

Use this definition if multiple SN curves were collected at a constant r-ratio. The r-ratio is defined
as the ratio of the second loading to the first: r = L2 / L1. Typical experimental r-ratios are -1
(fully reversed), 0 (zero-based), and .1 (to ensure that a tensile stress always exists in the part).

• Temperature

Use this definition if multiple SN curves were collected at different temperatures.

If you choose the Temperature Field Variable while defining an S-N Curve material property,
and you enter multiple S-N Curves (Cycles/Alternating Stress) for different Temperatures, the

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 Fatigue Results

Fatigue Tool (p. 1643) automatically uses the appropriate S-N curve for the interpolation based
on the temperature at each node of the body.

Note:

– The Fatigue Tool supports temperature dependent fatigue for Static Structural
and Transient Structural analyses only, and not for frequency-based fatigue.

– For non proportional loading, we use the average temperature for the calculations.

It is possible to define multiple SN curves to account for different mean stress or r-ratio values.
The values of mean stress/r-ratio values are only important if multiple curves are defined in the
Engineering Data workspace and the Mean Stress Curves option is specified for the Mean Stress
Theory property in the Fatigue Tool (p. 1643).

Linear/Bilinear S-N Curve

For a Frequency-Based Fatigue analysis, the S-N Curve material properties enable you to examine fre-
quency-based fatigue formulations using either a linear or bi-linear curve for Stress (S) versus the number
of life cycles (N). Material property options include:

• Linear

Use this definition for single slope SN curve data.

• Bi-Linear

Use this definition for when you have two sloped of SN curve data.

Refer to the next section, Fatigue Stress Life Versus Strain Life (p. 1635), for additional information about
strain-life parameters.

Note that in Engineering Data, in the Display Curve Type drop-down menu, you can plot either a
Strain-Life or Cyclic Stress-Strain curve.

Fatigue Stress Life versus Strain Life

Within the ANSYS fatigue module, the first decision that needs to be made in performing a fatigue
analysis is which type of fatigue analysis to perform, Stress-life or Strain-life. Stress-life is based on
empirical S-N curves which are modified by a variety of factors. Strain-life is based upon the Strain
Life Relation Equation where the Strain-life Parameters are values for a particular material that best
fit the equation to measured results. The Strain Life Relation Equation requires a total of 6 parameters
to define the strain-life material properties: four strain-life parameter properties and the two cyclic
stress-strain parameters. The Strain Life Relation Equation is shown below:

The two cyclic stress-strain parameters are part of the equation below:

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Where:

= Total Strain Amplitude

= 2 x the Stress Amplitude

= Modulus of Elasticity
= Number of Cycles to Failure

= Number of Reversals to Failure

And the parameters required for a Strain Life analysis include:

= Fatigue Strength Coefficient

= Fatigue Strength Exponent (Basquin’s Exponent)
= Fatigue Ductility Coefficient
= Fatigue Ductility Exponent
= Cyclic Strength Coefficient
= Cyclic Strain Hardening Exponent

Note in the above equation, total strain (elastic + plastic) is the required input. However, running a
finite element analysis to determine the total response can be very expensive and wasteful, especially
if the nominal response of the structure is elastic. An accepted approach is to assume a nominally
elastic response and then make use of Neuber’s equation to relate local stress/strain to nominal
stress/strain at a stress concentration location.

To relate strain to stress we use Neuber's Rule:

Where:

= Local (Total) Strain

= Local Stress

= Elastic Stress Concentration Factor

= Nominal Elastic Strain

= Nominal Elastic Stress

The Fatigue Tool (p. 2022) assumes nominal elastic behavior and therefore , and by simultaneously
solving Neuber's equation along with cyclic strain equation, we can calculate the local stress/strains

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 Fatigue Results

(including plastic response) given only elastic stress input. Note that this calculation is nonlinear and
is solved using iterative methods. In addition, ANSYS fatigue calculations use a value of 1 for the
Elastic Stress Concentration Factor ( ), assuming that the mesh is refined enough to capture any
stress concentration effects. in this case is not be confused with the Stress Reduction Factor option
which is typically used in a Stress-life analysis to account for factors such as reliability and size effects.

Important:

The Strain-life approach is currently only valid for linear stress analyses (elastic material
models only).

Frequency-Based Fatigue
Mechanical enables you to perform Frequency-Based Fatigue analyses using the Harmonic Response
and Random Vibration analysis types or using a combination of the two.

Random Vibration Analysis

When analyzing the dynamic response of the structure, the application uses the frequency domain
for calculations and therefore loading is a function of frequency or random vibrations. Examples of
this include:

• Electronic vibration in PCB board

• Automobile engine vibrations

• Vibrations of a helicopter in flight

• Vibrations of a shaker table

• Natural vibrations of structures due to sea waves or winds

Refer to the Fatigue Material Properties for Random Vibration (Spectral) Fatigue (p. 1637) and Fatigue
Result Methods for Random Vibration (Spectral) Fatigue (p. 1640) sections for additional technical
details for Frequency-Based Fatigue calculations for Random Vibration analyses.

Harmonic Response Analysis

If the response of the system is harmonic in nature, not random, the application uses the maximum
stress response for a either a single target frequency or sweeping multiple target frequencies, along
with the duration of exposure to calculate the fatigue effects. Refer to the Fatigue Result Methods
for Harmonic Fatigue (p. 1643) for additional information for Harmonic Fatigue analyses.

Combination Analysis
You can also choose to calculate fatigue damage from Random Vibration and Harmonic analyses
and then use the Fatigue Combination (p. 1652) object to combine the effects in order to analyze the
total damage to the system.

Fatigue Material Properties for Random Vibration (Spectral) Fatigue

All Frequency-Based Fatigue formulations are driven by the material’s relationship between Stress
(S) and number of life cycles (N). This S-N relation can be defined in the Engineering Data Workspace
using any of the following:

• Linear S-N Curve (p. 1638)

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• Bi-linear S-N Curve (p. 1639)

• S-N Curve Table (p. 1639)

Important:

• For Frequency-Based Fatigue calculations, you need to employ at least one of the SN
Curve formulations listed above in order to proceed with a solution.

• For both the Linear S-N Curve and the Bi-linear S-N Curve, the reference units for the
parameters is [Pa]. No other unit or unit system is currently supported.

• In the various S-N Curve formulas covered here, the "S" value always refers to Stress
Amplitude.

As long as you define material properties using one of the above formulas, you can perform Fre-
quency-Based Fatigue calculations.

Linear S-N Curve Formula

This is a single segment S-N Curve formula of the form:

Where:

A = Fatigue Strength Coefficient

m = Fatigue Strength Exponent

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 Fatigue Results

S = Stress Amplitude (in Pa)

Note:

The value "m" is the inverse negative slope of the Linear S-N Curve.

Bi-Linear S-N Curve Formula

This is a two segment S-N Curve formula of the form:

&

Where:

A = First Fatigue Strength Coefficient

m = First Fatigue Strength Exponent
C = Second Fatigue Strength Coefficient
r = Second Fatigue Strength Exponent
SQ = Stress Amplitude at Transition Point (in Pa)
NQ = Number of cycles at Transition Point

Using the Derive from property in Engineering Data Workspace, select one of two methods of
definition:

• Coefficients and Exponents: Users define A, m, C, and r.

• Transition Point: define m, r, NQ, and SQ.

All other properties are automatically calculated.

Note:

The "m" and "r" values are the inverse negative slopes of the Bilinear S-N Curve.

S-N Curve Table

As illustrated below the default data for the S-N Curve is contained in the Engineering Data Workspace
tabular data of corresponding Alternating Stresses and Cycles of life.

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Note:

If only the SN table is provided (and not the Linear/Bilinear parameters themselves), then
the solver will use the first and last points of the table to perform a linear interpolation
using equation and arrive at the required parameters of A and m. Once the A
and m values are obtained, we can proceed with the solution normally. If either of the
parameters (Linear/Bilinear) are provided directly through the material definition, they
will be used directly. (The table, if present, will be ignored in this case).

Fatigue Result Methods for Random Vibration (Spectral) Fatigue

There are three different formulations of Random Vibration (Spectral) Fatigue that are currently
supported.

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 Fatigue Results

Steinberg Formulation
Steinberg Formulation utilizes all three stress occurrences (1σ, 2σ, 3σ) and their rate of occurrence
along with the Miner’s rule in order to compute the total fatigue damage of the system.

Where:

= actual number of cycles at or below the 1σ level (0.6831 ).

= actual number of cycles at or below the 2σ level (0.271 ).

= actual number of cycles at or below the 3σ level (0.0433 ).

= allowable number of cycles (from fatigue curve) at 1σ, 2σ, 3σ stress levels.

are obtained by using the S-N relation and the (1σ, 2σ, 3σ) stresses to find the
corresponding number of cycles. If the Bilinear curve is used, the solver chooses the appropriate
curve to interpolate on, based on the value of the stresses.

is defined as the statistical frequency which is obtained as follows:

Where:

= RMS Stress Velocity Result (stress based on velocity result)

= RMS Stress Result

Note:

equal a user-specified measure of stress.

Narrow Band Formulation

Narrow Band formulation is a generalized method where the stress ranges are assumed to have a
Rayleigh distribution. The formula to calculate Fatigue damage is given by,

Where:

= Statistical frequency
t: Exposure Duration
σ: Equivalent Alternating Stress

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: Gamma function.
A, m: SN curve properties from the equation NSm = A, where S = Stress Amplitude.

If we are using the Bilinear form of the SN curve, this formula changes to:

where:

and:

is the stress point of intersection of the two SN Curves.

= lower incomplete gamma function.

Wirsching Formulation
The Wirsching Formulation can be described as a correction factor to the Narrow Band Formulation
in order to account for Wideband scenarios. Instead of using a different, more complicated method
for Wideband cases, we calculate Fatigue Damage using Narrow Band formulation and simply apply
the Wirsching correction factor to it, as shown:

Where is the wide band correction factor.

Where:

= 0.926-0.033

= 1.587 - 2.323

= Bandwidth Factor

= Irregularity Factor

= Spectral Moments

is the fatigue strength exponent obtained from the Linear SN Curve.

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 Fatigue Results

Since Wirsching does not have a specialized formula for the Bilinear SN Curve, the average of
the two fatigue strength exponents (m and r) is used in the Bilinear case.

Fatigue Result Methods for Harmonic Fatigue

If the response of the system is harmonic in nature, not random, the application uses the maximum
stress response for a either a single target frequency or sweeping multiple target frequencies, along
with the duration of exposure to calculate the fatigue effects.

There are three different options available for Harmonic fatigue calculations:

• Single Frequency: The stress at the defined Frequency is considered for the fatigue analysis. This
stress is used along with the defined SN Curve to interpolate for the fatigue life.

• Multiple Frequencies: You can manually specify frequency values and their corresponding Exposure
Durations. Stresses at each of these distinct frequencies are considered for the fatigue analysis
and fatigue damage is accumulated.

• Sine Sweep: You can manually specify frequency values and their corresponding Scale Factors.
A Sine Sweep analysis is performed from the lowest to highest frequency value in steps of 0.5 Hz
using the Sweep Rate (to account for total exposure time) and the appropriate amplitude scaling
at each step. The fatigue damage is accumulated.

Note:

In the Harmonic Response fatigue analysis, the S-N Curve Table will take precedence
and it will be used if available. If the table is not present, then the solver will use either
the Linear/Bilinear parameters, whichever is present, to construct a pseudo curve and
that will be used for the interpolation.

Fatigue Analysis Application

After you have defined the stress-life or strain-life curves for all materials in your model, you can
choose your fatigue options and run the fatigue analysis.

The Fatigue Tool option is available from the Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context
Tab (p. 24) or through the right-click context menu.

Worksheet View
The Worksheet displays by default when you insert the Fatigue Tool during a Static Structural or
Harmonic Response analysis. It displays default data, in graph form, based on the property settings
of the object. The display changes as you make changes to the associated properties. In addition,
this graphical Worksheet display is available for the options of the Graph Results menu. See the Fatigue
Tool (Group) (p. 2022) object reference page for additional information.

Property Definition
Once inserted into the tree, based on your analysis type, define the Details View properties as described
below:

• Fatigue Strength Factor (Kf ) (p. 1644)

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• Loading Type (p. 1644)

• Scale Factor (p. 1645)

• Analysis Type (p. 1645)

• Mean Stress Theory (p. 1645)

• Method Selection (p. 1646) (Random Vibration analysis only)

• Stress Component (p. 1646)

• Exposure Duration (p. 1646) (Random Vibration and Harmonic Response analyses only)

• Frequency Selection (p. 1646) (Harmonic Response analysis only)

• Frequency (p. 1646) (Harmonic Response analysis only)

• Sweep Rate (p. 1647) (Harmonic Response analysis only)

• Units Name (p. 1647)

• 1 “Unit” is Equal To (p. 1647)

• Bin Size (p. 1647)

• Use Quick Rainflow Counting (p. 1647)

• Infinite Life (p. 1648)

• Maximum Data Points To Plot (p. 1648)

Fatigue Strength Factor (Kf)

This property defines the fatigue strength reduction factor. This setting enables you to adjust the
stress-life or strain-life curve(s) by a specified factor while the fatigue analysis is running. The default
value is 1. You set the property by making an entry or you can use the slider feature associated with
the property. The slider represents the entry range from minimum (0.01) to maximum (1). You use
this property to account for a "real world" environment that may be harsher than a rigidly-controlled
laboratory environment in which the data was collected. Common fatigue strength reduction factors
to account for such things as surface finish can be found in design handbooks.

Loading Type
The options of the Type property are described below. Their availability is based upon your analysis
type.

• Zero-Based (r=0)

• Fully Reversed (r=-1)

• Ratio

• History Data

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• Non-proportional Loading (available only for stress-life applications)

The Zero-Based (r=0), Fully Reversed (r=-1), and Ratio options are all constant amplitude, propor-
tional loading types and are graphically illustrated in the Worksheet.

The History Data option enables you to import a file containing the data points. This option is a non-
constant amplitude proportional loading type. This data is depicted in a graph on the Worksheet.
You can specify the number of data points this graph will display using the Maximum Data Points
To Plot (p. 1648) property in the Options category.

The Non-proportional Loading option is a non-proportional constant amplitude loading type for
models that alternate between two different stress states (for example, between bending and torsional
loading). Problems such as an alternating stress imposed on a static stress can be modeled with this
feature. Non-proportional loading is only supported for Fatigue Tool objects used with Solution
Combination (p. 1699) where you select exactly two stress states (only two Base Cases present in the
Solution Combination Worksheet).

Scale Factor
This setting scales the load magnitude. For example, if you set this to 3, the amplitude (and mean)
of a zero-based loading will be 1.5 times the stress in the body. The graph in the Worksheet window
will update to reflect this setting. This option is useful to see the effects of different finite element
loading magnitudes without having to run the complete structural analysis repeatedly. Note that this
scale factor is applied after the stresses have been collapsed from a tensor into a scalar. Thus any
multiaxial stress collapse methods that are sensitive to the sign (Von-Mises, Maximum Shear, Maximum
Principal) may not give the same answer had the scale factor been applied to the environment load
itself.

Analysis Type
Define the fatigue analysis as either Stress Life or Strain Life.

Mean Stress Theory

This setting specifies how the mean stress effects should be handled.

• If Analysis Type is set to Stress Life, choose from None (default), Goodman, Soderberg, Gerber, ASME
Elliptical, and Mean Stress Curves. The Goodman, Soderberg, Gerber, and ASME Elliptical options
use static material properties along with S-N data to account for any mean stress while Mean Stress
Curves use experimental fatigue data to account for mean stress. You can specify the default setting for
this property using the Mechanical application Fatigue settings (p. 144) in the Options dialog box (p. 138).

• If Analysis Type is set to Strain Life, choose from None, Morrow, and SWT (Smith-Watson-Topper).

Note:

A sample plot of each of these theories is shown at the bottom of the Worksheet view.
This plot does not use live data, but is rather a generic representation of each theory. For
more information on these theories, see "Metal Fatigue In Engineering" by Ralph I. Stephens,
et. al.

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Method Selection
This property is only available for Random Vibration analyses. The options include: Narrow Band,
Steinberg (default), and Wirsching. This setting specifies the method to calculate the Probability
Density Function (PDF) from the available PSD stress response.

Stress Component
Because stresses are multiaxial but experimental fatigue data is usually uniaxial, the stress must be
converted from a multiaxial stress state to a uniaxial one. A value of 2 times the maximum shear
stress is used. You can choose from several types, including component stresses, von Mises, and a
signed von Mises, which takes the sign of the absolute maximum principal stress. The signed von
Mises is useful for accounting for any compressive mean stresses.

Note:

For a fully reversed case (no mean stress), the Max Principal and Abs Max Principal
options will give the same result because alternating stress is always calculated using
Abs Max Principal stress.

Exposure Duration
This property is only available for Random Vibration and Harmonic Response analyses. It specifies the
duration (in time) the loading is applied. The resulting damage is for this entire duration. The default
setting is one second (1). This means that the calculated damage is based on damage per second.

In a Harmonic Response analysis, the number of cycles is internally calculated as the Exposure Duration
multiplied by the chosen frequency.

Frequency Selection
This property is only available for Harmonic Response analyses. You use this property to select a
analysis. Options include:

• Single Frequency (default): This option specifies that only the stress at the defined Frequency is
considered for the fatigue analysis.

• Multiple Frequencies: This option enables you to manually specify frequency values and their cor-
responding Exposure Durations in the Tabular Data window. Stresses at each of these distinct
frequencies are considered for the fatigue analysis and fatigue damage is accumulated.

• Sine Sweep: This option enables you to manually specify frequency values and their corresponding
Scale Factors in the Tabular Data window. A Sine Sweep analysis is performed from the lowest to
highest frequency value in steps of 0.5 Hz using the Sweep Rate and the appropriate amplitude
scaling at each step. The fatigue damage is accumulated.

Frequency
This property is only available for Harmonic Response analysis. It specifies the frequency (in Hz) for
which the stress response is calculated and used for the fatigue analysis. The phase angle for which
the maximum stress occurs is automatically chosen for a chosen frequency.

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Sweep Rate
The Sweep Rate property is only available for Harmonic Response analysis. It is only available when
the Sine Sweep option is selected for the Frequency Selection property. This property specifies the
rate of frequency sweep in Hz/s units.

Units Name
This property enables you to specify the name for the Life Units. The unit options include:

• cycles • hours

• blocks • days

• seconds • months

• minutes • User Defined

User Defined

Selecting the User Defined option displays the Custom Units Name field. Enter the name for your
customized unit name in this field. The specified unit is reflected in the Details view for all applicable
fatigue settings.

1 “Unit” is Equal To
Where "unit" is either cycle or block based on the Units Name selection. Modify the field’s value
based on the desired number of cycles or blocks for the units.

Bin Size
This option appears only if Type is set to History Data (non-constant amplitude loading). This setting
defines how many divisions the cycle counting history should be organized into for the history data
loading type. Strictly speaking, this is number specifies the dimensions of the rainflow matrix. A larger
bin size has greater precision but will take longer to solve and use more memory.

Use Quick Rainflow Counting

This option appears only if Type is set to History Data (non-constant amplitude loading). Since
rainflow counting is used, using a “quick counting” technique substantially reduces runtime and
memory, especially for long time histories. In quick counting, alternating and mean stresses are sorted
into bins before partial damage is calculated. This means that with quick counting active, calculations
will be performed for maximum of binsize. Thus the accuracy will be dictated by the number of bins.
Without quick counting, the data is not sorted into bins until after partial damages are found and
thus the number of bins will not affect the results. The accuracy of quick counting is usually very
good if a proper number of bins are used when counting. To see the effects of using quick counting,
compare the results of constant amplitude loading to simulated constant amplitude loading from a
load history file. With quick counting off, the result should match exactly but with quick counting on,
there will be some error depending on the bin size and alternating stress value in relation to the
midpoint of the bin the count is sorted into.

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Infinite Life
Stress Life Analysis

This option appears only if Type is set to History Data (non-constant amplitude loading) and defines
what life will be used if the stress amplitude is lower than the lowest stress on the SN curve. It may
be important in how damaging small stress amplitudes from the rainflow matrix are.

Strain Life Analysis

Since the strain-life method is equation based it has no built-in limit, unlike stress-life for which the
Fatigue Tool uses a maximum life equal to the last point on the SN curve. Thus to avoid skewed
contour plots showing very high lives, you can specify Infinite Life in a strain-life analysis. For example,
if you set a value of 1e9 cycles as the Infinite Life, the maximum life reported is 1e9.

Maximum Data Points To Plot

This option is only applicable for History Data loading and allows you to specify the number of data
points to display in the corresponding graph that appears in the Worksheet. The default value is
5000 points. The graph displays the full range of points and all points are used in the analysis. However,
depending on the value you set, every second or third point may not be displayed in the interest of
avoiding clutter and making the graph more readable.

Fatigue Results
After you have included the Fatigue Tool in your analysis, you can then choose from among several
results options. By default, the results are scoped to All Bodies. However, you can modify scoping
and apply it to individual parts or faces as desired. If you are working with a shell model, note that
the application always specifies the top face value. Once you have inserted the Fatigue Tool ob-
ject (p. 2022), select result options from the Contour Results and/or Graph Results drop-down menus
or by right-clicking on the object and selecting Insert > [desired result]. Fatigue results include:

Contour Results Graph Results

• Life (p. 1648) • Rainflow Matrix (History Data
only) (p. 1650)
• Damage (p. 1649)
• Damage Matrix (History Data
• Safety Factor (p. 1649) only) (p. 1650)

• Biaxiality Indication (p. 1649) • Fatigue Sensitivity (p. 1651)

• Equivalent Alternating • Hysteresis (p. 1652)

Stress (p. 1649)

Life
This result contour plot shows the available life for the given fatigue analysis. If loading is of constant
amplitude, this represents the number of cycles until the part will fail due to fatigue. If loading is
non-constant, this represents the number of loading blocks until failure. Thus if the given load history
represents one month of loading and the life was found to be 120, the expected model life would
be 120 months.

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In a constant amplitude analysis, if the alternating stress is lower than the lowest alternating stress
defined in the S-N curve, the life at that point will be used.

Damage
Fatigue damage is defined as the design life divided by the available life. The default design life may
be set through the Options dialog box (p. 138). A damage of greater than 1 indicates the part will
fail from fatigue before the design life is reached.

Safety Factor
This result is a contour plot of the factor of safety (FS) with respect to a fatigue failure at a given
design life. The maximum FS reported is 15.

These are the steps at each node to calculate Safety Factor:

1. Calculate the alternating and mean stress tensor.

2. Collapse alternating and mean stress from tensor to scalar using selected stress component.

3. Calculate Safety Factor from the mean stress equation using Seqv as queried from the SN curve for
the design life.

1/FS = Salt/Seqv + SMean/SUltimate

Biaxiality Indication
This result is a stress biaxiality contour plot over the model that gives a qualitative measure of the
stress state throughout the body. A biaxiality of 0 corresponds to uniaxial stress, a value of -1 corres-
ponds to pure shear, and a value of 1 corresponds to a pure biaxial state.

For Non-proportional loading, you can choose between average biaxiality and standard deviation of
biaxiality in the Details view.

Equivalent Alternating Stress

The equivalent alternating stress is the stress we use to query the SN curve after accounting for
multiaxial loading and mean stress effects. This result is not valid if the loading has non-constant
amplitude, (i.e., Loading Type = History Data). The result is useful for cases where the design criterion
is based on the equivalent alternating stress that you specify.

These are the steps at each node to calculate Equivalent Alternating Stress:

1. Calculate the alternating and mean stress tensor.

2. Collapse alternating and mean stress from tensor to scalar using selected stress component.

3. Calculate the Equivalent Alternating Stress using the desired empirical stress theory, as specified
by the Mean Stress Theory property of the Fatigue Tool object. For example, when you set the
Mean Stress Theory property to Goodman, the Equivalent Alternating Stress calculation becomes:

EqvAltStress = Salt/(1 - SMean/SUltimate)

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Therefore, that is the value reported as Equivalent Alternating Stress and this is used to query Fatigue
Life from the SN Curve.

Important:

If you specify a Mean Stress Theory and static failure is predicted, the reported equivalent
alternating stress is reported as 1e32 Pa (this value is always reported when there is static
failure).

Rainflow Matrix (History Data only)

This graph depicts how many cycle counts each bin contains. This is reported at the point in the
specified scope with the greatest damage.

The Navigational Control at the bottom right-hand corner of the graph can be used to zoom and pan
the graph. You can use the double-sided arrow at any corner of the control to zoom in or out. When
you place the mouse in the center of the Navigational Control, you can drag the four-sided arrow to
move the chart points within the chart.

Damage Matrix (History Data only)

Similar to the rainflow matrix, this graph depicts how much relative damage each bin has caused.
This result can give you information related to the accumulation of the total damage (such as if the
damage occurred though many small stress reversals or several large ones).

The Navigational Control at the bottom right hand corner of the graph can be used to zoom and pan
the graph. You can use the double-sided arrow at any corner of the control to zoom in or out. When
you place the mouse in the center of the Navigational Control, you can drag the four-sided arrow to
move the chart points within the chart.

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 Fatigue Results

Fatigue Sensitivity
This plot shows how the fatigue results change as a function of the loading at the critical location
on the scoped region. Sensitivity may be found for life, damage, or factory of safety. For instance, if
you set the lower and upper fatigue sensitivity limits to 50% and 150% respectively, and your scale
factor to 3, this result will plot the data points along a scale ranging from a 1.5 to a 4.5 scale factor.
You can specify the number of fill points in the curve, as well as choose from several chart viewing
options (such as linear or log-log).

The Navigational Control at the bottom right hand corner of the graph can be used to zoom and pan
the graph. You can use the double-sided arrow at any corner of the control to zoom in or out. When
you place the mouse in the center of the Navigational Control, you can drag the four-sided arrow to
move the chart points within the chart.

To specify a result item, you must be under a Solution object.

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Using Results

Hysteresis
In a strain-life fatigue analysis, although the finite element response may be linear, the local elast-
ic/plastic response may not be linear. The Neuber correction is used to determine the local elast-
ic/plastic response given a linear elastic input. Repeated loading will form close hysteresis loops as a
result of this nonlinear local response. In a constant amplitude analysis a single hysteresis loop is
created although numerous loops may be created via rainflow counting in a non-constant amplitude
analysis. The Hysteresis result plots the local elastic-plastic response at the critical location of the
scoped result (the Hysteresis result can be scoped, similar to all result items). Hysteresis is a good
result to help you understand the true local response that may not be easy to infer. Notice in the
example below, that although the loading/elastic result is tensile, the local response does venture
into the compressive region.

Loading/Elastic Response:

Corresponding Local Elastic Plastic Response at Critical Location:

Fatigue Combination
When you are running multiple analyses that are using the Fatigue Tool and Damage results, you
can use the Fatigue Combination object (p. 2021) to combine or sum-up the damage results, generated

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 Fatigue Results

by individual Fatigue Tools (p. 2022), from each analysis. The feature enable you to create a sum total
of the damage results from multiple systems.

Important:

If you have imported a legacy database (wbpj or wbpz), you must first clear the data of
any existing Fatigue Tools, and re-evaluate the results, in order to then use the Fatigue
Combination feature.

Workflow
From the Workbench Project Schematic, configure your analysis. The example illustrated here includes
a combination of Modal, Harmonic Response, and Random Vibration analyses.

For your target analyses, insert Fatigue Tools and Damage results.

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Using Results

Select the Model object, right-click the mouse and select Insert > Fatigue Combination.

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 Fatigue Results

As illustrated below, when you select the Fatigue Combination object, the Worksheet displays. The
Worksheet enables you to add rows and specify, from a drop-down menu, the desired Environment,
Fatigue Tool, and you can specify a Scale Factor of the Damage results that you wish to sum. The
default Scale Factor is 1.

No Details view categories or properties exist for this object. See the Fatigue Tool object refer-
ence (p. 2022) page for the Details associated with Damage results.

Once the Worksheet is complete, insert a Damage result to the Fatigue Combination object using
the Fatigue Combination option or by right-clicking the mouse on the Fatigue Combination object
or in the Geometry window and select Insert > Damage. As needed, specify available Damage object
properties. Once complete, evaluate the result.

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Using Results

User Defined Results

This section examines the purpose, operation, and use of the User Defined Result feature of Mechan-
ical.
Overview
Characteristics
Application
Node-Based Scoping
User Defined Result Expressions
User Defined Result Identifier
Unit Description
User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL Solver

Overview
The User Defined Result feature allows you to derive user defined result values by performing
mathematical operations on results obtained following a solution.

Mechanical can generate user defined results, based on the analysis type. The user defined results
can be derived from any number of fundamental results stored on the result file. You display these
results using the Solution Worksheet (p. 122). Using this feature, most of the results stored in the
result file display in the worksheet as illustrated in this example.

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 User Defined Results

Refer to the following sections for descriptions of user defined result entries in the worksheet:

• User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL Solver (p. 1666)

• User Defined Results for Explicit Dynamics Analyses

Characteristics
General:

• All analysis types and solver targets can produce User Defined Results. A User Defined Result may be
unique to a particular solver and analysis. After clicking on the Solution object, you must click the
Worksheet to produce the complete listing of the results that are applicable to the analysis type and
solver being used.

• All result types can be combined except for results which have different dimensions. For example, displace-
ment vectors, which contain 3 items, cannot be added to stress tensors, which contain 6 items.

• User Defined Results which are elemental (such as stress or strain results) can be displayed as averaged
or unaveraged results (p. 1489). It takes Mechanical longer to display a result which is not averaged.

Like most result types that display using contours, user defined results:

• Are scoped to a geometry (vertex, edge, face, body), named selection (geometry, node-based, or element-
based), path, or surface. However, you cannot scope user defined results based on Contacts to a path or
surface.

• Require a set, time, and frequency/phase, to be fully specified (depending on the analysis type).

• Requires the selection of Response Type (Displacement/Velocity/Acceleration/Other Result) option for

Random Vibration and Response Spectrum analysis types.

• In a Random Vibration Analysis, you need to select a Scale Factor to get a result corresponding to the
Probability (read-only).

• Display minimum/maximum values and a Graph.

• Display nodal averaged data.

• Can be added to a Chart (p. 1449)

• Can be examined using probe annotations, slice planes, isosurface, etc.

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Using Results

• Can be cleared.

• Can be duplicated.

Unlike other contour results, user defined results:

• Can have a variable unit category assigned to its contour.

• Become obsolete if a user defined result is dependent upon another user defined result that has been
modified, cleared, or deleted. In this instance, the graphic of the geometry displays without results.

• User defined results cannot employ Probes.

• User defined results cannot link to multiple environments and cannot employ the Solution Combination
feature.

Application
Apply a User Defined Result using one of the following methods:

• Select the User Defined Result option on the Solution (p. 2211) Context tab.

• Right-click the Solution (p. 2211) object and the select the Insert > User Defined Result option.

• Display the SolutionWorksheet (p. 122) following a solve, right-click the mouse on the desired row of the
table, and then select Create User Defined Result.

Until you become familiar with this feature, it is recommended that you insert user defined results
using the worksheet. This makes sure that results are valid and applicable for the particular analysis
type and solver being used. As illustrated below, right-clicking the mouse on a row of the worksheet
displays an option to create a user defined result.

Note:

NMISCxxx and SMISCxxx results are not displayed in the worksheet and can only be accessed
by typing in the keyword directly. See User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL
Solver (p. 1666) for details.

Selecting this option places a User Defined Result object for the specified result in the tree as a child
of the Solution object, as shown in the example below. Compared to the other two methods for in-
serting a User Defined Result, this technique automatically completes field data in the Details view.
Note that the new result object’s name appears in the Expression (p. 1660) field of the Details view.
Except for an Identifier (p. 1663), all remaining details are also automatically generated based on the

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 User Defined Results

information provided by the result type, such as Input Unit System (U.S. Custom) and Output Unit
(Displacement).

If you create a user defined result and do not use the worksheet as the origin, you need to manually
enter an Expression and also define the Output Unit. These fields display with a yellow highlight to
indicate the required entries. See the User Defined Result Expressions (p. 1660) and Unit Descrip-
tion (p. 1665) sections for more information.

Once a user defined result is created, the advantage of the feature is your ability to further define
expressions using mathematical operators. For example, you can enter the mathematical combination
UX+UY in the Expression (p. 1660) field and then retrieve a new result.

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Using Results

Node-Based Scoping
In regard to usage, suppose two user defined results (with identifiers A and B, respectively) are scoped
to ScopeA and ScopeB. The algorithm to draw the contours for C = A + B (scoped to ScopeC) proceeds
as follows:

• The results A and B are combined on all common bodies (determined from ScopeA and ScopeB and
referred to as CommonBodies).

• The scope (ScopeC) of the newly defined result C is then employed: the contours of C are drawn on
the intersection of ScopeC and CommonBodies.

Note, each of ScopeA, ScopeB, and ScopeC can be any set of geometric entities: vertices, edges, faces,
bodies, or named selections (consisting of geometric entities or even nodes in the mesh).

Example 9: Nodal Scoping

Assumptions: A is scoped to bodies 1 and 2 and B is scoped to two faces, one in body 2 and one in
body 3. The combination C = A+B is scoped to two vertices, one in body 2, and the other in body 3.

Result: A+B will be computed on nodes common to the underlying bodies of A and B; these nodes
will exist only in body 2. Then the combination C = A + B will be displayed only on the vertex belonging
to body 2 (the one belonging to body 3 is not in the intersection of the two original scoping bodies).

User Defined Result Expressions

The term “expression” has more than one use when defining user defined results. An expression is:

• Primarily, the combination of mathematical values, based on syntax rules (p. 1662) and the available math
operations (p. 1662).

• A column displayed on the Solution Worksheet that indicates the result type.

• An entry field in the Details view of a user defined result where you enter mathematical values, such as
UX+UY+UZ.

Note:

You can use user defined result expressions across multiple combinations of environments
with limited functionality by using a Design Assessment (p. 1843) system. However, you can
not use it within standard Solution Combinations.

The example of the Solution Worksheet shown below highlights the Expression column.

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 User Defined Results

When a User Defined Result is applied (p. 1658), the content of the above column populates the Ex-
pression field of the user defined result's Detail View. In this case, UX.

The content of the Expression field can be modified using mathematical operators to further define
the expression. As shown below, you can combine the X, Y, and Z components and then retrieve a
new customized result.

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Using Results

Expression Syntax
Expressions support the following syntax:

• Operands: ( ‘+’, ‘-‘,’*’, ‘/’, ‘^’, ‘**’)

• Functions: (sqrt(), min()…) - always use lower case

• Numbers: (scalar quantities such as 1.0, 25, -314.23, or 2.5e12)

• Identifiers (p. 1663): unique user defined names

Supported Mathematical Operations

The following is a list of the mathematical operations currently supported for user defined results.
The shorthand notation "s" defines a single-valued quantity (constant values such as 1.34) and "a"
defines an array. An array is distinguished by its dimension which includes the length, based on the
number of rows (that is, number of nodes or elements), and the width, consisting of 1, 3, or 6 columns
depending on the type of result stored.

• Addition (+): s1+s2, a1+a2, a+s (s+a is not supported)

• Subtraction (-): s1-s2, a1-a2, a-s

• Multiplication (*): s1*s2, a1*a2, a*s, s*a

• Division (/): s1/s2, a1/a2, a/s

• Power of (^ or **): s1^s2, a1^a2, a^s, s^a, (undefined if s1 = 0 and s2 < 0 or if s1<0 and s2 is a non-integer).
The characters "**" perform the same action as the caret symbol (^) and you can use them interchangeably.

• Log base ten (log10): log10(s), log10(a), (s and a > 0.0)

• Square root (sqrt): sqrt(s), sqrt(a), (s and a should be >= 0.0)

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 User Defined Results

• Dot product (dot): dot(a1,a2) (results in a single-column array consisting of the inner products, one for
each row of a1 and a2; thus, a1, a2 should have the same dimensions)

• Cross product (cross): cross(a1,a2) (a1, a2 must have 3 columns)

• Add Comp (addcomp): addcomp(uvectors) = ux + uy + uz (If the argument uvectors has 3 columns, they
are added to produce a single-column array. If the argument is a single-column array, the result will be a
scalar summing all the array entries.)

• Maximum (max): s = max(s1,s2), a = max(a1,a2)

• Minimum (min): s = min(s1,s2), a = min(a1,a2)

• Absolute Value (abs): s = abs(s1), a=abs(a1)

• Trigonometric Functions (sin, cos, tan): sin(s), cos(s), tan(s), sin(a), cos(a), tan(a) (s and a are both in radians)

• Inverse Trigonometric Functions (asin, acos, atan): asin(s), acos(s), atan(s), asin(a), acos(a), atan(a) (return
values are in radians; where -1 <= s <= 1 and -1 <= a <=1 for asin and acos)

• atan2: atan2(s1,s2), atan2(a1,a2) (return values are in radians; calculates the arctangent of s1/s2 or a1/a2
and uses the sign of the arguments to determine the quadrant of the returned angle)

Note:

• The current expression list does not allow input parameters from the Parameter Workspace.
Only output parameters are allowed for Min and Max values of a user defined result.

• All operations involving two vector arrays must have the same dimensionality.

• Any result whose expression contains the addcomp function needs to be scoped to exactly
one body.

• You cannot perform mathematical operations directly within the Design Assessment system.
However, the Design Assessment system provides the ability to use python scripts to combine
results from various environment using highly complex, user defined mathematical functions.

User Defined Result Identifier

Each user defined result you create can be assigned a unique name using the Identifier field in the
Details view as illustrated below.

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User defined identifiers:

• Can begin with a letter or an underscore character.

• Can contain any number of letters, digits, or underscores.

• Are not case sensitive - however, functions (p. 1662) should always use lowercase (sqrt, max, min, etc.).

• Are not affected by the order in which they are entered. For example, for Identifiers A and B, the expression
for:

– User defined Result 1 can equal: B = 2*A, and:

– User Defined Result 2 can equal: A = UX

It is recommend that you use the proper order and try to define dependents first. For example,
define A, B, C and then D = A^2+B^2+C^2

• Cyclic dependencies are blocked, such as the following:

– User Defined Result 1: A = UX + C

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 User Defined Results

– User Defined Result 2: C = 2 * A - 1

• Correspond to an array over all nodes (or all elements):

– Length = number of nodes (or elements)

– Width = 1, 3, or 6 columns

An Identifier, together with Expression content (UX, UY, etc.), can be used in combination with
other user defined results. For example, using the Identifier MyResult, you could create the Expression:
sqrt(MyResult+UX+UY). In addition, if an Identifier is used in an expression, it must be scoped
to the same geometry.

It is recommended that when you assign an identifier to the expression of a user defined result, that
you rename the tree object with the same name/identifier.

Limitations of the User Defined Result Identifier

There are several problematic scenarios that can arise when you use the Identifier of an existing user
defined result to create a new user defined result. For each scenario, changing an item in the Details
view of the new result causes the new result to be unreliable.

For example, the Display Time of a User Defined Result is only relevant when the expression consists
of built-in identifiers. Unlike user defined identifiers, built-in identifiers retain their time dependence
through the evaluation of the expression. To reveal the built-in identifiers for a given solver, examine
the Worksheet view on the Solution folder.

Note that Mechanical may not necessarily issue a warning or error message for these situations.

Suppose the Identifier of the original result is "Original". Further, suppose that the Expression of
the new result is "2 * Original". Consider the following scenarios:

• Different choices of By Time or By Result Set

• Different choices of the value of Display Time or Set

• Different choices of Coordinate System

• Different choices of Yes/No for Calculate Time History

• Different choices for Use Average

Unit Description
The units of a user defined result are defined by the following Detail view settings:

• Input Unit System: A read-only field that displays the active Mechanical application unit system. To
evaluate an expression, a user defined result's units must be converted to the Input Unit System. As a
result, the expression is most easily verified when the intervening data is viewed in the Input Unit System.

• Output Unit: The physical dimension assigned to a user defined result. It determines which factors are
used to convert the result from its Input Unit System to the current unit system selection. A large list of
unit types is available. Because you can assign such a wide variety of unit types to a result, it is recommen-
ded that you choose carefully and be consistent.

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Using Results

Units are defined in a two step process.

1. Before you evaluate an expression, the units are converted to the Input Unit System.

2. Once evaluated, values are converted from the input system to the active Mechanical application unit
system using the appropriate factor.

For example, given the following user defined result expressions with MKS (m, kg, N, ºC, s, V, A) units:

• FORCE_MKS=FSUM

• STRESS_MKS=SEQV

• DISP_MKS=USUM

If you change the unit system to CGS (cm, g, dyne, ºC, s, V, A) and create a new user defined result
with Expression=FSUM+SEQV+USUM while assigning Volume as the Output Unit, you will produce
the following user-defined results:

Custom Identifier Expression Input Unit System Output Units

FORCE_MKS FSUM Metric (m, kg, N, s, V, A) Force
STRESS_MKS SEQV Metric (m, kg, N, s, V, A) Stress
DISPL_MKS USUM Metric (m, kg, N, s, V, A) Displacement
VOLUME_CGS FSUM+SEQV+USUM Metric (cm, g, dyne, s, V, A) Volume

The expression VOLUME_CGS is easy to verify for its Input Unit System, CGS. If FSUM=3 dyne, SEQV=17
dyne/cm² and USUM=2 cm, (as seen in when CGS is selected in the Mechanical application),
VOLUME_CGS produces the value 22 cm³. Any subsequent changes to the unit system in the Mech-
anical application cause each of the user defined results to convert based on their required factors.
In this manner, VOLUME_CGS will use a factor of 1000 to convert from Metric CGS to Metric mm,
because it represents a Volume. FORCE_MKS, STRESS_MKS and DISPL_MKS will convert differently,
based on the selected Output Units.

User Defined Results for the Mechanical APDL Solver

Refer to the PRNSOL and PRESOL command pages in the Mechanical APDL application Commands
Reference for descriptions of most Component and Expression entries in the table. Some other
entries are self-explanatory (SUM for example). VECTORS refer to vector plot (p. 1473) results that include
arrows in the display.

The following tables include descriptions of additional user defined result names not included in the
PRESOL/PRNSOL listings. The Solution object Worksheet lists these result options following a solution
(see Application (p. 1658)).

Node-Based Results
The following table lists the available expressions that you can use to define your User Defined Result.
Node-based user defined results are most often associated with degree of freedom solutions (like
nodal reactions).

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 User Defined Results

Name Description
R Nodal rotations in a structural analysis (analogous to PRNS,ROT)
OMG Nodal rotational velocities in a structural transient dynamic analysis (analogous to PRNS,OMG)
DOMG Nodal rotational accelerations in a structural transient dynamic analysis (analogous to
PRNS,DMG)
MVP_AZ Nodal Z magnetic vector potential in an axisymmetric electromagnetic analysis (analogous
to PRNS,A)
LOC Nodal locations (x,y,z)
LOC_DEF Deformed nodal locations (x+ux,y+uy,z+uz)
F Nodal structural forces (reaction)1
M Nodal structural moments (reaction)1
CSG Nodal magnetic current segments (reaction)
HEAT Nodal thermal heat flow (reaction)
AMPS Nodal electric current (reaction)
NDIR Nodal THXY, THYZ, and THZX values. The NDIRVECTORS display consists of triads.
REULER Structural rotations displayed as Euler triads.
UACOUSTICNodal displacement for an Acoustic Environment which equals the pressure value divided
by the product of density and gravity.

1 - When user defined results FX, FY, FZ, FSUM, and FVECTORS (and MX, MY, MZ, MSUM, and
MVECTORS) are scoped to a path, then it is possible that no contours will be displayed. The reason
is that these types of forces/moments are solved only at constrained nodes. The result value at a path
point is interpolated from the nodal values of the elements that contain the path point. If a path
point touches an element in which some nodes have undefined reactions, then Mechanical cannot
properly interpolate the nodal values for the path point. No contour color is displayed at such a path
point.

Element-Based Results
The following table lists the available expressions that you can use to define your element-based User
Defined Result. Element-based user defined results can exist at the nodes (like stress and strain) or
can exist at the centroid (like volume).

Name Description
AI Element nodal acoustic intensity (pressure times the complex conjugate of the acoustic
velocity vector). Components include AIX, AIY, AIZ, AISUM, and AIVECTORS.

Note:

This result is evaluated using pressure and velocity results at the corner
nodes. For high order elements, mid-side node values are calculated by
the post-processor based on corner node values.

SPSD Element nodal equivalent stress as calculated by the solver.

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Name Description
SFPRES Surface pressure load applied to SOLID187 elements in models with cracks. The load is
defined by the SF command in the solution. The SFPRES result is displayed as a vector
normal to the element face.
ELEMENTAL_REAL
Element real data from the Mechanical APDL R command.
ELEMENTAL_STATUS
Element birth/death status associated with the EKILL command. If element is DEAD, the
status is 1; if element is not DEAD, status is 0..
EPCREQV_RST Element nodal equivalent creep strain as calculated by the solver.
EPELEQV_RST Element nodal equivalent elastic strain as calculated by the solver.
EPPLEQV_RST Element nodal equivalent plastic strain as calculated by the solver.
EPTTEQV_RST Element nodal equivalent total strain (plus thermal strain) as calculated by the solver,
that is, EPTTEQV_RST is total mechanical and thermal strain: EPTTEQV_RST = EPELEQV_RST
+ EPPLEQV_RST + EPCREQV_RST + EPTHEQV_RST.
EPTOEQV_RST Element nodal equivalent total strain as calculated by the solver, that is, EPTOEQV_RST
is total mechanical strain: EPTOEQV_RST = EPELEQV_RST + EPPLEQV_RST + EPCREQV_RST.
ETOP Element nodal densities used for topological optimization (same as TOPO).
BEAM Element nodal beam stresses: direct, minimum bending, maximum bending, minimum
combined, maximum combined.
SVAR Element nodal state variable data.
CONTJHEA Element nodal Joule heat for CONTA174.
CONTFORC Element nodal contact normal forces for CONTA175.
BEAM_AXIAL_FElement nodal axial force vectors for BEAM188/189.
BEAM_BENDING_M
Element nodal bending moment vectors for BEAM188/189.
BEAM_TORSION_M
Element nodal torsion moment vectors for BEAM188/189.
BEAM_SHEAR_F
Element nodal shear force vectors for BEAM188/189.
PIPE_INTERNAL_PRESSURE
Internal pressure at integration point for PIPE288.
PIPE_EXTERNAL_PRESSURE
External pressure at integration point for PIPE288.
PIPE_EFFECTIVE_TENSION
Effective tension at integration point for PIPE288.
PIPE_HOOP_STRESS
Maximum Hoop Stress at integration point for PIPE288/PIPE289.
ENFO Element nodal reaction forces for structural analyses.
ENMO Element nodal reaction moments for structural analyses.
EHEAT Element nodal heat values for thermal analyses.
CURRENTSEG Element nodal magnetic current segments.
VOLUME Element volumes.
ENERGY Element potential and kinetic energies.
RIGID_ANG Element Euler angles for MASS21 elements (rotation about x-axis, rotation about y-axis,
rotation about z-axis).
CONTSMISC Element summable miscellaneous data for contact elements. CONTSMISC is completely
analogous in implementation to SMISC (see “User Defined Results Not Displayed in
Worksheet” below), except that CONTSMISC, for display purposes, extrapolates the single
elemental value to the corner nodes.

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Name Description
CONTNMISC Element non-summable miscellaneous data for contact elements. CONTNMISC is
completely analogous in implementation to NMISC (see “User Defined Results Not
Displayed in Worksheet” below), except that CONTSMISC, for display purposes, extrapolates
the single elemental value to the corner nodes.
EDIR Elemental THXY, THYZ, and THZX values: (1) currently only angles of first node in solution
record are employed; (2) the EDIRVECTORS display consists of triads.
ECENT Element centroids (x,y,z)
PNUMTYPE Element type reference numbers.
PNUMREAL Real constant set numbers.
PNUMMAT Material set numbers.
PNUMSEC Section numbers.
PNUMESYS Element coordinate system numbers (note: a 0 value corresponds to the global Cartesian
system).
PNUMELEM Mechanical APDL element ID.
PNUMENAM Mechanical APDL element identifying number (such as 181 for SHELL181 elements).
CONTPNUMTYPE
Element type reference numbers for contact elements.
CONTPNUMREAL
Real constant set numbers for contact elements.
CONTPNUMMAT
Material set numbers for contact elements.
CONTPNUMSEC
Section numbers for contact elements.
CONTPNUMESYS
Element coordinate system numbers for contact elements.
CONTPNUMELEM
Mechanical APDL Element ID for contact elements.
CONTPNUMENAM
Mechanical APDL element identifying number for contact elements.
SMISC Element summable miscellaneous data.
NMISC Element non-summable miscellaneous data.
EFFNU_ZERO_EPTOEQV
Element nodal equivalent total strain (EPEL + EPPL + EPCR) as calculated by the
post-processor.

For average results, the solver averages the element nodal component strains at
common nodes and performs a Von Mises calculation with effective Poisson's Ratio
set to ZERO.
EFFNU_ZERO_EPTTEQV
Element nodal equivalent total strain plus thermal strain (EPEL + EPPL + EPCR +
EPTH) as calculated by the post-processor.

For average results, the solver averages the element nodal component strains at
common nodes and performs a Von Mises calculation with effective Poisson's Ratio
set to ZERO.
LAYNUMBER Number of layers, as defined by the section database, for a shell element. If no
section database exists, the number of layers is displayed as zero.
LAYTHICK Thickness of a layer, as defined by the section database, for a shell element. The
layer number is specified using the Layer property. If the Layer property is set to
Entire Section, the thickness of the entire element is displayed.
LAYMATERIAL Material number for an element, displayed in a manner similar to Mechanical APDL's
graphic for /PNUM,MAT,1. If a shell element contains layers defined by the section

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Name Description
database and if the Layer property is set to a layer number greater than 0, then the
material number for the layer is displayed.
LAYANGLE Angle of a layer's coordinate system with respect to the element coordinate system,
as defined by the section database, for a shell element. The layer number is specified
by the Layer property. If the Layer property is set to Entire Section, a value of zero
is displayed.
LAYOFFY Section offset in the Y direction, as defined by the section database, for a shell
element. The Y offset is the same for all layers.
THERMAL_FLUID_HT_COND_RATE
Rate of fluid flow through a specified Line Body (p. 650).
THERMAL_FLUID_FLOW_RATE
Heat flow rate due to conduction within the fluid of a Line Body.
MESH_ELEMENT_QUALITY
Composite quality of meshed elements.
MESH_ASPECT_RATIO
Aspect ratio for triangles and quadrilaterals of meshed elements.
MESH_JACOBIAN_RATIO
Jacobian Ratio of meshed elements.
MESH_WARPING_FACTOR
Warping Factor of meshed elements.
MESH_PARALLEL_DEVIATION
Parallel Deviation of meshed elements.
MESH_MAXIMUM_CORNER_ANGLE
Maximum Corner Angle of meshed elements.
MESH_SKEWNESS
Skewness of meshed elements.

Note:

The section database is created by the Mechanical APDL SECDATA command.

Using this data, you can explicitly define your user defined result, such as total deformation by using
the component deformations across all of the nodes in the model, identified by UX, UY, and UZ. You
can use these component values to mathematically produce a user defined result for total deformation:
SQRT(UX^2+UY^2+UZ^2).

Notes
Please review the following specific characteristics for certain User Defined Results.

Display Option
If the Display Option is set to:

• Averaged: For ENFO, EHEAT, and CURRENTSEG, the result at each node represents the sum (or
contributions) of all the elements that contain the node.

• Unveraged: The ENFO result is analogous to PLESOL,FORCE.

SPSD Result
SPSD is a User Defined Result that is unique to the Mechanical APDL result file. For any element
that supports stresses, the SPSD result represents the equivalent stress, for each corner node in the
element, as stored on the result file. Hence, SPSD is the equivalent stress as calculated by the
Mechanical APDL solver for the corner nodes. For this result, SPSD is the expression displayed in
the Type column and Stress is displayed in the Output Unit column. Prior to release 13.0, SPSD
represented the equivalent stress as calculated from component stresses during postprocessing,
that is, it was not calculated by the Mechanical APDL solver.

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Contact Results
By default, Contact Results (p. 1535) (accessible through User Defined Results (p. 1656) via CONTSTAT
or CONTFLUX) are not written to the result file in a thermal analysis.

PNUM Command
Displays of /PNUM results are analogous to EPLOTs with the following commands in Mechanical
APDL:

• /PNUM,TYPE,1

• /PNUM,REAL,1

• /PNUM,MAT,1

• /PNUM,SEC,1

• /PNUM,ESYS,1

• /PNUM,ELEM,1

For example, the range of the values of the PNUMTYPE result vary from the smallest element
type to the largest element type, as created by ANSYS ET commands.

Important:

Mechanical supports up to 200 SVAR results (SVAR1, ..., SVAR200). Do not exceed
this value. If more than 200 SVAR results exist in the result file, Mechanical does
not evaluate or display any SVAR results. All SVAR results in the result file are ig-
nored.

Note:

• PNUM results are available for all analysis types.

• When you are analyzing shell elements, the PNUMMAT result displays a Material
Number for each layer when the following conditions are met:

– The shell element contains layers defined by the section database (via SECDATA
command).

And...

– The Layer property of the User Defined Result is set to a number greater than 0.

PLESOL Command - Non-Linear Analyses

For non-linear analyses, user defined results corresponding to Mechanical APDL PLESOL commands
with NL as an Item are available with the following components:

• SEPL• PLWK

• SRAT
• CRWK

• HPRE
• ELWK

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• EPEQ
• SGYT

• PSV• PEQT

Although there are no user defined results with SEND in Mechanical, you can use the following:

Use For This:

This:
NLPLWK PLESOL,SEND,PLASTIC
NLCRWK PLESOL,SEND,CREEP
NLELWK PLESOL,SEND,ELASTIC

User Defined Results Not Displayed in Worksheet

For the Mechanical APDL solver, there are User Defined Results associated with summable miscellaneous
data (SMISC) and non-summable miscellaneous data (NMISC) on the result file. These results are not
listed in the Solution Worksheet. Because this data can be voluminous, by default, Mechanical does
not write it to the result file for all element types in the model (examples of MISC records always
written to the result file include beam, joint, and spring element types). You activate miscellaneous
output for all elements or just contact elements using the Output Controls (p. 1151) available in the
Details of the Analysis Settings (p. 1109) object. Mechanical has adopted a convention that miscellaneous
data for contact elements be called CONTSMISC and CONTNMISC. This means that SMISC and NMISC
data will only display on non-contact elements and that CONTSMISC and CONTNMISC data will only
display on contact elements. You can also request and store state variables such as USERMAT or
USERCREEP if you wish to utilize user-defined materials. Like miscellaneous data, SMISC and NMISC,
the state variables do not display in the Solution Worksheet. You access state variables using the ex-
pression field entry SVAR followed by the state variable number.

To display these results:

1. Select the User Defined Result option on the Solution (p. 2211) Context tab.

2. In the Details view Expression field, type the string SMISC or NMISC followed by the sequence number
which indicates the desired datum.

For example, to display the 2nd sequence number for SMISC, enter SMISC2 for the Expression. The
graphics contour display will be similar to the Mechanical APDL display for the command
PLESOL,SMISC,2. When you evaluate this result, the Details view will show no units and no coordinate
system for this data. That is, no unit conversions and no coordinate transformations are performed.
If you enter a data expression that does not exist on the result file, the result will not be evaluated.
To display the 2nd sequence number for summable miscellaneous data on scoped contact elements,
enter CONTSMISC2 for the Expression.

Limitations of Vector Displays

The following limitations are associated with vector display for user defined results:

• BEAM_SHEAR_FVECTORS (based upon section shear forces, SFy and SFz, in the BEAM188 SMISC record).

• BEAM_BENDING_MVECTORS (based upon the bending moments, My and Mz, in the BEAM188 SMISC
record).

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 User Defined Criteria

The beam is defined by nodes I(end 1) and J(end 2) and an optional orientation node K. Depending
upon direction from node I to node J, the displayed vector for these results may be flipped 180 degrees.

User Defined Criteria

Overview
You create user-defined criteria using the Primary Criterion object/option. The feature enables you to
create an averaged or maximum result value from a displacement nodal field. You determine the vector
field using scoping (geometry or mesh) on your model. The primary purpose of the Composite Criterion
object/option is to combine multiple scalar criterion (Primary Criterion objects) into a single scalar
value.

These options are available from the Solution Context tab (p. 24).

You can use the data generated by the Primary Criterion object as an output parameter (p. 1837) or
during a Topology Optimization analysis (p. 447), it can be specified as an option for the Criteria property
of a Response Constraint (p. 464) and then specify the constraint in an Objective (p. 460) object.

Primary Criterion and Composite Criterion

Primary Criterion
To calculate a singular scalar value from a deformed result for the Primary Criterion option, the application
captures the result data for a given load step (at a specific time) for all displaced nodes (in the Nodal Co-
ordinate System) and then produces either an averaged or a maximum value of all displaced node values.

For the Spatial Reduction Average result:

Where:

is the number of nodes in the set,

NodeSet is the set of nodes defined by the scoping,
at load step (given by the Step property selection),
and in the direction (X, Y, or Z, specified by the Vector Reduction property) ,
denoted by .

For the Spatial Reduction Absolute Maximum result:

(as described above)

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The Absolute Maximum calculation uses the absolute values of the displacement result.

Review the example of the Details view for the Primary Criterion object shown below. Note that
the category labels and their properties guide this calculation based on: Load Step Selection,
Vector Reduction for a specified axis, and Spatial Reduction.

Composite Criterion
Using the Composite Criterion object, you combine several primary criteria into a single scalar value. The
composite criteria is computed as a weighted sum of Primary Criteria.

Where:

is the composite criterion value.

are respectively the weights and primary criteria values.

Application
Once you insert the Primary Criterion object, specify Details view properties as described below.

Category Property/Description
Definition Base Result: This read-only property specifies the type of nodal vector field fro
the extraction occurs. Currently the only option supported is Displacement.

Value: This read-only property displays the calculated displacement value follo
Scoping Scoping Method: You can scope the object to a geometric entity (Vertex, Edg
Body) using the Geometry option or to a node-based Named Selection or a
geometry-based Named Selection using the Named Selection option.
Load Step Selection Step: Specify the desired Load Step (p. 1110) for which to compute the criterio
Vector Reduction Coordinate System: This is a read-only property whose default is the applicat
generated Nodal Coordinate System (p. 1452).

Vector Reduction: You use this property to specify the axial component from
extract node values.
Spatial Reduction Spatial Reduction: This property enables you to specify the computation met
produce a scalar value from the vector field on multiple nodes. Options includ
(default) and Absolute Maximum.

Combine Criterion
For one or more defined Primary Criterion objects, you can use the Composite Criterion option. When
inserted, the Worksheet displays automatically. Using the table and its options, add the Primary Criterion
objects you wish to combine. You need to add a row for each object. As needed, specify Coefficient
values for your entries.

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 Result Utilities

Once solved, the Composite Criterion result is displayed by the Value property.

Result Utilities
The following topics related to result utilities are covered in this section.
Automatic Result Creation for All Result Sets
Adaptive Convergence
Animation
Capped Isosurfaces
Dynamic Legend
Exporting Results
Generating Reports
Local Minimum and Maximum Probes
Renaming Results Based on Definition
Results Legend
Results Tab
Waterfall Diagram Display Features

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Solution Combinations

Automatic Result Creation for All Result Sets

For a solved result in the tree Outline the contextual (right-click) menu Create Results at All Sets
enables you to automatically create one or more results, that are grouped, for all of the available
result sets for the selected result item. The associated result sets are read from the solver generated
result file.

Note:

This feature is not supported for:

• Design Assessment, Explicit Dynamics, Response Spectrum, Random Vibration, or Topology

Optimization analyses

• Probe Results

• Fracture Tool

• Fatigue Tool

• Composite Failure Tool

Example Application
The following example illustrates the process for using this feature. This example includes multiple
load steps, as shown in the first image.

Once solved, the Tabular Data is as follows.

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 Result Utilities

You select a desired result, right-click, and select Create Results at All Sets. The application automat-
ically creates a result for each time point.

Adaptive Convergence
See the Adaptive Convergence (p. 1752) topic in the Understanding Solving section of the ANSYS
Mechanical User's Guide.

Animation
The Animation feature displays in the Graph window when you select a result object in the Mechan-
ical application. Here is an example of the Graph window with a result object selected.

The specific Animation functions are presented below.

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Control Description
Play: Initiates a new animation.

Pause: Pauses an existing animation. Choosing Play after Pause

does not generate new animation frames. When the animation
(same toolbar location as Play) is paused, as you move the cursor across the graph, the cursor's
appearance changes to a double horizontal arrow when you
hover over the current frame indicator. With the cursor in this
state, you can drag the frame indicator to define a new current
frame. The result graphic will update accordingly.
Stop: Halts a result animation. Choosing Play after Stop
generates new animation frames.
Previous Frame and Next Frame: These two buttons reverse
or advance the animation frame by frame.
Distributed: For static analyses, frames display linearly
interpolated results. Frame 1 represents the initial state of the
model and the final frame represents the final results calculated
by the solver.

For stepped and transient analyses, the frames in Distrib-

uted mode are distributed over a time range selected in
the graph.1 (p. 1680)
Result Sets: (available only for stepped and transient
simulations) Frames represent the actual result sets that were
generated by the solver.1 (p. 1680)
Frames: Select the number of frames in the animation. This
setting applies the display of your animation and to any
exported animations, except the GIF file format.
Time: Select the desired amount of time for the entire
animation. This setting applies the display of your animation
and to any exported animations, except the GIF file format.
Export Video File: This option enables you to save your
animation. Supported video file types include AVI, MP4, WMV,
and GIF files. You can specify a desired number of frames and
time when exporting an animation using the Frames and Time
options above. The default settings for Frames and Time are
20 and 2, respectively. This gives you a default frame rate of
10 frames per second. Note that if you specify a high number
of frames with a low Time setting, and therefore a very rapid
frame rate, the quality of the exported animation is affected.

Note:

• When exporting, make sure that you keep the

Mechanical module window in front of other
windows until the exporting is complete.
Opening other windows in front of the module
window before the exporting is complete may

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 Result Utilities

Control Description

cause those windows to be included in the

file capture.

• The GIF file format does not support the

Workbench Gradient settings (the default
setting). For this file format, the application
automatically changes the Workbench
appearance setting to Uniform. As a result,
exported GIF files have a plain background
compared to exported videos.

• You can use the Options dialog to enable the

ability to export AVI animation files using
Microsoft Windows API on the Windows
platform. See the description for the Anima-
tion Export category in the Graphics (p. 146)
topic of the Specifying Options (p. 138) section
for more information.

Zoom to Fit Animation: When turned on, Mechanical

loops through all the time steps to compute an auto scale
factor that will accommodate the displacement for a full
range of time steps and makes sure that the animation fits
properly (is scaled) within the Geometry window. For more
information on auto scale factors, see Result Context
Tab (p. 24).

When turned off, Mechanical uses the current result scale

factor for animation. While this option results in increased
animation speed, you may experience some distortion
if the current display time has a displacement that is much
smaller than the peak displacement through which the
animation occurs.
Update Contour Range at Each Animation Frame: By
default, the animation feature displays the global range
of result values over all of the available frames. When you
select this option, you animate the result on a frame by
frame basis. That is, the animation changes so that at each
frame, the entire range of result values for that frame (only)
is used. Therefore, for each frame, the application displays
the minimum and maximum values for the result, at that
frame, for the contour values of the legend and for the
contour result. As a result, the legend dynamically changes
from frame to frame and the result contours always display
the full range of colors from blue (or the color representing
the minimum value on the legend) to red (or the color
representing the maximum value on the legend).

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Control Description
Animation with Attached Camera: Visualization technique
that makes a selected rigid body appear to be fixed during
the animation with all other bodies moving relative to it.
This Keyframe Animation option becomes available once
you have opened the Keyframe Animation (p. 166) window
using the option on the Graphics toolbar (p. 49). When
selected, your result animates according to the defined
keyframes. The feature requires that you have defined at
least two keyframes.

Selecting the checkbox beside this option, which activates

by default when the you select the keyframe option in
Animation tool, synchronizes the frames of your original
animation to your defined keyframes.
Damped Modal Animation: This option turns on time decay
animation of complex modes in a Modal Analysis (p. 283) that
has damping applied. This button is not available (grayed out)
for any of the following:

• Any analysis type other than modal.

• Any modal analysis whose Damped setting (under Solver

Controls (p. 1117)) is set to No.

• Any modal analysis whose Damped setting is set to Yes, and

whose Solver Type is set to Reduced Damped, and Store
Complex Solution is set to No.

1 - For stepped and transient simulations, as you move the cursor across the graph, the cursor's ap-
pearance changes to a scope icon for solved solution points.

Beta option: Currently, there is a Video Resolution Export. beta capability available for the Animation
feature.

Animation Behavior
Depending upon the type of simulation that you perform, the behavior of the resulting animation
varies.

For a static analysis with one time step or a Modal analysis, the animation progresses forward
and then backwards in a continuous motion.
For simulations that have more than one associated time or step range, the animation begins at
the initial time or step value, progresses to the final set, and then stops and starts at zero again
(forward animation only).
For transient and stepped simulations that have an associated time or step range, the animation
begins at the initial time or step value, progresses to the final set, and then stops and starts at
zero again. It does not traverse backward as it does for static simulations.

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As illustrated below, you may also select a specific time period to animate that is a subset of the total
time. To do so, drag the mouse through the time period in the graph. The selected time period turns
blue. Click the Play button to animate only through that period. While that specific period is playing,
you can right-click the mouse to receive the options to Pause, Stop, or to Zoom To Range, which
expands the defined period across the entire graph.

The following demo is presented as an animated GIF. View online if you are reading the PDF version of
the help. Interface names and other components shown in the demo may differ from those in the released
product.

Note:

• In the event your result file includes a result set with no values, the animation ignores that
result set.

• In a dynamic analysis, probe animation for joints is only supported if there is at least one rigid
body. See Probes (p. 1462).

• For a Modal analysis, rigid bodies are not currently auto-scaled during animations and as a
result may not display accurately.

• When animating mode shapes with color contours, be aware that the shapes are animated by
scaling the displacements from 1 to 0 to -1 to 0 to 1 in a full cycle, but the corresponding
contours are animated by scaling their values from 1 to 0 to 1 to 0 to 1 over the same cycle.
You can correct this display limitation by setting a variable (p. 158) (TreatModalAsComplex
= 1)

Animation with Attached Camera

The attached camera allows the animation of rigid bodies in such a way that the selected body appears
not to move during the animation and all others move relative to it. The animation with the attached
camera is strictly a visualization technique and not a post processing computation.

Note:

The attached camera can only be used for rigid bodies in a Rigid Dynamics analysis and
bodies that have a dimensionally reduced mesh in Explicit Dynamics or Transient Structural
analyses.

To use the attached camera:

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1. Click the result in the Outline that you want to animate.

2. Click the attached camera icon in the animation toolbar to enable the feature. The icon will remain
outlined when enabled.

3. The body picking filter will be selected by default when the attached camera is active. Pick the body
that you want to attach the camera to (the selected body will turn green).

4. At this point, either you can click on the attached camera icon in the mini toolbar, or right click the
body and choose Select Body for Attached Camera from the menu. The body will turn pink.

Note:

These two options will only appear if the selected body is a valid candidate for the at-
tached camera animation.

5. Reorient the model in the graphics window as you want to see it during the animation.

6. Play the animation. The selected body (pink) appears fixed. All other bodies move relative to it. Compare
below the regular animation (top) and the attached camera animation (bottom).

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7. To unselect the body you attached the camera to, click on the selected body and click the attached
camera icon in the mini toolbar, or right click the body and choose Select Body for Attached Camera
from the menu.

8. To deactivate the attached camera, click the icon again (the outline will disappear when it is disabled).

Note:

Limitations:

• When you try to pick a body in a result, the transient highlighting will follow the original geo-
metry. This may not align with the displayed position of the result (which is usually different
from the initial timestep and often the position at the last timestep). In order to pick the body
aligned with the original geometry, we recommend retrieving the result closer to the initial
timestep.

Additionally, you can select a body for the attached camera by clicking Geometry in the
Outline while the animation is stopped and picking the body in the Graphics window.
Note that you will not see the body turn pink until you click the result in the Outline.

• For analyses that are not pure Rigid Dynamics (for example Explicit Dynamics containing
bodies with dimensionally reduced mesh and mixed Rigid Dynamics containing flexible bodies)
we recommend changing the result Deformation Scale Factor to 1.0 (True Scale).

• Once the animation starts playing with the attached camera enabled, the orientation of the
camera cannot be modified (i.e. Rotate, Pan and Zoom will not work).

• If you attach the camera to the same body that is scoped to a result probe, the body will not
turn pink; it will keep the color of the result scoping.

Capped Isosurfaces
The Capped IsoSurfaces group represents a set of all points that equal a specified result value
within the range of values for the result with additional features. This option provides three display

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selections. A display based on all points of a specified result, all points equal to and less than the
specified result, and all points equal to and greater than the specified result value. You select this
option from the Geometry drop-down menu on the Result Context Tab (p. 24).

The option has a corresponding ribbon group as shown below.

The value for the isosurface is set by the slider or entry field (specified result value). The slider repres-
ents the range from minimum to maximum for the selected result. Slider setting changes require you
to click in the Geometry window to redisplay the result values in the legend.

The three options control the display, and include:

Iso
This option displays isosurface values equal to the specified slider or entry field value.

Top
This option displays isosurface values that are less than the specified slider or entry field value.

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Bottom
This option displays isosurface values that are greater than the specified slider or entry field value.

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Note:

Because of internal tolerance calculations, there are times when this view feature may
present color inconsistencies between what is shown on the results legend versus what
is displayed in the Geometry window.

Dynamic Legend
The dynamic legend feature helps you display result ranges and contour colors associated with visible
elements. You can use the dynamic legend feature when you slice a body (p. 198) or hide bodies in
an assembly. When you apply the dynamic legend feature to a sliced body, Mechanical repositions
the Min and Max annotations to the lowest and highest result values displayed on the sliced body.
For models that include multiple bodies the maximum and minimum result values can occur at the
joined surfaces even if these surfaces are not visible.

As illustrated in the sequence below for an example slice, to update the legend and view the result
ranges for the visible elements: right-click the legend and select Adjust to Visible.

Note:

When you are viewing a result using the Capped Isosurfaces option (via the Geo-
metry (p. 29) drop-down menu on the Result Context Tab (p. 24)), and the minimum
or maximum value of a result occurs on the inside of your geometry and not on the
exterior, the Adjust to Visible option will not display expected contour colors.

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Adjusting the legend to visible elements only updates the legend colors, values, the Min and Max
values as well as the annotations for these values, and adds the label "Custom" to the legend annotation
information.

A change to the visibility of a part, displaying all parts again for example, or removing parts from the
current display, adds the label "Custom Obsolete" to the legend annotation information. This indicates
that the custom display is no longer accurate. It is displaying the values of the previous display (legend
colors and values, the Min and Max values and annotation location, etc.), shown above, associated
with a part being hidden. You need to select the Adjust to Visible option again to re-display the
contours or select the Reset All option to display the original contours.

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To restore the legend display for the entire body after you disable the slice or hide command, right-
click the legend, and then click Reset All to view the result ranges for the entire body. If you do not
reset the legend to show result range for the entire body after disabling the slice or hide command,
Mechanical displays the out of range values with colors not included in the legend.

Note:

This dynamic legend behavior does not apply to Probe annotations.

Exporting Results
The data associated with result objects can be exported in Text (.txt) and Excel (.xls) file format
by right-clicking on the desired result object and selecting the Export option. Once executed, you
define a filename and then select the file type. An Excel file automatically opens providing the node
numbers and the corresponding result data.

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Exporting Node Results

In addition to a general export of all result data, you can also manually select results for one or more
nodes and export data for those nodes only.

To export node results:

1. Select the desired result object.

2. Select the Node filter on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49).

3. As needed, select a desired selection tool in the Select Mode menu (also on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49)).

You may wish to review the Selecting Nodes (p. 179) section of the Help.

4. Select the desired nodes on the result plot.

5. In the graphics window, right-click the mouse and select Export Node Results. You are prompted to
save the data in .txt format. You may also select to save the data as an Excel file. Once you save the
file, an Excel file automatically opens providing the node numbers and the corresponding result data.

Note:

• Path Results (p. 1454), Surface Results (p. 1460), and Crack-based results do not support this feature.

• Results scoped to elements or element-based named selections do not support this feature.

Generating Reports
See the Report Preview (p. 105) section.

Local Minimum and Maximum Probes

For nodal results such as displacements, and element nodal results such as stresses and strains, the
application provides the context menu (right-click) options Create Local Max Probes (K) and Create
Local Min Probes (L), as illustrated below. The options are available on the menu when the Geometry
window has focus. As shown on the context menu, the K and L keys also activate the options. Once
you have probes labels displayed, re-selecting these options replots your result data or updates the
locations and values if you have made a change.

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Requirements
Note the following requirements for this feature:

• Only displays labels on active (not suppressed or hidden) parts.

• Can only display result values available on exterior faces.

• Does not support results scoped to either a Path or Surface.

• Does not support beam element structure.

Note:

Currently there is a beta option to Create Local Volume Min/Max Probes. Follow the link
to review the documentation on this beta feature.

Graphics Annotations
When activated, these options display probe labels for the largest (Max) and smallest (Min) result
values within the local range, as illustrated below. The number of probe labels displayed is based on
the amount of result data. The default value for this display is six (6) labels. As desired, you can change
this default setting under the Graphics (p. 146) preference of the Options (p. 138) dialog. You can
specify the number of labels to display (for each - Min and Max) from between 1-20.

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Note that the application automatically displays the Graphics Annotations Window (p. 130) along
with the probe labels. Selecting a table cell in the Value column or a cell of the Association column
or selecting the annotation label in the Geometry window, highlights the annotation in the table as
well as in the Geometry window, as illustrated below.

In addition, as you use this feature to display labels from multiple results, the data is added to the
Graphics Annotations window. Therefore, you may see more than one table entry with the same
Note value (e.g., Max 6). The Associated column displays the result object that corresponds to the
row. In order to remove the labels from your Geometry window display, you need to delete them
individually or all together using the delete options of the Graphics Annotations window.

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Display Options
These options support nodal results and averaged element nodal results. For element nodal results,
you can change the setting of the Display Options property (Integration Point Results category)
in the Details view of the selected result. These maximum and minimum probe options support the
following display options only: Averaged (default), Nodal Difference, and Nodal Fraction. If you
select the option Averaged, you can also set the Average Across Bodies property to Yes to enhance
the display of minimum and maximum probes if they are located at shared nodes of multiple bodies.
See the Averaged vs. Unaveraged Contour Results (p. 1489) section of the Help for additional information.

Renaming Results Based on Definition

The option Rename Based on Definition is available when you right mouse click any result (under
Solution objects), or any Result Tracker (p. 1745) (under Solution Information (p. 1735) objects). When
you choose this option, the Mechanical application automatically renames the result or Result
Tracker based on the selected parts (for example, Temperature can be renamed to Temperature -
Tube, or Directional Deformation can be renamed to Directional Deformation - All Bodies).

Results Legend
By default, the legend for a selected result displays basic information, including:

• Name

• Type

• Units

• Step End Time

• Time and date

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Review the following topics in order to customize and manage the annotations and content of your
result legend:

• Customizing Legend Content (p. 1693)

• Creating and Managing Legend Schemes (p. 1694)

• Customizing the Contour Range (p. 1694)

• Customization Limitations (p. 1695)

Customizing Legend Content

Using the right-click (context) menu, you can customize the legend's content.

• Named Legends: a name can represent the following data:

– Number of contours

– Color scheme

– Color overrides per band

– Value break per break, either automatic or numeric

• Vertical: view the result contours color spectrum vertically (default).

• Horizontal: view the result contours color spectrum horizontally.

• Date and Time: toggle Date and Time on and off.

• Deformation Scale Factor: For deformation results, this option turns on (or off ) a legend annotation
of your scaling menu (p. 25) selection.

• Max, Min on Color Bar: shows extremes when checked. If unchecked, they appear in the title book.

• Logarithmic Scale: displays result values.

• High Fidelity: Use this option when color display issues (p. 1695) occur on the model due to customiz-
ation. For example, when you are interactively probing a contour result that has a customized legend
and the interval between adjacent bands is much smaller (at least less than one thousandth) compared
with the full min-max range, this option replots and improves the synchronization of the values of
the probes with the colors on the model as well as the corresponding color/range in the legend.

• All Scientific Notation: displays result values.

• Digits: specifies the number if significant digits for result values. The default is 3. Options include 2
through 8.

• Independent Bands: Use to set the alarm color representing the maximum/minimum contour range.
The following choices are available:

– None (default)

– Top

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– Bottom

– Top and Bottom

• Color Scheme: used to change the color spectrum. The choices available are:

– Rainbow (default)

– Reverse Rainbow

– Grayscale

– Reverse Grayscale

– Reset Colors

• Semi transparency

• Adjust to Visible

• Reset All

Creating and Managing Legend Schemes

The Named Legends menu option provides additional options that enable you to save a customized
legend scheme. The New option saves the current legend and places it in the list of available legends
available from this menu option. Any changes to the legend are included. You can create an inde-
pendent variation of a named legend by choosing Unnamed or New. The option Unnamed is the
default. The Unnamed option indicates that the legend can be edited independently.

The Mange option opens a dialog that lists all available legends and it includes additional capabilities:

• Import: Import a previously created legend scheme.

• Export: Export a legend scheme.

• Rename: Rename the current legend scheme.

• Delete: Delete the current legend scheme.

Checked named legends appear in the legend context menu by default for new databases only.

Customizing the Contour Range

Placing the mouse pointer over a contour color of the legend and right-clicking the mouse provides
the following additional context menu options:

• Custom Color: a pop-up color appears when you right-click a color band. The same color can be
used for more than one band.

• Automatic Color: the default color is restored.

Placing the mouse pointer over a value on the legend and right-clicking the mouse provides the fol-
lowing additional context menu options:

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 Result Utilities

• Edit: enables you to enter a custom value. Double clicking a value also performs this edit action.

• Automatic Value: the value calculated by the program.

In addition, selecting a contour color or a value on the legend displays plus (+) and minus (-) buttons.
These buttons enable you to set the number of bands between the bottom and top of the contour.
The number of bands can range from 4 to 14.

Customization Limitations
If you customize the legend between adjacent bands and the interval is very small, for example, less
than one thousandth of the entire range, the contour colors may not correctly reflect the ranges in
the legend. A result is illustrated below.

Determining the difference between the maximum and the minimum, we get: 46.592 - 0.00032942
= 46.592. The interval between the customized interval is: 0.01 - 0.0087912 = 1.2088 e-3. This is the
interval between each of the subsequent color bands (orange through blue). Dividing the first interval
by the interval of the subsequent bands: 46.592/1.2088 e-3 = 38,543. The first interval is nearly 40,000
times greater than the subsequent intervals. This is a clear example of the issue of legend customiz-
ation involving very small intervals.

Therefore, customizing the legend at the second contour color with a value of 0.01, the coloring
plotting experiences a limitation and the model becomes entirely red. The legend values are correct,
but the coloring of the model becomes inaccurate.

Displaying the context menu and selecting High Fidelity replots the model's coloring accurately, as
shown in the final image.

Original Contours

Range Customized

High Fidelity Synchronization

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Using Results

Results Tab
Refer to the Result Context Tab (p. 24) topic in the Context Tabs (p. 13) section.

Waterfall Diagram Display Features

Because the Waterfall Diagrams can plot large amounts of data, the result provides display features
that enable you to zoom in on result data, apply probes, and to redistribute the color bands.

Zoom Feature
The zoom feature is highlighted in the diagram window shown below.

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Selecting a corner and dragging the cursor enlarges that area of the diagram. The outline of the box
changes color and a smaller graphic control is placed inside. Using this control, you can pan across
the diagram to change the selected zoom area. Double-clicking the control returns the view to the
default.

In addition, and as shown below, you can select the [Alt] key and then select directly in the diagram
to zoom on an area. Once you [Alt] + click in the diagram, dragging your cursor left-to-right enlarges
a desired area. [Alt] + click and dragging your cursor from right-to-left returns the view to the default.

Specify Probes
The Probe option enable you to place probes anywhere on the diagram. Activate the Delete option
and select a probe’s anchor to remove the probe from the diagram. If you navigate away from the
result object, the probes are automatically removed from the diagram.

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Customizing Result Display

The Lower Band and Upper Band options enable you to redistribute the coloring on the diagram.
This can be beneficial when you have groupings of result data points at one end of the color assign-
ment.

You activate the Lower Band and Upper Band options by selecting the associated checkbox. You
can then manually specify a value for the upper or lower contour band to redistribute (in equal incre-
ments) the display.

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Solution Combinations
Using the Solution Combination feature, you combine the results of multiple solutions into a single
combined result and you can create multiple such solution combinations. Each of your base solutions
can include a user-defined multiplication coefficient. In addition, you can specify your solution com-
binations as either Linear or the Square Root of Summation of Squares SRSS.

This feature supports the combination of the following analysis types:

• Harmonic Response

• Random Vibration

• Response Spectrum

• Static Structural

• Transient Structural

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Once you evaluate all the Solution Combinations, you can pick the combination to display results
using either Tabular Data (p. 1706) or a result Set Number (p. 1705).

Important:

Review the next section, Solution Combination Process Requirements and Conditions (p. 1708),
to ensure your understanding of the feature's operations.

Note:

The Design Assessment (p. 1843) system provides a more powerful Solution Selection (p. 1850)
capability, allowing you to combine results from a greater variety of upstream analysis
systems and perform additional post processing functions using external scripts.

Define Solution Combination

1. Define Simulation

Define your environments and solve the simulation.

2. Specify Object

From the Model (p. 2211) object, insert a Solution Combination (p. 2215) object. The Worksheet
displays automatically.

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Note:

The Worksheet Type property of the Solution Combination object is set to Multiple
by default. If you would like to change to the previous behavior for this feature, you
can change this property to the Single (Legacy) setting.

3. Define Base Cases

As illustrated below, the application inserts a Base Case by default (yellow highlight). To add
additional Base Cases, select the Add Base Case button or use the available context (right-click)
menu.

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You define the a Base Case using the following fields:

• Environment: Select the desired input environment from the drop-down menu. Supported
environments include: Harmonic Response, Random Vibration, Response Spectrum, Static
Structural, and Transient Structural.

• Time/Frequency: Enter the time step for the Base Case (for Static and Transient analyses) or the
Frequency (for Harmonic Response analysis).

• Phase Angle: Enter a phase angle for the Base Case (for Harmonic Response analysis only)

Note:

Time is always defined in seconds. Frequency is always defined in Hz. And Phase
Angle is always defined in degrees. No other units or conversions are supported for
the Solution Combination Worksheet.

4. Define Load Combinations

As illustrated below, the application inserts a Combination by default ("Combination 1"). To add
additional Combinations, select the Add Combination button or use the available context (right-
click) menu.

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 Result Utilities

You define a Combination using the following fields:

• Name (optional): This field defaults to Combination 1, 2, 3, etc.

• Type: Specify you combination as either Linear (default) or SRSS. For these options:

– Linear: Simple addition after multiplying the coefficients with the base results.

– SRSS: Square Root of the sum of squares (SRSS) after multiplying the coefficients with the
base results.

• Coefficient: Enter the coefficient or scale factor that you’ll multiply the corresponding base case
by.

Import/Export Worksheet
Using the Export option of the Solution Combination Worksheet, you can save the settings that
you create as a Comma Separated Value (.csv) file. Using the Import option, you can import these
saved files into an analysis.

Interpreting Worksheet Content

Using the Worksheet, you can set up as many combinations as you wish and define different coeffi-
cients and input base cases.

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Using Results

You interpret the Base Cases (columns) as:

• Base Case C: Results from Static Structural environment at Time Step 1.

• Base Case D: Results from Static Structural environment at End Time.

• Base Case E: Results from Harmonic Response environment with a Frequency of 85 Hz and a Phase
Angle of 270°.

• Base Case F: Results from Transient environment at Time Step 2.

You interpret the Combinations (rows) as:

• Combination 1 (Linear): (1×C) + (1×D) + (1×F)

• Combination 2 (SRSS): sqrt( (0.5×D)2 + (0.5×E)2)

• Combination 3 (Linear): (-1×C) + (2×D) + (0.5×F)

Supported Results
Once you define Worksheet content, you can define results under the Solution Combination object.
Supported results include:

• Stresses • Fatigue Tool

• Elastic Strains • Contact Tool

• Deformations • Beam Tool (Static and Transient Structural only)

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• Beam (Static and • User Defined Results (review requirements (p. 1709))
Transient
Structural only)

• Stress Tool

Note:

When using a Fatigue Tool with Solution Combination, the desired combination is selected
using the Combination property on the Fatigue Tool. All results added underneath the
Fatigue Tool respect this selection.

Examining Results
Even though the Solution Combination object enables you to define and solve multiple combinations
, you can only view the contour results for a single combination . However, you can select the com-
bination for which you wish to view the results. For the supported result types, the By property in
the Details view enables you to specify all combinations or you can specify a specific combination
(as well as the additional options described below). You can also select a desired Combination from
Tabular Data .

Using the Options of the By Property

The By property includes the following options:

• Combination (default): For this setting, there is an associated property: Combination Number. Using
the Combination Number property, and based on the combinations defined in the Worksheet, you
can specify a desired Combination for result evaluation. The default setting for the Combination
Number property is Last (last result set).

Note:

For the Fatigue Tool, the By property is not available. Only the Combination
Number property is available, enabling you to specify a desired Combination.

• Maximum Over Combinations/Combination of Maximum: Each node, element, or sample point is

swept through the Combinations to find its maximum result. Either the result itself is reported or the
Combination at which the peak occurred is reported.

• Minimum Over Combinations/Combination of Minimum: Each node, element, or sample point is

swept through the Combinations to find its minimum result. Either the result itself is reported or the
Combination at which the minimum occurred is reported.

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Using Tabular Data

The Tabular Data window displays a row for each combination defined in the Worksheet. Each row
corresponds to a defined combination so you can right-click on a row and select the Retrieve This
Result option to view the contour for the desired combination.

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Solution Combination Process Requirements and Conditions

Order of Operations
The application performs the Solution Combination calculations in the following order of operations:

• Component results for Base Cases (this may involve temporal interpolation, such as Time = 1.5)

• Linear/SRSS combination on these component results.

• Spatial interpolation (such as scoping to Paths, Surfaces, etc.).

• Computed results (such as Equivalent Stress) from the combined component results.

These operations are generally not interchangeable or commutative.

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Coordinate Systems
Based on the results you add under the Solution Combination object, you can specify a user-
defined Coordinate System for the result. The default setting is Global Coordinate System. The
combination is calculated for the result based on this Coordinate System setting.

Important:

Random Vibration and Response Spectrum analysis results are always calculated
using the Solution Coordinate System (p. 1486). You must be sure to consider this
when combining these results with results using another Coordinate System.

Stress and Strain Results for Random Vibration and Response Spectrum
When you specify a Random Vibration or a Response Spectrum analysis as a Base Case in the
Worksheet, only Normal and Shear results are available (in the Stress and Strain result drop-down
menus) for combination.

Averaging
If you have multiple result objects specified under a Solution Combination folder scoped to different
individual bodies, and these results have the Average Across Bodies property set to Yes, the ap-
plication automatically calculates the average across all of the (different) scoped bodies. This contrasts
with how the application normally calculates the average across bodies: it calculates the average
across a specified body only.

Equivalent Strains
The application reads equivalent strains (including elastic, thermal, plastic, creep, total, and total
plus thermal equivalent strains) from the result file and uses them directly in the linear combination
formulation. The application does not use components (X, Y, Z, XY, YZ, XZ) for equivalent strains.
This procedure is similar to using the Mechanical APDL SUMTYPE,PRIN command. Using the
equivalent strains from the result file may lead to unexpected (or even negative) results.

User Defined Results

The Solution Combination feature supports the use of User Defined Results (p. 1656) to query result
file data that is not exposed through customary results. See the User Defined Results for the
Mechanical APDL Solver (p. 1666) section for additional information.

Solution Combination User Defined results can perform basic mathematical operations, however,
this result option cannot reference another solved result that uses the same Identifier.

Important:

If you wish to query a calculated result such as SEQV, the User Defined result under the
Solution Combination object follows a different order of operations. As a result, you may
observe slight differences between a Solution Combination User Defined result and a
customary result of the same calculation.

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Update Project
The Update Project option on the Workbench Project Schematic does not solve a Solution
Combination.

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Understanding Solving
Overview
When you initiate a simulation in Workbench, the application automatically specifies the solver (p. 239).
You can view the specified solver by displaying the properties (of the Model cell) of the analysis. The
System Information category displays a Solver property. Once you open Mechanical, the Details view
for the Environment object (p. 2017) displays a Solver Target property.

Solve Options
Home Tab
The Solve group (p. 10) is contained on the Home tab. A condensed
Solve (button) group is also displayed on many Context tabs (p. 13).

The Solve group provides options that enable you to specify some basic solution configurations and
to solve your analysis.

• The Solver Handler drop-down menu enables you to specify the desired target machine on which to
perform your solution. It contains the options My Computer (default) and My Computer, Background.
When you create remote solution options, they are also displayed in the menu.

• The Solve button/option also provides a drop-down menu that contains the same options as the
Solver Handler menu. These options initiate the solution when selected.

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Understanding Solving

• The Distributed option, active by default, indicates the use of Distributed ANSYS. For more information,
see the Using Distributed ANSYS section of the Mechanical APDL Parallel Processing Guide.

• The Cores field enables you to change the number of CPU cores to use during the solution. The default
is 2. This entry is based on the hardware of the computer.

Important:

In the lower right-hand corner of the Solve group is an option that launches the Solve Process
Settings (p. 1716) dialog. This dialog enables you to specify solution settings for remote com-
puters as well as specific process settings to be used during the solution process.

Solving: My Computer
To perform a solution from your computer, select the My Computer option (default) and then select
the Solve option (or select [F5]) to use the default solve process settings. When you run a local solution,
a temporary file directory is created to hold the solution files. It is not until you save the project that
solution data and folders are saved to your project folder. The context menu (right-click) option Open
Solver File Directories of the Solution object enables you display the files of the temporary directory.

Once your solution is complete and successful, green check marks display on the Solution and result
objects. A red lightning bolt indicates a failed or unconverged solution. And an overlaid pause icon in-
dicates the solution could resume with the use of restart points.

Note how the following affect the solution process. When you select:

• Any object (Model, Coordinate Systems, Mesh, etc.) in the tree that is above your environment(s), the
application solves all specified environments in sequence.

• A specific environment, or any child object of that environment, the application solves only that ana-
lysis.

Important:

Make sure that the project file path you specify for the solve does include Asian language
characters. This can result in the solution using a temporary folder rather than the Scratch
Solver Files Directory (p. 1162).

Solving: My Computer, Background and Remote

The background and remote processing capabilities of Mechanical require you to have the ANSYS Remote
Solve Manager (RSM) application installed.

My Computer, Background
The My Computer, Background option enables you to solve on your local machine with the ability to
close the Workbench session. This option prompts you to save your project before it begins the solution
process. This enables you to close the application while the solution completes.

Remote
To perform a solution on a remote machine, you must use the RSM Configuration application to define
configurations that enable you submit a solve to an established compute cluster or Cloud portal. This step

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 may be done for you by a person designated as the RSM administrator to make RSM queues that map to
HPC queues available. Using the options of the solve process settings (p. 1716) dialog, you specify the desired
RSM queue. Review the recommendations in the Solve Modes and Recommended Usage (p. 1715) section
for configuring your solution.

The following characteristics apply to background configurations where the RSM user interface is used
to monitor solutions:

• Once your solution is complete, a green down arrow status symbol (p. 58) indicates that the results
are ready for download. From the context (right-click) menu of the Solution object, select the Get
Results option. This option displays the RSM Files Download Settings dialog that enables you to select
or clear the input/output files you wish to download. The dialog displays with certain files selected by
default (illustrated below). As shown, you can choose to not the display the dialog: doing so instruct
the application to download all available files.

• While a background solution is in progress for a branch, that branch will be in a read-only state with
the exception that result objects can be deleted during this time. Other branches can be edited freely.

• You can cancel a running job and reset the state of the tree by selecting Solution in the tree and
choosing Stop Solution in the context menu (right mouse button click). Note that this will immediately
kill the job and not attempt to bring back any solver files (if solving on a compute server). Use Evaluate
Results (p. 1744) or Retrieve (p. 1744) first if you wish to bring back any files from the server.

• An alternative to canceling a job is to choose Interrupt Solution in the context menu. As in a synchron-
ous solution, this will allow the solver to complete its current iteration and record outstanding restart
points.

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Understanding Solving

• In the event of a network connection loss to the Remote Solve Manager, the Get Results function
prompts you with a warning message to address the connection issue. You can perform the Get Results
operation and retrieve your results information once you re-establish a connection.

Note:

• You can use the postprocessing features during solve (p. 1744) when the solve process is performed
in the background or on a remote computer.

• When running a solution in the background (p. 1715), the context menu (right-click) option Discon-
nect Job from RSM is available from the Solution object. The option becomes visible once you
submit the job to the RSM. This option disconnects Mechanical from the RSM job and the applic-
ation returns to the beginning of the solution process. You cannot disconnect the job while it is
running.

• When the compute server is a remote machine, the application transfers all necessary data to
the remote machine for evaluation. Currently there is a beta option available from the context
(right-click) menu of the Solution object: Fetch Remote Results. This option enables you to
display result content for the most recently completed load step while the solution is running.
Refer to the following beta document.

• When using a Local solve process setting and a solve is in progress, do not reboot or log off the
Windows client machine. If you reboot or log off, the connection to the Linux job will be lost and
results will not be retrievable. If the Linux job has completed, then rebooting or logging off is
safe.

Solution Progress Display

Once you start a solution, its progress is displayed in the Status Bar (p. 80). The status bar also displays
solution Interrupt and Stop options. If you would like the solver to halt immediately and forego writing
any outstanding restart points, select the Stop option. Using the Interrupt option, you instruct the
solver to complete its current iteration and record outstanding restart points (available for Static
Structural, Transient Structural, and Topology Optimization analyses). Neither of these options affects
previous restart points.

In addition, you can select the Progress pane to display the Solution Status window. Like the status
bar display, this window displays the progress for synchronous solutions. The window also includes a
Stop Solution button and an Interrupt Solution button. Using the UI Options (p. 157) preference setting
Progress, you can display choose to always display the progress window.

Note:

If you are familiar with Mechanical APDL functionality, clicking the Interrupt Solution button
places a file named file.abt in the working directory.

Related Solving Topics

Additional topics include:
Solve Modes and Recommended Usage

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 Solve Modes and Recommended Usage

Using Solve Process Settings

Solution Restarts
Solving Scenarios
Solution Information Object
Postprocessing During Solve
Result Trackers
Adaptive Convergence
File Management in the Mechanical Application
Solving Units
Saving your Results in the Mechanical Application
Writing and Reading the Mechanical APDL Application Files
Writing ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Files
Writing NASTRAN Files
Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechanical APDL Solver)
Solving a Fracture Analysis

Solve Modes and Recommended Usage

Mechanical includes capabilities for efficiently solving various kinds of analyses taking CPU usage and
solving time into consideration. The following table defines the various solve “modes” available and
includes references to recommended usages and associated solve process settings. Further details are
discussed in the various other sections under Understanding Solving (p. 1711).

Solve Start Solve Monitor Recommended Solve Process Remote Solve

Mode Mode Usage Settings Manager (RSM)
Involvement
In Process - The Synchronous - Analyses that are My Computer No
solve starts and The solve runs not expected to be
finishes on your and finalizes extremely CPU
computer in the within the same intensive.
directory where Workbench
your project session.
resides.
Out of Process Asynchronous - Analyses involving My Computer, Back- Yes
- The solve starts The solve is not large models or a ground
and finishes restricted to run large amount of
either on another and finalize processing time
computer, or on during any and machine
your computer particular resources,
but in a directory Workbench excluding linked
that is separate session.[1 (p. 1716)]analyses and
from the one analyses that
where your involve multiple
project resides. convergence
loops.[2 (p. 1716)]

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Understanding Solving

Solve Start Solve Monitor Recommended Solve Process Remote Solve

Mode Mode Usage Settings Manager (RSM)
Involvement
Synchronous - Analyses involving My Computer, Back- Yes
The solve runs large models or a ground, then click
and finalizes large amount of Advanced... button
within the same processing time and check Solve in
Workbench and machine synchronous mode
session. resources, (ANSYS only).
including linked
analyses and
analyses that
involve multiple
convergence
loops.

[1] - When solving in asynchronous mode, you are free to continue working independently of the solve
job, or close the Workbench session and retrieve the solution results at a later time. You can even shut
down your computer if the job has been submitted to a remote cluster (See RSM Configuration and
Using Solve Process Settings (p. 1716)). An asynchronous solution is queued with other solutions and can
run either on your local machine or on a more powerful remote machine. Background solutions are
recommended for large models or simulations that require a large amount of processing time and
machine resources. Sending the Solve to a remote cluster can increase productivity when a high-end
server is available on your network.

[2] - Though not recommended for a linked analysis using this solve mode combination, you can solve
a linked analysis or an analysis involving multiple convergence loops provided you solve each analysis
separately, that is, you must obtain the first solution, then choose Get Results from the context menu
in the first analysis before obtaining the solution in the second analysis. The Out of Process and Syn-
chronous mode combination is recommended for these types of analyses because the solve can occur
from a single user action. Also, asynchronous solutions involving linked analyses that are initiated from
the Project Schematic by choosing Update will automatically achieve the same effect as choosing Get
Results, thus providing another method for solving linked analyses from a single user action. See the
Understanding Solving (p. 1711) help section for additional information.

Using Solve Process Settings

Solve process settings are individual solving configurations (p. 1715) that you set up prior to initiating
solves. Settings include specifying a synchronous or background solve, as well as solve manager machine
and queue designations for background configurations. Using the Solve Process Settings dialog box,
you can:

• Add a remote solve process

• Specify a default solve process

• Modify existing solve process settings

• Delete an existing solve process

• Rename a solve process

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 Using Solve Process Settings

You access the Solve Process Settings dialog by selecting the Solve Process Settings option from
the File tab or the option on the bottom right corner of the Solve group of Model Context tab. . The
dialog displays as illustrated below based on your solve process selection.

My Computer: The default setting. When using this setting, the application solves and finalizes the
solution on the local computer in the current Workbench session.

My Computer, Background: selecting this setting, solves on the local machine but is not restricted to
finalizing in a particular Workbench session. You need more than one solver license to use this setting.
However, you can perform Rigid Dynamics and Explicit Dynamics analyses with one solver license by
selecting the Use Shared License, if possible option on the Advanced Properties dialog box.

Remote (system default name): When using this setting, the application solves and finalizes the solution
through a queue defined in the Remote Solve Manager.

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Understanding Solving

Note:

The solve process in red indicates that the process is selected as the default solve process
and persists across Workbench sessions.

Solve Process Options

The Solve Process Settings dialog provides the following default options.

Adds a new remote handler, where you can specify the remote queue you
Add Queue
want to use.
Set As Default Specifies the solve process as default across Workbench sessions.
Rename Renames the selected solve process.
Delete Deletes the selected solve process.
Advanced Displays the Advanced Properties dialog box associated with either My
Computer or My Computer, Background (see below).

Note:

You must have a unique name for each Solve process.

Solve Process Settings

When you select the My Computer, Background option or when you add a queue, the following addi-
tional fields display on the dialog under the heading Settings. Default values are populated for the My
Computer, Background option.

RSM Queue This field provides a drop-down menu of all available queues configured using
the RSM Configuration tool. If RSM queues are not available, use the RSM
Configuration tool to check your RSM configurations.

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 Using Solve Process Settings

HPC Configura- Read-only field that reports the name of the RSM configuration with which
tion the selected RSM queue is associated.
HPC Type Read-only field that reports the type of HPC resource to which the job will
be submitted.
HPC Queue Read-only field that displays the name of the HPC-side queue with which the
RSM queue is associated.
Job Name Specify the name to be used to identify the job on the HPC resource. See the
Remote Solve Manager documentation for more details.

Note:

Your Job Name must adhere to the following naming requirements:

• Acceptable naming characters include alphanumeric characters

(letter or numbers) as well as the following characters:
~#%^&,'()-_+=/<>.

• The job name must begin with a letter or a number (i.e. an

alphanumeric character).

• The maximum length of a job name is 16 characters.

License Specifies the name of a valid ANSYS product license (ANSYS Professional or
higher) to be used for the solution on the server.

Note:

• You must specify a valid ANSYS product license because a separate

instance of an ANSYS application is being used.

• The license from your current ANSYS Workbench client session cannot
be accessed from the remote ANSYS application executable.

Note:

• Settings are not available when you select the built-in My Computer solve process.

• RSM Queue fields are required for all Remote background configurations.

• When you submit a job to a Remote Queue and you have not defined corresponding credentials
in the Accounts section of the RSM Configuration, you are prompted with the Remote Solve
Cache Credentials dialog box. Enter your User Name and Password to continue.

• See the Submitting Solutions to Remote Solve Manager section of the Workbench User's Guide
for additional information for using the Remote Solve Manager during your solution processes.

Advanced Properties

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Understanding Solving

Selecting the Advanced button on the Solve Process Settings dialog displays one of the following
Advanced Properties dialog boxes. The available options are based on whether you select My Computer
or My Computer, Background.

My Computer My Computer, Background

The Advanced Properties are described below.

Distribute Solution (if pos- This option is selected by default. It enables and disables the ability
sible) for a distributed solution.

Note:

This option supports the Mechanical APDL Solver and

Explicit Dynamics Solver only. For specific support
specifications for the Mechanical APDL Solver, see the
Supported Analysis Types and Features section of the
Mechanical APDL Parallel Processing Guide for more
information.

Important:

If you solve a Modal system using this setting, and you

have linked the analysis to either a Harmonic Response,
Response Spectrum, or a Random Vibration, or a follow
on Mechanical APDL (turn on the Distributed property
in Project Schematic), these downstream systems must
also have this setting selected in order to properly solve.
The application alerts you to this situation with a
warning message.

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 Using Solve Process Settings

Max number of utilized cores Sets the number of cores to use during the solution. The default
is value is 2. Entering 0 does not send any request to the
Mechanical APDL solver related to the number of cores to use. For
shared-memory solutions, if you specify a number greater than the
number of cores in the node, the highest available number of cores
is used. However, for Distributed ANSYS solutions, you cannot
specify a number greater that the available number of physical
processors.

For more information on parallel processing in Mechanical APDL,

see HPC Licensing in the Parallel Processing Guide.

For Explicit Dynamics analyses, this setting is used to determine

the number of cores unless this has been specified in the Additional
Command Line Arguments.

Note:

• Available only for the Mechanical APDL and Explicit

Dynamics solvers.

• In order to run an Explicit Dynamics or Mechanical APDL

solve in parallel, you need an ANSYS HPC license for
additional cores after the first 4.

• For Explicit Dynamics analyses, this setting is used to

determine the number of cores unless this has been
specified in the Additional Command Line Arguments.

Use GPU Acceleration (if pos- Provides access to the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration
sible) capability offered by the Mechanical APDL solver. It supports the
NVIDIA acceleration card. To enable the feature, select NVIDIA
from the drop-down menu.

See the Help Section: Requirements for the GPU Accelerator in

Mechanical APDL in the Windows and Linux installation guides
for specific card requirements.
Number of utilized GPU Specifies the number of GPU accelerator devices to be used when
devices the Use GPU acceleration property is set to use a valid accelerator
type. This value can be an integer in the range of 1 to 20. The
default value is 1. For additional information, see the GPU
Accelerator Capability section of the Mechanical APDL Parallel
Processing Guide.
Manually specify Mechanical Helps you specify the amount of system memory, in MB, used for
APDL solver memory settings the ANSYS application workspace and database.

Note:

This setting can also be used to specify memory use for

the ABAQUS and Samcef solvers. For more information,

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Understanding Solving

see Memory Tuning the Samcef Solver (p. 1723) and

Memory Tuning the ABAQUS Solver (p. 1724).

Additional Command Line Specifies arguments that you would normally enter into a command
Arguments line input, for example, -machine option for a distributed solution.
Custom Executable Name Specifies a custom ANSYS application solver executable name and
(with path) path. This executable will be used for the ANSYS application solve
rather than using the default.

Note:

Depending on the requirements of your operating

system, you may need to specify the path in
quotations.

Manually specify Linux set- Enter a valid User Name and Working Folder to override the RSM
tings compute server proxy settings.

Note:

• You must have write access to this folder on all potential

compute proxies in the queue.

• To use the RSM settings, leave this field blank.

Use Shared License, if pos- Enables the use of a Shared License

sible
Note:

• This option works only for Explicit Dynamics and Rigid

Dynamics analysis. For more information, see Shared
Licensing

• License sharing is only possible within a single Workbench

session with the solver running on the same machine. A
remote solve on another machine via RSM will require a
license for the Workbench session and a license for the
remote solve.

License Queuing: Wait Instruct the Mechanical APDL solver to wait for an available license
for Available License when solving remotely via RSM.
Solve in synchronous mode Select to mimic the default My Computer behavior while leveraging
(Mechanical APDL solver the computation power of a remote machine. See this section from
only) the Mechanical APDL help for more information: HPC Licensing in
the Parallel Processing Guide. For Explicit Dynamics analyses, this

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 Using Solve Process Settings

setting is used to determine the number of processors unless this

has been specified in the Additional Command Line Arguments.

Note:

• Applicable only for Mechanical APDL solver.

• Requires an additional license.

Clear the check box to deliberately download results from a remote

machine (by issuing Get Results on a right-mouse click the Solu-
tion object). This precludes the solution of linked analyses or
multiple convergence loops automatically on a single click of the
Solve button. This is the default and enables you to close the
Mechanical editor or solve an unrelated analysis. See the
Understanding Solving (p. 1711) help section for additional
information.

OK: Selecting the OK button commits all changes in the Solve Process Settings dialog box and closes
the dialog box. You must choose OK for the Solve Process Setting configurations to be used when you
initiate the solve.

Cancel: Selecting the Cancel button closes the dialog box and ignores all changes.

Memory Tuning the Samcef Solver

Memory settings for the Samcef solver are specified using the Manually specify Mechanical APDL
solver memory settings option. The default value for the Workspace setting is 600 MB, and the
default value for Database is 300 MB. The amount of memory allocated to the Samcef solver is de-
termined by the following rules:

• The value of the Workspace option is the total memory available to the solve process.

• The Database memory cannot exceed 35% of the total system memory of the node. If it exceeds this
value, it is reset to 35% of the total system memory.

• If the processor architecture is 32-bit, the total memory available to the solve process cannot exceed 1
GB.

• If Database is 0, Workbench automatically sets it to 300 MB.

• If Workspace is 0, Workbench automatically sets it to twice the Database setting.

Before launching the Samcef executable, the SAM_ZONE environment variable is set to the value of
the total memory (Workspace) in words, where 1 MB = 125000 words. The SAM_DBRAM environment
variable is set to the ratio (in percent) between the Database and Workspace setting. The default
value is 50%.

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Memory Tuning the ABAQUS Solver

Memory settings for the ABAQUS solver are specified using the Manually specify Mechanical APDL
solver memory settings option. The default value for the Workspace setting is 512 MB, and the
default value for Database is 256 MB. The amount of memory allocated to the ABAQUS solver is de-
termined by the following rules:

• The value of the Workspace option is the total memory available to the solve process.

• The Database memory cannot exceed 35% of the total system memory of the node. If it exceeds this
value, it is reset to 35% of the total system memory.

• If the processor architecture is 32-bit, the total memory available to the solve process cannot exceed 1
GB.

Workbench tunes ABAQUS memory by changing keywords and values in the ABAQUS_v6.env file
in the solve working directory:

• If the ABAQUS release number is less than 6.8, the keyword pre_memory is set to the Database value
and the keyword standard_memory is set to the Workspace value.

• If the ABAQUS release number is greater than or equal to 6.8, the keyword memory is set to the Workspace
value and the Database value is ignored.

Workbench does not change the memory values if they are out of bounds for the ABAQUS solver.

Solution Restarts

Note:

Solution Restarts are supported in Static Structural (p. 434) and Transient Structural (p. 507)
analyses only. However, they are not supported in a Static Structural analysis when computing
fracture parameters. See the Computation of Fracture Parameters discussion in the Solving
a Fracture Analysis (p. 1820) section for more information.

The solution process is composed of a sequence of calculations that predict a structure’s response when
applied to a specific analysis type and loading condition. Restarts provide the ability to continue an
initial or existing solution which can save time during the solve phase. This feature facilitates a variety
of workflows, which include:

1. Pausing or stopping a job to review results and then restarting the job.

2. Review and correction of a non-converging solution. Solution parameters in the analysis settings could be
fine-tuned or adjusted allowing the solution to proceed while retaining prior solution progress. Similarly
a load history can be modified to aid in the convergence.

3. Extending a solution that has already completed, for example, to allow system transients to progress further
into time.

4. Submitting post processing instructions into Mechanical APDL after the model has been fully solved (see
below).

The following topics are covered in this section:

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 Solution Restarts

• Restart Points (p. 1725)

• Generating Restart Points (p. 1725)

• Retaining Restart Points (p. 1726)

• Viewing Restart Points (p. 1726)

• Using Restart Points (p. 1727)

• Deleting Restart Points (p. 1727)

• Modifications Affecting Restart Points (p. 1728)

• Loads Supported for Restarts (p. 1731)

• Conditions Supported for Restarts (p. 1732)

• Solution Information Files During Restart (p. 1732)

• Restarts and Distributed ANSYS Solutions (p. 1732)

Restart Points
Solution restarts are based on the concept of a restart point. Each restart point can be considered as a
snapshot of the system solution state at a discrete point along the sequence of calculations. The solver
stores this state of the solution in a restart file on disk. Every restart file on disk will have a corresponding
restart point in the Mechanical GUI. See Viewing Restart Points (p. 1726) below.

A solution can only be restarted from an available restart point. It is thus important to understand how
to work with these restart points.

Generating Restart Points

Restart points are automatically created by Mechanical depending on the analysis type. The program
controlled option will create one restart point at the last successful solve point for a nonlinear analysis.
However, you may directly control their frequency to alter the balance between flexibility and disk usage
with the Restart Controls (p. 1126) group of the Analysis Settings object. Restart points could be generated
at all substeps or specific substep intervals in the analysis or at none at all.

Note:

• You can manually interrupt a solution and preserve any restart points that may have been pro-
duced from a converged iteration by clicking the Interrupt Solution button on the Solution
Status window.

• A stand-alone linear analysis will not produce any restart points with the program controlled
option. It has to be explicitly turned on using the manual setting. However, if the analysis is linked
to a follow on modal analysis, it will generate restart points by default.

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Understanding Solving

Retaining Restart Points

An incomplete solution (for example, a convergence failure) will always retain the restart points. However,
for a complete solution, this is controlled by Retain Files After Full Solve property located in the Details
view of Analysis Settings under Restart Controls. This property is set to No by default and hence will
delete all restart points after the solution is completed. It can be set to Yes which will retain the restart
files for the current project.

You can change the default setting of the Retain Files After Full Solve property via the Options dialog.
Select the Options dialog option from the File tab to open the dialog. Select Analysis Settings and
Solution and under the Restart Controls category you can change the default setting.

Viewing Restart Points

Once restart points are generated, they will be visible in several forms. For an overview, select the
Analysis Settings object and refer to the Graph window where restart points are symbolized by trian-
gular markers atop the timeline. The Tabular Data window lists the restart points within each load
step.

A restart point is color coded to distinguish between replayable and a non-replayable. A replayable
solution is one which will produce the exact solution when run from start to finish or completed incre-
mentally using intermediate restart points. A blue triangle indicates a replayable restart point. A red
triangle indicates a potentially non-replayable restart point and can only be used in manual mode.

Note:

The Initial Restart Point does not represent a restart file on disk. It is only a place holder to
facilitate selection to run the solution from the beginning even when other restart points
are available.

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 Solution Restarts

Using Restart Points

You can manually choose the restart point to be used in a solution. Alternatively, you can configure
Mechanical to suggest one for you. To allow Mechanical to automatically select a restart point, set Restart
Type to Program Controlled. If you prefer a different point, you may specify it directly by setting Restart
Type to Manual and by:

• Choosing Current Restart Point in the Details view of the Analysis Settings object.

• Selecting the desired marker on the Graph window and choosing Set Current Restart Point in the context
menu.

• Selecting the desired cell in the Tabular Data window and choosing Set Current Restart Point in the
context menu.

The Current Restart Point in the Restart Analysis group of the Analysis Settings object will indicate
which restart point will be used the next time a solution is attempted. The current restart point in the
graph/timeline window will be denoted with a double triangle in the timeline.

The program controlled setting takes a conservative approach to guarantee a replayable solution and
will always select the last replayable restart point. In manual mode, the software will not automatically
change the current restart point and has to be selected explicitly. Picking a non-replayable restart point
in manual mode is only recommended for experienced users who understand the implications of the
results produced.

Mechanical automatically tracks how restart points are affected as you work and modify your model.
So they may get flagged as non-replayable (red triangle) or be removed altogether depending on the
operation. See Modifications Affecting Restart Points (p. 1728) for details.

Also see Restart Analysis (p. 1125) under Configuring Analysis Settings (p. 1109).

Note:

• An analysis should use the same units (set at the beginning of a solve) throughout the solve in-
cluding all restarts. If the units are changed at any restart point, the solve is aborted and an error
message is displayed.

• Named Selections (p. 761) created/modified following the solution process are not recognized
during a restart. For example, you may wish to list the nodes of a newly created Named Selection
using the Command (p. 1823) feature. Because the Named Selection’s geometric data was not
defined during the initial solution process, no data is available for the command to process.

Deleting Restart Points

In order to delete existing restart points, you may use the Delete All Restart Points in the context
menu at the Environment and Solution folders. For more granularity, one or more restart points may

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Understanding Solving

also be deleted by selecting them on either the Graph or Tabular Data windows and issuing Delete
Restart Points.

Note:

The Clear Generated Data option in the context menu from either the Solution, Environ-
ment, Model or Project objects also deletes all restart points.

Modifications Affecting Restart Points

The following table summarizes the effects of making changes to the controls of the Analysis Settings
object and the effects on restart points.

If a change is made to one of the

Then...
following Controls…
Current
Current Restart
All
Restart Point set Non-replayable Restart
Restart
Point to the Restart Points Points
Points
is Set Beginning may be are
are
to of the Available2 (p. 1731)
Unaffected
Deleted
Initial Modified
Load Step
Step Controls Step End
3 X
Time (p. 1731)
Auto Time
X X
Stepping
Define By X X
Carry Over Time
X X
Step
Time Integration X X
Solver Controls X
Rotordynamics
X
Controls
Restart Controls X
Restart Analysis X
Non Linear
X X
Controls
Output
Stress X
Controls4 (p. 1731)
Strain X
Nodal Force X
Contact
X
Miscellaneous
General
X
Miscellaneous

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 Solution Restarts

If a change is made to one of the

Then...
following Controls…
Current
Current Restart
All
Restart Point set Non-replayable Restart
Restart
Point to the Restart Points Points
Points
is Set Beginning may be are
are
to of the Available2 (p. 1731)
Unaffected
Deleted
Initial Modified
Load Step
Store Results At X X
Damping
X
Controls
Analysis Data
Save MAPDL dB X
Management
Delete Unneeded
X
Files
Solver Units X

The following table summarizes the effects of step modifications on restart points.

If a change is made to one of

Then...
the following Controls…
Current Restart Point
All Restart Non-replayable Restart
is set to the Beginning
Points are Points may be
of the Modified Load
Deleted Available2 (p. 1731)
Step
Activate/Deactivate X X
Add Step/Insert Step X
Delete Step X

A solution can be restarted after modification to the load history. However, any other changes to the
definition delete all of the Restart Points.

Note:

• Displacements, Remote Displacements, and Nodal Displacements only support Tabular data
modifications. See the Loads Supported for Restarts (p. 1731) topic for a detailed list.

• Changing a Displacement boundary condition may cause the program to return to the initial
restart point, depending upon the change you make. The restart point where the change occurred
is maintained - not deleted. For example, changing the magnitude of either of these loads from
a zero value to a non-zero value, or vice versa, prompts the application to return to the beginning
of the solution process. Similarly, if you change the independent time value of either load, the
solution process restarts from the beginning.

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Understanding Solving

If a change is made to one of the

Then...
following Controls…
Current Restart
Current Restart Point is set to the Non-replayable
Point is Set to Beginning of the Restart Points may be
Initial1 (p. 1731) Modified Load Available2 (p. 1731)
Step
Modify Load
Constant X X
History
Tabular X X
Function X X
Change Load
Type (Constant,
X X
Tabular,
Function)

The following table summarizes the effects of adding/modifying/deleting a Commands (p. 1823) object.
When Restart Points are available, adding a new Commands object defaults to the last step so as to
preserve the Restart Points. Adding a Commands object without Restart Points defaults to first step.

If a change is made to one of the

Then…
following Controls…
Current
Restart Point Non-replayable
All Restart Restart
is set to the Restart Points
Points are Points are
Beginning of may be
Deleted 2 Unaffected
the Modified Available (p. 1731)
Load Step
Add/Modify/Delete
Under
Command X X
Environment
Snippets
Under
X
Solution/Results
Under
Model/Trunk X
Objects

Modifications such as adding or changing boundary conditions (for example, scoping changes), con-
straints, initial conditions, or editing model level objects (Geometry, Contact Region, Joint, Mesh) in-
validates and deletes existing Restart Points. The exception is Direct FE loads with a zero magnitude -
Restart Points are retained.

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 Solution Restarts

If a change is made to one of the

Then…
following Controls…
All Restart Points are Deleted Restart Points are
Unaffected
Add/Delete
Boundary X
Condition
Add/Delete Direct
Boundary Force (zero) X
Condition
Force (non
X
zero)
Displacement X
Model Level
X
Changes

1
Restart Type specified as Program Controlled.

2
It can only be selected when Restart Type is specified as Manual.

3
When the Step End Time option in the Step Controls (p. 1110) category is changed, the restart point
is deleted as well as all the steps after this modified restart points are deleted and are not available,
not even for manual restarts. Exception is the case when Fluid Solid Interface load exists and all the
restart points are retained.

4
It is recommended that you not change Output Controls settings during a solution restart. Modifying
Output Controls settings changes the availability of the respective result type in the results file. Con-
sequently, result calculations cannot be guaranteed for the entire solution. In addition, result file values
may not correspond to GUI settings in this scenario. Settings turned off during a restart generate results
equal to zero and may affect post processing of results and are therefore unreliable.

Note:

Restart is not supported for an analysis with Adaptive Convergence (p. 1752). So the presence
of an adaptive convergence will not retain any restart points.

Loads Supported for Restarts

The following table outlines which loads may be modified for a solution restart.

Load Specified As...

Load Type
Constant Tabular Function
Pressure X X X
Line Pressure X X X
Force X X X
Remote Force X X X

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Understanding Solving

Moment X X X
Displacement X X N/A
Remote
X X N/A
Displacement
Rotational Velocity X X X
Rotational
X X X
Acceleration
Bolt Pretension X X N/A
Acceleration X X X
Earth Gravity N/A N/A N/A
Hydrostatic Pressure X N/A N/A
Bearing Load X X N/A
Joint Load X X X
Pipe Temperature X X X
Pipe Pressure X X X
Thermal Condition X X X
Imported Load N/A N//A N/A
Nodal Force X X X
Nodal Pressure X X X
Nodal Displacement X X N/A

Conditions Supported for Restarts

The Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383) condition supports restarts. Adding a Nonlinear Adaptive
Region condition to a non-convergent and/or terminated solution may enable the solution to converge.

Solution Information Files During Restart

During a restart, solution information files (input file ds.dat and output file solve.out) from the
previous solve are retained for reference by renaming it just before the restart solve is initiated. The
naming convention is filename_loadstep_substep.ext. For example, if the previous solve oc-
curred at loadstep = 2 and substep = 5, the file name would be ds_2_5.dat and solve_2_5.out.
Files from the initial solve will be named ds_0_0.dat and solve_0_0.dat. Based on the restart
point, Mechanical will ensure that obsolete and invalid solution files are cleaned up.

Restarts and Distributed ANSYS Solutions

For a distributed solution, the application merges all individual result files into a single file at the end
of the solution so that Mechanical can postprocess the results or continue a restarted solution. If you
experience a solution failure, or if the solution is stopped, before the files have been combined, you

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 Solving Scenarios

can manually recombine the files by executing the COMBINE,RST command from the /AUX2 module
in Mechanical APDL.

Note:

The current working directory must include all of the local (file.rst) files.

Distributed ANSYS needs to be launched with the same number of processes that were used
when generating the local results files.

Following the execution of the COMBINE command, the working directory includes a complete results
file (file.rst) and you may use it for any additional Mechanical post-processing or subsequent restarts.

Solving Scenarios
This section describes the various configuration steps involved for the following solving scenarios:

• Solve on the Local Machine within the Workbench process (synchronous) (p. 1733)

• Solve on My Computer in the Background (asynchronous) (p. 1733)

• Solve to a Remote Windows Cluster (p. 1733)

• Solve Directly from My Computer to a Remote Linux Cluster (p. 1734)

• Solve to LSF Cluster with Remote Solve Manager (p. 1734)

• Solve to Microsoft HPC Cluster with Remote Solve Manager (p. 1734)

Solve on the Local Machine within the Workbench process (synchronous)

• Use the built-in My Computer solve process setting (p. 1716).

Solve on My Computer in the Background (asynchronous)

• Use the built-in My Computer, Background solve process setting (p. 1716). The option is only functional if
Remote Solve Manager (RSM) was installed along with Workbench. RSM has a built-in “Local” queue and
server for running jobs on the client computer.

Solve to a Remote Windows Cluster

Important:

RSM must be installed on your local computer. The RSM launcher service must be installed
and running on the remote cluster submit host. See Installing and Configuring the RSM
Launcher Service for Windows in the Distributed Compute Gateway User's Guide. The Mechan-
ical application must be installed on your local computer as well as the cluster execution
node that will be used for the solve.

This step requires the following configuration steps:

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1. Define a cluster configuration for the Windows cluster in RSM. Or, if an RSM administrator has already
defined a cluster configuration, load it into your local installation of RSM. See Sharing and Accessing Cluster
Configurations in the Distributed Compute Gateway User's Guide. The cluster configuration will contain RSM
queues that map to HPC queues.

RSM will use your account credentials to submit the job on your behalf to the cluster submit host.

If jobs will be submitted to a remote Microsoft HPC cluster, refer to Integrating RSM with a Microsoft
HPC Cluster for additional considerations.

2. Create a solve process setting that specifies the cluster configuration and RSM queue defined in step 1
(see Using Solve Process Settings (p. 1716)).

3. Use the Solve Process Setting created in step 2 using the Solve drop-down option.

Solve Directly from My Computer to a Remote Linux Cluster

Important:

RSM must be installed on your local computer. The RSM launcher service must be installed
and running on the remote cluster submit host. See Installing and Configuring the RSM
Launcher Service for Windows in the Distributed Compute Gateway User's Guide. The Mechan-
ical application must be installed on your local computer as well as the cluster execution
node that will be used for the solve.

This step requires the following configuration steps:

1. If your IT policy requires it, you may need to configure RSM to use SSH for job submission to a remote Linux
cluster.

2. Define a configuration for the Linux cluster in RSM. Or, if an RSM administrator has already defined a con-
figuration, load it into your local installation of RSM. See Sharing and Accessing RSM Configurations in the
Distributed Compute Gateway User's Guide. The configuration will contain RSM queues that map to cluster
queues.

3. Create a solve process setting that specifies the RSM configuration and RSM queue defined above (see
Using Solve Process Settings (p. 1716)).

4. Use the Solve Process Setting created above using the Solve drop-down option.

Solve to LSF Cluster with Remote Solve Manager

The configuration from a Mechanical application user perspective is the same as above. A Solve Process
Setting is required that specifies an LSF cluster configuration and queue to which the solve will be
submitted. For RSM and cluster configuration information, see RSM Configuration and RSM Integration
with a Cluster or Cloud Portal in the RSM User's Guide.

Solve to Microsoft HPC Cluster with Remote Solve Manager

The configuration from a Mechanical application user perspective is the same as above. A Solve Process
Setting is required that specifies an RSM queue to which the solve will be submitted. For RSM and

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 Solution Information Object

cluster configuration information, see RSM Configuration and Integrating RSM with a Microsoft HPC or
Windows-Based Cluster in the RSM User's Guide.

Solution Information Object

You can track, monitor, or diagnose problems that arise during any solution as well as view certain finite
element aspects of the engineering model, using a Solution Information object, which is inserted
automatically under a Solution object of a new environment or an environment included in a database
from a previous release. You can also manually insert a Solution Information object under a Connections
object for solver feedback.

When you select a Solution Information object in the tree, the following and properties are available
in the Details view under the Solution Information category:

Solution Output
The Solution Output property defines how you want solution response results to display. All of the options,
described below, display results in real time as the solution progresses.

Important:

The Solution Output property is not applicable to the Connections object.

• Solver Output (default): Displays the solution output file (in text format) from the appropriate solver
(Mechanical APDL, Explicit Dynamics, etc.). This option is valuable to users who are accustomed to re-
viewing this type of output for diagnostics on the execution of their solver of choice. During the solution
process, the default behavior of the solver output display is to scroll to the bottom of the log. However,
if you scroll the log to another position, then the application maintains that view position. You resume
automatic scrolling by pressing the End key.

Note:

The text contents may be incomplete for a distributed solution involving Harmonic
analyses or analyses featuring Cyclic Symmetry. See the DDOPTION command for ad-
ditional information.

• Solution Statistics: This option is supported for all Mechanical analysis systems using Mechanical APDL
solver. It becomes available in the property drop-down list once you have completed your solution.
Selecting this option displays the Worksheet. The Worksheet displays statistical information about
your completed solution process as well as recommendations about how to improve the process. Using
this information, you can make decisions to improve your solution time and performance. For example,
you may decide to use a different solver or to change the number of cores being employed.

Choosing any of the following options for the Solution Output property displays a graph of that
option as a function of Cumulative Iteration/Cycle (availability depends on the solver).

1 (p. 1738)
• Force Convergence

1 (p. 1738)
• Displacement Convergence

1 (p. 1738)
• Rotation Convergence

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1 (p. 1738)
• Moment Convergence

• Participation Factor Summary (Modal analysis only): This option displays the Worksheet with the label
Participation Factor Summary.

Complex eigenvalues are available when the Damping property is set to Yes (except when the
Reduced Damped Solver Type is selected and the Store Complex Solution property is set to
No). When the Damping property is set to No, only the Unsymmetric Solver Type provides
complex Eigenvalues.

When you have a complex eigenvalue solution, the Participation Factor Summary Worksheet
displays Mode, Frequency, X Direction (Real), Y Direction (Real), Z Direction (Real), X Direction
(Imaginary), Y Direction (Imaginary) and Z Direction (Imaginary). Otherwise the worksheet tables
display Mode, Frequency, X Direction, Y Direction, Z Direction, Rotation X, Rotation Y and Rotation
Z.

When you select Participation Factor Summary option, the property Summary Type also displays
and its options include:

– All (default): All tables are displayed in the Worksheet, including Participation Factor, Effective
Mass, Cumulative Effective Mass Fraction, and Ratio of Effective Mass to Total Mass.

– Participation Factor: Only the Participation Factor table is displayed in the worksheet.

– Effective Mass: Only the Effective Mass table is displayed in the worksheet.

– Cumulative Effective Mass Fraction: Only the Cumulative Effective Mass Fraction table is displayed
in the worksheet.

– Ratio of Effective Mass to Total Mass: Only the Ratio of Effective Mass to Total Mass table is dis-
played in the worksheet.

Important:

The unit system for all of the data displayed in the Participation Factor Summary
Worksheet is the unit system for the Solver Unit System property in the Analysis
Data Management category of the Analysis Settings object.

Note:

– The Participation Factor Summary output option is not available when Cyclic Symmetry
is active.

– If the Campbell Diagram (p. 1164) property is set to On in the Modal system's Analysis Set-
tings (multi-step Modal analysis), the Participation Factor Summary reported in the
Worksheet is for the last rotational velocity/load step.

• Max DOF Increment

• Line Search

• Time

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 Solution Information Object

• Time Increment

1 (p. 1738)
• CSG Convergence (magnetic current segments)

1 (p. 1738)
• Heat Convergence

• Energy Conservation: shows plots of total energy, reference energy, work done, and energy error.

• Momentum Summary: shows plots of X, Y and Z momentum and X, Y and Z impulse for the model.

• Energy summary: shows plots of internal energy, kinetic energy, hourglass energy and contact energy.

• Post Output: displays the output of a Post Command snippet (p. 1823).

• Solve Script Output: (Design Assessment system only) Displays the log file from the python Solve
script (p. 1862) specified for the current Design Assessment system.

• Evaluate Script Output: (Design Assessment system only) Displays the log file from the python Evaluate
script (p. 1862) specified for the current Design Assessment system.

• Optimization Output: This option displays the solution output (in text format) from the Topology Op-
timizer solver (p. 478).

Mechanical also provides the following convergence charts for the Topology Optimization analysis.
These options provide plots (in the Worksheet) for convergence values determined during the
solution. This is useful for determining if the simulation is nearing convergence. All of these options
have a plot for the combined objective value versus the Convergence Accuracy as defined in
the Definition Analysis Settings (p. 454) for the Topology Optimization environment. Note that
individual objective values can occur separately in a multi-step analysis. These options also include
a plot for the convergence of the Response Constraint (p. 464) that you wish to observe (Mass,
Volume, etc.).

– Objective and Mass Response Convergence: This option is the default option for a Topology Optim-
ization (p. 447) Analysis. This property plots the Mass Response Convergence against the criterion
you specify in the Percent to Retain property of the Mass Constraint object (Response Con-
straint (p. 464)). The convergence chart will plot convergence against Percent To Retain (Min) and
Percent To Retain (Max) criterion, if the constraint is defined by Range.

– Objective and Volume Response Convergence: This property plots the Volume Response Conver-
gence against the criterion you specify in the Percent to Retain property of the Volume Constraint
object (Response Constraint (p. 464)). The convergence chart will plot convergence against Percent
To Retain (Min) and Percent To Retain (Max) criterion, if the constraint is defined by Range.

– Objective and Global Stress Response Convergence (Static Structural analyses only): Plots the stress
response convergence against the criterion specified in the Maximum property of the Global Von-
Mises Stress Constraint object. For multi-step analyses, the application provides fields to enable you
to choose which Step Number corresponds to the stress constraint you wish to observe.

– Objective and Local Stress Response Convergence (Static Structural analyses only): Plots the local
stress response convergence against the criterion specified in the Maximum property of the Local
Von-Mises Stress Constraint object. For multi-step analyses, the application provides fields to enable
you to choose which Step Number corresponds to the stress constraint you wish to observe.

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– Objective and Displacement Response Convergence (Static Structural analyses only): Plots the
displacement response convergence against the criterion specified in X Component (Max)/Y Com-
ponent (Max)/Z Component (Max) of the Displacement Constraint object. For multi-step analyses,
the application provides fields to enable you to choose which Step Number corresponds to the dis-
placement constraint you wish to observe.

– Objective and Reaction Force Response Convergence (Static Structural analyses only): Plots the
reaction force response convergence against the criterion specified in X Component (Max)/Y Com-
ponent (Max)/Z Component (Max) of the Reaction Force Constraint object. For multi-step analyses,
the application provides fields to enable you to choose which Step Number corresponds to the reaction
force constraint you wish to observe.

– Objective and Natural Frequency Convergence (applicable for Modal analyses): Plots the Natural
Frequency Response convergence against the criterion specified in the Minimum Frequency and
Maximum Frequency properties of the Natural Frequency Constraint object (Response Con-
straint (p. 464)). The application provides a field to enable you to specify a Mode Number corresponding
to a natural frequency range you wish to observe.

– Objective and Manufacturing Convergence (applicable when criterion is entered for the Maximum
property of the Manufacturing Constraint (p. 472) object): Plots the manufacturing response convergence
against the criterion specified in the Maximum property of the Member Size category of the Manu-
facturing Constraint object when the Maximum property is set to Manual.

Note:

• The frequency at which data is written can be specified as a time step frequency or a physical
time frequency. By default information is displayed for every 100 time steps.

• For ease of viewing solutions with many substeps/iterations, the Substep Converged and
Load Step Converged lines are not displayed when the number of lines exceeds 1000. Also,
graphs are shown as lines only, rather than lines and points, when the number of points ex-
ceeds 1000.

1 - All convergence plots include designations where any bisections, converged substeps, converged
steps, or remesh points occur. These designations are the red, green, blue, or orange lines (solid or
dotted) shown in the example below of a Force Convergence plot.

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Newton-Raphson Residuals
This property is applicable only to Structural environments solved with the Mechanical APDL application.
It specifies the maximum number of Newton-Raphson residual forces to return. The default is 0 (no residuals
returned). You can request that the Newton-Raphson residual restoring forces be brought back for nonlinear
solutions that either do not converge or that you aborted during the solution. The Newton-Raphson force
is calculated at each Newton-Raphson iteration and can give you an idea where the model is not satisfying
equilibrium. If you select 10 residual forces and the solution doesn't converge, those last 10 residual forces
will be brought back. The following information is available in the Details view of a returned Newton-
Raphson Residual Force object:

• Results: Minimum and Maximum residual forces across the model

• Convergence: Global convergence Criterion and convergence Value

• Information: Time based information

These results cannot be scoped and will automatically be deleted if another solution is run that
either succeeds or creates a new set of residual forces.

Identify Element Violations

This property is a diagnostic tool that enables you to identify and view elements on your model that have
failed to meet certain solver criteria during the solution process. The application generates an error message
and creates Named Selection objects that contain the elements that violate the following criteria:

• Distortion too large (HDST)

• Elements that contain nodes that have near zero pivots (PIVT) for nonlinear analyses

• Plastic/creep strain increment is too large (EPPL/EPCR)

• Elements for which mixed u-P constraints are not satisfied (MXUP) - mixed U-P option of 18x
solid elements only

• Radial displacement (RDSP) is not converged

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For the system generated Named Selections that are scoped to the failed elements, the application
generated "name" includes a reference to the specific failed criterion, such as "HDST" for a distortion
that is too large. These Named Selections are placed under the Solution Information object.

The default setting for this property is 0 (no violations are returned). This value can be set to an n,
where n is an integer value greater than 0. This value defines the last n solver iterations for which
the failed elements are stored.

The system generated Named Selections behave as user-defined element-based named selec-
tions (p. 186) and as desired, you can scope results to these named selections. In addition, unlike
other diagnostic features, these Named Selections are not automatically deleted or overwritten
upon subsequent solutions. As needed, you need to delete then manually.

You can find additional details in the Element Components That Violate Criteria topic of the
NLDIAG command section of the Mechanical APDL Command Reference. Also see the Performing
Nonlinear Diagnostics topic in the Nonlinear Structural Analysis section of the Mechanical APDL
Structural Analysis Guide.

Update Interval
This property appears only for synchronous (p. 1715) solutions. It specifies how often any of the result
tracking items under a Solution Information object get updated while a solution is in progress. The default
is 2.5 seconds.

Display Points
This property is not applicable to Connections object. It specifies the number of points to plot for a
graphical display determined by the Solution Output setting (described above).

Display Filter During Solve

This property is applicable only when using Result Tracker filtering in Explicit Dynamics analyses. When
set to Yes, it displays filtered data from Result Trackers in the Worksheet at each refresh interval of the
Result Tracker. As shown below, a legend is included in the Worksheet to help distinguish the filtered data
from the non-filtered data. Typically there are two curves, non-filtered data is displayed in red, and filtered
data is displayed in green.

Solution Output (Design Assessment System Only)

[Not applicable to Connections object] For a Design Assessment system, this property presents the following
options for determining the display of (real time) solution response results.

• Solver Output (default): Displays the solution output file (text) from the appropriate solver (for example,
the Mechanical APDL application, Explicit Dynamics). This option is valuable to users who are accustomed
to reviewing this type of output for diagnostics on the execution of their solver of choice.

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 Solution Information Object

• Solve Script Output: Displays the log file from the python Solve script (p. 1862) specified for the current
Design Assessment system.

• Evaluate Script Output: Displays the log file from the python Evaluate script (p. 1862) specified for the
current Design Assessment system.

Note:

If an error occurs during a solve when using the ANSYS solver, the Solution Information
worksheet may point you to files (for example, file.err) in temporary scratch folders
whose purpose is for solving only (this is the folder where ANSYS actually ran). After the
solution, these files are moved back to the project structure, so you may not find them in
the scratch folders (or sub-folders).

Viewing Finite Element Connections

During the solution, the Mechanical application will sometimes create additional elements or Constrain
Equations (CE) for certain objects such as a remote boundary condition, spot weld, joint, MPC based
contact, or weak spring. So that you might better understand how the boundary conditions are applied,
the Mechanical application allows you to “view” these connections after a solution is completed. The
following controls are available in the Details view under the FE Connection Visibility category:

• Activate Visibility: Enables control on whether or not the finite element connection data is stored during
the solution. If visualization of the finite element connections will never be desired or to maximize perform-
ance on extreme models in which many constraint equations exist, this feature can be deactivated by setting
the value to No before solving the model. Note that in the case of a multiple step analysis, if constraint
equations are present, they will be reported from the first load step. The default value for this property can
be changed under Analysis Settings and Solution (p. 152) category of the Options dialog.

• Display: Enables control over which finite element connections are to be viewed. The options include:

– All FE Connectors (default)

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– CE Based (As illustrated below, outlined or hollow nodes indicate use for calculation purposes only.)

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 Solution Information Object

– Beam Based

– Weak Springs

– None: This option is especially useful to separate the constraint equation connections from the beam
connections. The option None is available to assist in avoiding potential performance issues from this
feature.

– Cyclic: For a solution containing a Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region (p. 811), this option displays matching (cyclic)
node pairs if they are detected by the solver.

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• Draw Connections Attached To: Based on the availability and visibility of the bodies of your model, this
property provides the following options that draw finite element connection annotations for those nodes
that are involved in constraint equations.

– All Nodes (default): Nodes attached to available bodies.

– Visible Nodes: Nodes attached to visible bodies.

– Any node-based Named Selections (p. 761): Nodes in the selected node-based Named Selection.

• Line Color: Assigns colors to allow you to differentiate connections. The options include:

– Connection Type (default): Displays a color legend that presents one color for constraint equation con-
nections and another color for beam connections.

– Manual: Displays a color that you choose.

– Color: Appears if Line Color is set to Manual. By clicking in this field, you can choose a color from the
color palette.

• Visible on Results: When set to Yes (default), the finite element connections are displayed with any result
plot (with the exception of a base mesh). When set to No, the connections are displayed only when the
Solution Information object is selected.

• Line Thickness: Displays the thickness of finite element connection lines in your choice of Single (default),
Double, or Triple.

• Display Type: enables you to view FE connections as Lines (default) or as Points. If you wish to view the
Points of a specified Named Selection, the nodes belonging to the Named Selection display as solid colors.
Any other associated nodes not belonging to the Named Selection, display with an outline only.

Note:

Finite element connection information is not available for Response Spectrum analyses when
the Spectrum Type property is set to Single Point.

Tracking Background Solutions

When running background (p. 1715) solutions, you can check the status of the solution by using the Re-
trieve feature, which is available in a context menu when you right-click the mouse button on the
Solution Information object. A Retrieve option is also available on the Solution Information Context
tab. In rare instances, the Retrieve feature could fail if the necessary files do not become available at
a particular time. Simply choosing Retrieve again will likely solve the issue.

Postprocessing During Solve

This feature is only available when you solve an analysis on a remote computer or as a background
process running as a non-distributed solution. When you run the solution as a background process, you
can add new results under the Solution object or use postprocessing features such as viewing results
contours, animation, min and max labels, and so on.

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Postprocessing during a solve allows you to use postprocessing tools while an analysis is still in progress.
This feature is useful for analyses that produce partial results (that is, analyses that produce intermediate
results files that are readable but incomplete) such as all Static and Transient Structural, all Static and
Transient Thermal, and Explicit Dynamics analyses.

To postprocess results during a solve:

1. Set up the Remote Solve Manager (RSM) and run a solution. Make sure that the Distribute Solution option
on the Solver Process Setting (p. 1716) dialog is unchecked.

Request results for a specific time by entering the time in the Display Time field within the Details
view of the Solution object.

2. Right-click the Solution object and choose Evaluate All Results.

If you chose a specific time point that is not yet solved, the result of the most recent solved point
will be displayed in the output fields within the Details view.

Note:

When using this feature, it is important that you allow adequate time after the solve for the
results files to be created and present before any postprocessing can be successful. Requesting
a postprocessing function too prematurely could generate an error message stating that the
result file could not be opened.

Result Trackers
In addition to the real time solution response graphs you can view from the Solution Information
object, you can also view graphs of specific displacement and contact results as a function of time using
Result Tracker objects. These objects are inserted as branch objects under a Solution Information
object.

Other than contact trackers that read data from the CND file (file.cnd), you cannot add new Result
Trackers to completed solutions. In order to add and solve a new result, you must Clear (p. 1488) the
Solution, add a new Result Tracker, and then resolve the simulation.

Note:

• Result Trackers employ the instructions of the Mechanical APDL command, NLHIST.

• Contact Trackers reading from the CND file use the Mechanical APDL command, NLDIAG.

Result Tracker Types

The Result Tracker feature is available for the following:

Structural Result Tracker (p. 1747)

Thermal Result Tracker (p. 1752)

Explicit Dynamics Result Tracker

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Adding the Result Tracker Object

To insert a Result Tracker object, select a Solution Information object in the tree and either choose
an option under the Result Tracker drop-down menu in the Solution Information Context tab, or
click the Result Tracker object, then insert a Result Tracker object.

Note:

You can add Contact Result Trackerswhile the solution is in progress. The application
automatically sets the Enhanced Tracking property to Yes and the property is read-only.
Normal scoping requirements apply.

Result Tracker Features

The following options are offered by the Result Tracker object.

Plotting (p. 1746)

Renaming (p. 1747)

Exporting (p. 1747)

Plotting a Result Tracker

Any of the graphs created by either the Result Tracker or nonlinear convergence items have the fol-
lowing features:

• Multiple Result Tracker objects may be selected at the same time to create a combined chart assuming
they share the same X and Y output types (such as pressure for Y and time for X). An example is shown here:

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 Result Trackers

• The graph can be zoomed by using the ALT key + left mouse button. Moving down and to the right zooms
in, and moving up and to the left zooms out.

Caution:

Because nodes may be rotated in solutions obtained with the Mechanical APDL application,
deformation Result Trackers may not record the expected component of the deformation.
Should this occur, a warning message alerting you to this will appear after the solve in the
Details view of the Solution object, in the Solver Messages field. This situation can occur
when Result Trackers are adjacent to supported faces, lines, or vertices. One possible ap-
proach to avoid this situation is to add 3 deformation Result Trackers, one for each of the
x, y, and z directions. This will ensure that the tracker is showing all deformation of that
vertex of the model.

Renaming a Result Tracker

The Result Tracker has an option for renaming the object based on the definition of the result and
the scoping. You choose the option in the right-click (context) menu. This option is useful in having
the program create meaningful names of the result trackers. An example would be Result Tracker 5
being renamed to Pressure on Contact Region 2.

Exporting a Result Tracker

Result Tracker objects can be exported to an Excel file by selecting Export in the context menu using
a right-mouse button click the Result Tracker object. This option appears in the menu after the solution
is obtained.

Note:

You must right-mouse click the selected object in the tree to use this Export feature. On
Windows platforms, if you have the Microsoft Office 2002 (or later) installed, you may see
an Export to Excel option if you right-mouse click in the Worksheet window. This is not
the Mechanical application Export feature but rather an option generated by Microsoft In-
ternet Explorer.

Structural Result Trackers

A static and transient structural analyses support the following Result Trackers.

• Deformation (p. 1748)

• Contact (p. 1748)

• Kinetic Energy and Stiffness Energy (p. 1751)

The Details view categories and options for each are described below.

Note:

Direct graphical node selection requires you to generate the mesh.

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Deformation
The Deformation result tracker tracks displacement for one vertex only using the geometry picker
or a geometry-based Named Selection or a node-based Named Selection for a single node. Details
view categories and properties include:

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method: options include Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

Geometry: visible when Geometry Selection is specified as the Scoping Method.

This field allows you to select and define a single vertex or a single node as the
geometry.

Named Selection: visible when Named Selection is specified as the Scoping

Method. This field provides a list of user-defined Named Selections that are either
geometry-based or node-based.
Defin- Type: Read-only field that displays the type of Result Tracker - Directional
i- Deformation.
tion
Orientation: Specifies X-Axis, Y-Axis, or Z-Axis.

Suppressed: Prior to solving, you can include or exclude the result from the analysis.
The default is value is No.
Res- Minimum: Read-only indication of the minimum value of the result tracker type.
ults
Maximum: Read-only indication of the maximum value of the result tracker type.

Note:

When using the Deformation result tracker to graph displacement for a Nonlinear Adaptive
Region (p. 1383), there is a display limitation for the graph. The tracker reads and displays
data contained in the jobname.nlh file. This file contains incremental displacement data
collected after re-meshing occurs. That is, the re-meshed model is considered as a new
reference.

Contact
The Contact result tracker is for contact outputs scoped to a given contact pair. Details view categories
and properties include:

Note:

You can add Contact Result Trackerswhile the solution is in progress. The application
automatically sets the Enhanced Tracking property to Yes and the property is read-
only. Normal scoping requirements apply.

Category Property/Description
Defin- Type: Specifies the particular contact output. For each of these options, the result
i- tracking is performed on the Contact side of the pair. If you want to perform the
tion result tracking on the Target side, you should flip the source and target sides. If

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 Result Trackers

Category Property/Description
this occurs you can change the contact region to Asymmetric (p. 909) and flip the
source and target faces in order to specify the side of interest that is to be the
contact side. If Auto Asymmetric (p. 909) contact is active (either by the Behavi-
or (p. 909) contact region setting equaling Auto Asymmetric or by the Formula-
tion (p. 913) setting equaling Augmented Lagrange (p. 913) or MPC (p. 913)) and
the contact side is chosen by the program to be disabled, the Results Tracker will
not contain any results (as signified by a value of -2 for Number Contacting output).
Contact results will be valid depending on the type of contact (for example,
edge-edge) and the contact formulation.

• Pressure: Maximum pressure.

• Penetration: Maximum penetration.

• Gap: Minimum gap. The values will be reported as negative numbers to signify a
gap. A value of zero is reported if the contact region is in contact (and thus has a
penetration). Also, if the region is in far-field contact (contact faces are outside the
pinball radius), then the gap will be equal to the resulting pinball size for the region.

• Frictional Stress: Maximum frictional stress.

• Sliding Distance: Maximum total sliding distance (algebraic sum) when the contact
status is sticking or sliding.

• Number Sticking: Number of elements that are sticking.

• Number Contacting (default): Number of elements in contact. A value of -1 means

the contact pair is in Far-field contact (meaning the faces lie outside the contact
pinball region).

• Chattering: Maximum chattering level.

• Elastic Slip: Maximum elastic slip.

• Max Normal Stiffness: Maximum normal stiffness.

• Min Normal Stiffness: Minimum normal stiffness.

• Max Tangential Stiffness: Maximum tangential stiffness.

• Min Tangential Stiffness: Minimum tangential stiffness.

• Contacting Area: The total area of the elements that are in contact.

• Max Damping Pressure: Maximum damping pressure.

• Fluid Pressure: Maximum fluid penetration pressure.

• Min Geometric Sliding Distance: Minimum total sliding distance, including sticking,
sliding, and near-field. For more information, see the GSLID output parameter in
the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide.

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Understanding Solving

Category Property/Description
• Max Geometric Sliding Distance: Maximum total sliding distance, including
sticking, sliding, and near-field. For more information, see the GSLID output
parameter in the Mechanical APDL Contact Technology Guide.

• Resulting Pinball: Maximum pinball radius.

• Contact Depth: Average contact depth.

• Closed Penetration: Maximum closed (geometrical) penetration.

• Number with Large Penetration: Number of contact points having too much
penetration.

• Tangential Damping Stress: Maximum tangential contact damping stress.

• Volume Loss Due to Wear: Total volume lost due to wear for the contact pair (not
available for general contact).

• Strain Energy: Total strain energy due to contact constraint.

• Frictional Dissipation Energy: Total frictional dissipation energy.

• Stabilization Energy: Total contact stabilization energy.

• Number With Too Much Sliding: Number of contact points having too much
sliding for small sliding contact (p. 914).

• Total Force From Contact Pressure X: Total Force along the X-axis due to contact
pressure.

• Total Force from Contact Pressure Y: Total Force along the Y-axis due to contact
pressure.

• Total Force from Contact Pressure Z: In a 3D model, the reported item is the total
force along the Z-axis. In a 2D axisymmetric model, the reported item is maximum
torque that can potentially act on the Y-axis.

• Total Force from Tangential Stress X: Total Force along the X-axis due to
tangential stress.

• Total Force from Tangential Stress Y: Total Force along the Y-axis due to
tangential stress.

• Total Force from Tangential Stress Z: Total Force along the Z-axis due to
tangential stress.

• Sliding Indication: Specifying this option requires that the Type property of the
specified Contact Region be set to Frictional. Sliding Indication is calculated using
the following formula.

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 Result Trackers

Category Property/Description
For the equation, MU is the Friction Coefficient of the Frictional Contact.
When Sliding Indication equals -1, this indicates that the normal contact
force equals 0. When Sliding Indication equals 1, this indicates that the
Friction Coefficient equals 0 (a great deal of sliding). Any other result for the
Sliding Indication value means that there is some amount of sliding. The
higher the value, the greater the amount of sliding.

Suppressed: Prior to solving, you can include or exclude the result from the analysis.
The default is value is No.
Scope Contact Region: Specifies the particular contact region in the pair. Default names
are Contact Region and Contact Region 2.

Enhanced Tracking: This property causes your Contact Result Tracker to obtain
contact pair-based information as specified by the Type property (Number
Contacting, Penetration, etc.). This takes place during the solution phase or
following a completed solution from the CND file (file.cnd). The default setting
is Yes. See NLDIAG command for additional information. The No setting reads data
from the NLH file. See NLHIST command for additional information.

Note:

Enhanced Tracking results are only available when a complete solution

is performed in Mechanical 16.0 or a later version.

Contact Side: Specify the desired side of the associated Contact Region for which
you wish to obtain results, either the Contact (default) side or the Target side.
Defin- Minimum: Read-only indication of the minimum value of the result tracker type.
i-
tion Maximum: Read-only indication of the maximum value of the result tracker type.

Kinetic Energy and Stiffness Energy

The Details view categories and properties for Kinetic Energy and Stiffness Energy include:

Category Property/Description
Defin- Type: Read-only field that displays the type of Results Tracker - either Kinetic Energy
i- or Stiffness Energy.
tion
Suppressed: Prior to solving, you can include or exclude the result from the analysis.
The default is value is No.
Res- Minimum: Read-only indication of the minimum value of the result tracker type.
ults
Maximum: Read-only indication of the maximum value of the result tracker type.

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Understanding Solving

Thermal Result Trackers

A Thermal Analysis supports the Temperature Result Tracker only. The Temperature can be applied
to one vertex only using the geometry selection tools or using a geometry-based Named Selection
or for a single node, node-based Named Selection.

Note:

Direct graphical node selection requires you to generate the mesh.

The Details view properties and options for the Temperature Result Tracker are described below.

• Scope:

– Scoping Method: Specifies the option Geometry Selection, Named Selection, Remote Point, Global
Minimum, or Global Maximum for a solution point.

– Geometry: Visible when Geometry Selection is specified as the Scoping Method. This property enables
you to select and define a single vertex as the geometry or a single node.

– Named Selection: Visible when Named Selection is specified as the Scoping Method. This property
provides a drop-down menu of user-defined Named Selections that are either geometry-based or node-
based.

– Remote Point

– Remote Point: Visible when Remote Point is specified as the Scoping Method. This property provides
a drop-down menu of user-defined Remote Points.

– Global Minimum

– Global Maximum

• Definition

– Type: Read-only field that displays the type of Results Tracker.

– Suppressed: Prior to solving, you can include or exclude the result from the analysis. The default is value
is No.

• Results

– Minimum: Read-only indication of the minimum value of the result tracker type.

– Maximum: Read-only indication of the maximum value of the result tracker type.

Adaptive Convergence
You can control the relative accuracy of a solution in two ways. You can use the meshing tools to refine
the mesh before solving, or you can use convergence tools as part of the solution process to refine
solution results on a particular area of the model. This section discusses the latter.

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 Adaptive Convergence

Through its convergence capabilities, the application can fully automate the solution process, internally
controlling the level of accuracy for selected results. You can seek approximate results or adapted/con-
verged results.

This section explains how to interpret accuracy controls.

Converged Results Control

You can control convergence to a predefined level of error for selected results. In the calculation of
stresses, displacements, mode shapes, temperatures, and heat fluxes, the application employs an adaptive
solver engine to identify and refine the model in areas that benefit from adaptive refinement. The cri-
teria for convergence is a prescribed percent change in results. The default is 20%. You can change this
default using the Convergence setting (p. 143) in the Options dialog box (p. 138).

Adaptivity (Refinement of Meshes Based on Solutions)

You can continue to refine the mesh based on a specific solution result. When you pick a result (Equi-
valent Stress, Total Deformation, Total Flux Density, etc.), indicate that you want to converge on
this solution. You pick a value and the solution is refined such that the solution value does not change
by more than that value.

To add convergence, click the result you added to your solution; for example, Equivalent Stress, Total
Deformation, or Total Flux Density. If you want to converge on deformation, right-click Total Deform-
ation and select Insert > Convergence. In Details View (p. 67), you can specify convergence on either
the Minimum or Maximum value. Additionally, you can specify the Allowable Change between con-
vergence iterations.

For an adaptive solution, a solution is first performed on the base mesh, and then the elements are
queried for their solution information (such as deflection, X-stress, Y-stress, etc.). If the element's results
have a high Zienkiewicz-Zhu, or ZZ error (see the Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for more information
on adaptivity theory), the element is placed in the queue to be refined. The application then continues
to refine the mesh and perform additional solutions. Adaptivity will be more robust if your initial mesh
is with tetrahedrons. Adaptive refinement starting from a hex-dominant mesh will automatically result
in a re-meshing of the structure with tetrahedrons. The face mesh given to the tet mesher is the initial
quad mesh split into triangles. That face mesh is then filled with tetrahedrons so it is recommended
that you insert an all tetrahedron mesh method before you start an adaptive solution.

You can control the aggressiveness of the adaptive refinement by adjusting the Refinement Depth
setting under Adaptive Mesh Refinement in the Details view of a Solution object. The default value
is 2 for structural analyses, and 0 for magnetostatic analyses. The range is from 0 to 3. By default, when
adaptive convergence occurs, the program will refine to a depth of 2 elements to help ensure smooth
transitions and avoid excessive element distortion for repeated refinement. However, you can adjust
this refinement depth to a value of 0 or 1 if for a particular problem, the deep refinement is not required
and problem size is a major concern. In general, for mechanical analyses, the default value of 2 is highly
recommended. However, you can lower the value if too much refinement is occurring and is overwhelm-
ing the solution in terms of size of solution time. If you use a value less than 2, be aware of the following:

• Verify that false convergence is not occurring because of too little refinement.

• More refinements may be required to achieve the desired tolerance, which may increase the total solution
time.

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Understanding Solving

The following pictures show the effects of various settings of Refinement Depth on plots of Total De-
formation.

Base Mesh: No Refinement Depth = 0

Refinement

Refinement Depth = 1 Refinement Depth = 2

For magnetostatic analyses, there are additional settings that allow you to change the percentage of
the element selected for adaptive refinement during solution. These settings use an Energy Based
percentage and an Error Based percentage. The internal selection process first uses the Energy Based
percentage to select the number of elements in the full model that have the highest values of magnetic
energy. From this number, it uses the Error Based percentage to select the number of elements with
the highest error in the particular body. Magnetic Error results are also available to display on the
geometry for verification.

These adaptive refinement settings for magnetostatic analyses are in the Refinement Controls group,
located in the Details view of the Solution object, provided you have a Convergence object inserted
under any magnetostatic result (p. 1627). An Element Selection setting in this group has the following
options:

• Program Controlled (default): The percentage of elements selected for adaptive refinement equals the
default values of 10% for the Energy Based percentage and 20% for the Error Based percentage.

• Manual: The percentage of elements selected for adaptive refinement equals the values you enter in the
Energy Based and Error Based fields that appear only when you choose Manual.

For magnetostatic analyses, Directional Force results allow seeking convergence based on Force
Summation or Torque as opposed to other results converging on Maximum or Minimum values.

Adaptive Convergence in Multiple Result Sets

You can apply adaptive convergence on multiple result sets that may include different loadings or time
points. To do so, create a result for each loading or time point and insert a Convergence object under
each result.

The following example shows Total Deformation results at two time points where a Convergence
object was inserted under each result.

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 Adaptive Convergence

ANSYS Workbench Product Adaptive Solutions

Nearly every ANSYS Workbench product result can be calculated to a user-specified accuracy. The spe-
cified accuracy is achieved by means of adaptive and iterative analysis, whereby h-adaptive methodology
is employed. The h-adaptive method begins with an initial finite element model that is refined over
various iterations by replacing coarse elements with finer elements in selected regions of the model.
This is effectively a selective remeshing procedure. The criterion for which elements are selected for
adaptive refinement depends on geometry and on what ANSYS Workbench product results quantities
are requested. The result quantity φ, the expected accuracy E (expressed as a percentage), and the region
R on the geometry that is being subjected to adaptive analysis may be selected. The user-specified ac-
curacy is achieved when convergence is satisfied as follows:

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Understanding Solving

where i denotes the iteration number. It should be clear that results are compared from iteration i to
iteration i+1. Iteration in this context includes a full analysis in which h-adaptive meshing and solving
are performed.

The ANSYS Workbench product uses two different criteria for its adaptive procedures. The first criterion
merely identifies the largest elements (LE), which are deleted and replaced with a finer finite element
representation. The second employs a Zienkiewicz-Zhu (ZZ) norm for stress in structural analysis and
heat flux in thermal analysis.

Table 5: ANSYS Workbench Product Adaptivity Methods

Result Adaptive Criterion

Stresses and strains ZZ norm
Structural margins and factors of safety ZZ norm
Fatigue damage and life ZZ norm
Heat flows ZZ norm
Temperatures ZZ norm
Deformations ZZ norm
Mode frequencies LE

As mentioned above, geometry plays a role in the ANSYS Workbench product adaptive method. In
general, accurate results and solutions can be devised for the entire assembly, a part or a collection of
parts, or a surface or a collection of surfaces. The user makes the decision as to which region of the
geometry applies. If accurate results on a certain surface are desired, the ANSYS Workbench product
ignores the aforementioned criterion and simply refines all elements on the surfaces that make up the
defined region. The reasoning here is that the user restricts the region where accurate results are desired.
In addition, there is nothing limiting the user from having multiple accuracy specification. In other
words, specified accuracy in a selected region and results with specified accuracy over the entire model
can be achieved.

Requirements
To use Convergence feature:

• To use Convergence, you must set Calculate Stress to Yes under Output Controls in the Analysis Settings
details panel. However, you can perform Modal and Buckling Analysis without specifying this option.

• Convergence (p. 2002) objects inserted under an environment that is referenced by an Initial Condition (p. 2098)
object or a Thermal Condition (p. 1424) load object (p. 2107), will invalidate either of these objects, and not
allow a solution to progress.

• When performing an out of process (p. 1715) solution asynchronously, wherein the solve may finalize during
another Workbench session, the application performs only one maximum refinement loop. As necessary,
you must manually perform additional loops. To solve with a single user action, solve synchronously.

• Results cannot be converged when you have a Mesh Connection object.

• You cannot use Convergence if you have an upstream or a downstream analysis link.

• Convergence is not available when you:

– Import loads into the analysis.

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 Adaptive Convergence

– Activate the Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383) condition in the analysis.

• Convergence is not supported for:

– A model with Layered Sections.

– Design Assessment (p. 1843).

– Solution Combinations (p. 1699).

– Mixed Order Meshing

– Orthotropic materials.

– Solid shell elements (the SOLSH190 series elements).

– If a Periodic Region or Cyclic Region symmetry object is defined.

Notes About Accuracy

Accuracy acceptance:

• Low levels of accuracy are acceptable for demonstrations, training, and test runs. Allow for a significant level
of uncertainty in interpreting answers. Very low accuracy is never recommended for use in the final validation
of any critical design.

• Moderate levels of accuracy are acceptable for many noncritical design applications. Moderate levels of ac-
curacy should not be used in a final validation of any critical part.

• High levels of accuracy are appropriate for solutions contributing to critical design decisions.

At maximum accuracy, when convergence is not sought, studies of problems with known answers yield
the following behaviors and approximated errors:

• Less than 20% error for peak stresses and strains, and minimum margins and factors of safety.

• Between 5% and 10% error for average (nominal) stresses and elastic strains, and average heat flows.

• Between 1% and 5% error for average stress-related displacements and average calculated temperatures.

• 5% or less error for mode frequencies for a wide range of parts.

When seeking highly accurate, converged Results, more computer time and resources will be required
than manual control, except in some cases where the manual preference approaches highest accuracy.

Given the flexible nature of the solver engine, it is impossible to explicitly quantify the effect of a par-
ticular accuracy selection on the calculation of results for an arbitrary problem. Accuracy is related only
to the representation of geometry. Increasing the accuracy preference will not make the material
definition or environmental conditions more accurate. However, specified converged results are nearly
as accurate as the percentage criteria.

Critical components should always be analyzed by an experienced engineer or analyst prior to final
acceptance.

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Understanding Solving

File Management in the Mechanical Application

During the solution, several files are created. Some of these can be deleted after the solution but some
need to be retained for postprocessing or for feeding other subsequent analyses. Since you can perform
several different analyses on a single model or even have several models in the same Mechanical applic-
ation project, you must manage the solution files in a consistent and predictable manner.

Note:

If you open a solved project and make a change to either the geometry or the mesh, Mech-
anical automatically deletes the content of the original project files (*.rst, *.out, etc.).

Consistent Directory Structure for Mechanical Application Analyses

ANSYS Workbench's file management system keeps multiple databases under a single project. See
Saving and Managing Project Files for a description of the file management system.

Note:

The Analysis Settings Details view has an Analysis Data Management (p. 1160) grouping
that shows the solution directory location for each analysis.

Solution Files
Default behavior: By default an analysis in the Mechanical application saves only the minimal files re-
quired for postprocessing. Typically these include results files (file.rst, file.rth, file.rmg,
file.psd, file.mcom), input file (ds.dat), output file (solve.out), and some other files that
have valuable information about the solution ( file.BCS, file.nlh, file.gst). Of these only the
results file is generally of significant size.

For Windows users, the solution files folder can be displayed using the Open Solver Files Direct-
ory (p. 1161) feature.

Future Analysis: If the results of this analysis are to be used as a load or an initial condition in a sub-
sequent analysis then additional files may need to be saved. Declaring your intent to use this in the
future (p. 1160) will automatically save the required files and reuse them in the subsequent analysis. Refer
to Define Initial Conditions (p. 233) for details of these analyses.

Delete Unneeded Files: The solution process creates other files that are typically not needed for
postprocessing or are not used in subsequent analyses. By default, the Mechanical application deletes
these files at the end of solution. However, if for any reason, you want to keep all the files you could
choose to do so (p. 1160).

You can use the Output Controls (p. 1151) on the analysis settings page to write only the desired result
types to the .rst file (for example, if strains are not needed, you can turn them off which would create
a smaller result file). In addition, for advanced Mechanical APDL application users, Command ob-
jects (p. 1823) can be used to further limit output via the OUTRES command.

An external result file is needed to post results. The following behavior will occur:

• If you save a simulation, any simulation files (result and other required files) will be saved to the new location.

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 Solving Units

• If you use the Duplicate Without Results option (Environment (p. 2017) and Model (p. 2139) objects only), all
subordinate objects are reproduced with the exception of the data for all result objects. This is based on
the intention that loading changes are performed and the solution process is repeated.

• If you attempt to resolve a previously solved and saved database, the corresponding saved result files are
backed up automatically in case the current solve is not saved.

• The /post1 XML transfer of result files used in previous releases is no longer used so any existing solution
Command objects which were modifying the Mechanical APDL application results to be brought back into
the Mechanical application no longer function.

Solving Units
There are a number of possible unit systems provided for the solution process in the Mechanical applic-
ation. The tables shown below present the solver unit systems for the various quantities. For a given
solution, the application detects the specified unit system and then converts all analysis quantities into
a consistent unit system prior to sending data to the solver. This makes sure that the application interprets
all unit systems for all quantities correctly for processing as the inputs and the outputs to the Mechan-
ical APDL application. Note that the GUI may display units that are different than the ones shown below.

Note:

• Units of measure specified in Commands objects (p. 1830) are not converted when they are sent
to the solver.

• All magnetostatic analyses solve in the mks system regardless of the user-defined system.

• Note the following Units (p. 11) options.

– Metric (mm, kg, N, s, mV, mA)

– Metric (mm, t, N, s, mV, mA)

– Metric (mm, dat, N, s, mV, mA)

These options differ only by Mass unit: kilogram (kg), metric ton (t), and decaton (dat). However,
the consistent unit system used for the solver is the same for all quantities, i.e. Mass is measured
in tons [t]. For the purposes of this discussion, the following descriptions use only the first option
(mm, kg, N, s, mV, mA), to represent all three of the above interface options.

• All "ton" designations in the table indicate metric ton.

Accelera- Angle (p. 1761) Angular Accelera- Angular Velo- Area (p. 1763)
tion (p. 1760) tion (p. 1761) city (p. 1762)
Capacit- Charge (p. 1764) Charge Dens- Conductiv- Current (p. 1765)
ance (p. 1763) ity (p. 1764) ity (p. 1765)
Current Dens- Decay Con- Density (p. 1767) Displace- Electric Conduct-
ity (p. 1766) stant (p. 1766) ment (p. 1767) ance Per Unit
Area (p. 1768)
Electric Conduct- Electric Electric Flux Electric Resistiv- Energy (p. 1770)
ivity (p. 1768) Field (p. 1769) Density (p. 1769) ity (p. 1770)

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Understanding Solving

Energy Density Energy Per Film Coeffi- Force (p. 1773) Force Intens-
by Mass (p. 1771) Volume (p. 1772) cient (p. 1772) ity (p. 1773)
Force Per Angu- Fracture Energy Fre- Gasket Stiff- Heat Flux (p. 1776)
lar Unit (p. 1774) (Energy Release quency (p. 1775) ness (p. 1775)
Rate) (p. 1774)
Heat Genera- Heat Rate (p. 1777) Impulse (p. 1777) Impulse Per An- Induct-
tion (p. 1776) gular Unit (p. 1778) ance (p. 1778)
Inverse Inverse Inverse Length (p. 1780) Magnetic Field
Angle (p. 1779) Length (p. 1779) Stress (p. 1780) Intensity (p. 1781)
Magnetic Magnetic Flux Mass (p. 1782) Material Imped- Moment (p. 1783)
Flux (p. 1781) Density (p. 1782) ance (p. 1783)
Moment of Iner- Moment of Iner- Normalized Permeabil- Permittiv-
tia of tia of Value (p. 1785) ity (p. 1786) ity (p. 1786)
Area (p. 1784) Mass (p. 1784)
Poisson's Ra- Power (p. 1787) Pressure (p. 1788) PSD Accelera- PSD Acceleration
tio (p. 1787) tion (p. 1789) (G) (p. 1789)
PSD Displace- PSD PSD Mo- PSD Pres- PSD
ment (p. 1790) Force (p. 1790) ment (p. 1791) sure (p. 1791) Strain (p. 1792)
PSD PSD Velo- Relative Permeab- Relative Permit- Rotational
Stress (p. 1792) city (p. 1793) ility (p. 1793) tivity (p. 1794) Damping (p. 1794)
Rotational Stiff- RS Accelera- RS Displace- RS Strain (p. 1800) RS Stress (p. 1801)
ness (p. 1795) tion (p. 1760) ment (p. 1767)
RS Velo- Seebeck Coeffi- Section Modu- Shear Elastic Shock Velo-
city (p. 1807) cient (p. 1795) lus (p. 1796) Strain (p. 1796) city (p. 1797)
Specific Specific Square Root of Stiffness (p. 1799) Strain (p. 1800)
Heat (p. 1797) Weight (p. 1798) Length (p. 1799)
Stress (p. 1801) Stress Intensity Strength (p. 1800) Thermal Capacit- Thermal Conduct-
Factor (p. 1802) ance (p. 1802) ance - 3D Face
and 2D
Edge (p. 1803)
Thermal Conduct- Thermal Expan- Temperat- Temperature Dif- Temperature
ance - 3D Edge sion (p. 1803) ure (p. 1804) ference (p. 1805) Gradient (p. 1805)
and Ver-
tex (p. 1803)
Time (p. 1806) Translational Velocity (p. 1807) Voltage (p. 1808) Volume (p. 1808)
Damping (p. 1806)

Table 6: Acceleration and RS Acceleration

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters/second2 [m/s2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters/second2 [cm/s2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters/second2 [mm/s2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers/second2 [μm/s2]

(μmks)

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
ft, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A feet/second2 [ft/s2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches/second2 [in/s2]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeters/millisecond2 [mm/ms2]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s meters/second2 [m/s2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters/second2 [mm/s2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inches/second2 [in/s2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 7: Angle

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A radians [rad]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A radians [rad]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA radians [rad]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA radians [rad]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians [rad]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians [rad]

(Bin)

Table 8: Angular Acceleration

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A radians/second2 [rad/s2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A radians/second2 [rad/s2]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA radians/second2 [rad/s2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA radians/second2 [rad/s2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians/second2 [rad/s2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians/second2 [rad/s2]

(Bin)

Table 9: Angular Velocity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A radians/second [rad/s]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A radians/second [rad/s]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA radians/second [rad/s]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA radians/second [rad/s]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians/second [rad/s]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians/second [rad/s]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms radians/millisecond [rad/ms]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s radians/second [rad/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s radians/second [rad/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

in,lbf, s radians/second [rad/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 10: Area

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters2 [m2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters2 [cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters2 [mm2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers2 [μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet2 [ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches2 [in2]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeters2 [mm2]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s meters2 [m2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters2 [mm2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inches2 [in2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 11: Capacitance

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Farads [F]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Farads [F]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA microFarads [μF]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoFarads [pF]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Farads [F]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Farads [F]

(Bin)

Table 12: Charge

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Coulombs [C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Coulombs [C]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliCoulombs [mC]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoCoulombs [pC]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Coulombs [C]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Coulombs [C]

(Bin)

Table 13: Charge Density

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Coulombs/meter2 [C/m2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Coulombs/centimeter2 [C/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliCoulombs/millimeter2 [mC/mm2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoCoulombs/micrometer2 [pC/μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Coulombs/foot2 [C/ft2]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Coulombs/inch2 [C/in2]

(Bin)

Table 14: Conductivity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Watts/meter * degree Celsius [W/m *
°C]
(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/second * degree Celsius [dyne/s *
°C]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeters/second3 * degree Celsius
[t * mm/s3 * °C]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoWatts/micrometers * degree Celsius
[pW/μm * °C]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet/second3 * degree Fahrenheit
[(lbm/32.2)ft/s3 * °F]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inches/second3 * degree Fahrenheit
[(lbm/386.4)in/s3 * °F]
(Bin)

Table 15: Current

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Amperes [A]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Amperes [A]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliAmperes [mA]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoAmperes [pA]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Amperes [A]

(Bft)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A Amperes [A]

(Bin)

Table 16: Current Density

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Amperes/meter2 [A/m2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Amperes/centimeter2 [A/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliAmperes/millimeter2 [mA/mm2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA milliAmperes/micrometer2 [mA/μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Amperes/foot2 [A/ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Amperes/inch2 [A/in2]

(Bin)

Table 17: Decay Constant

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A 1/seconds [1/s]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A 1/seconds [1/s]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA 1/seconds [1/s]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA 1/seconds [1/s]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A 1/seconds [1/s]

(Bft)

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A 1/seconds [1/s]

(Bin)

Table 18: Density

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A kilograms/meter3 [kg/m3]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A grams/cm3 [g/cm3]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons/millimeter3 [t/mm3]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA kilograms/micrometer3 [kg/μm3]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/foot3 [(lbm/32.2)1/ft3]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slinch/1)/inch3 [(lbm/386.4)1/in3]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms grams/cm3 [g/cm3]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s kilograms/meter3 [kg/m3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s tons/millimeter3 [t/mm3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s (slinch/1)/inch3 [(lbm/386.4)1/in3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 19: Displacement and RS Displacement

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters [m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters [cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters [mm]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers [μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet [ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches [in]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeters [mm]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s meters [m]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters [mm]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inches [in]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 20: Electric Conductance Per Unit Area

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Siemens/meter2 [S/m2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Siemens/centimeter2 [S/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Siemens/millimeter2 [S/mm2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoSiemens/micrometer2 [pS/μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Siemens/foot2 [S/ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Siemens/inch2 [S/in2]

(Bin)

Table 21: Electric Conductivity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Siemens/meter [S/m]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Siemens/centimeter [S/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Siemens/millimeter [S/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoSiemens/micrometer [pS/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Siemens/foot [S/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Siemens/inch [S/in]

(Bin)

Table 22: Electric Field

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Volts/meter [V/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Volts/centimeter [V/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliVolts/millimeter [mV/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA Volts/micrometer [V/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Volts/foot [V/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Volts/inch [V/in]

(Bin)

Table 23: Electric Flux Density

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Coulombs/meter2 [C/m2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Coulombs/centimeter2 [C/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliCoulombs/millimeter2 [mC/mm2]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoCoulombs/micrometer2 [pC/μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Coulombs/foot2 [C/ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Coulombs/inch2 [C/in2]

(Bin)

Table 24: Electric Resistivity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Ohm * meters [Ohm * m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Ohm * centimeters [Ohm * cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Ohm * millimeters [Ohm * mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA teraOhm * micrometers [Tohm * μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Ohm * Cir-mils/foot [Ohm * Cir-mil/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Ohm * Cir-mils/inch [Ohm * Cir-mil/in]

(Bin)

Table 25: Energy

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Joules [J]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A ergs [erg]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliJoules [mJ]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoJoules [pJ]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2/second2 [(lbm/32.2)ft2/s2]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inches2/second2 [(lbm/386.4)in2/s2]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms microJoules [μJ]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Joules [J]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s milliJoules [mJ]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s slinch * inches2/second2 [(lbm/386.4)in2/s2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 26: Energy Density by Mass

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Joules/kilograms [J/kg]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes * centimeters/grams [dyne * cm /g]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliJoules/tons [mJ/t]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoJoules/kilograms [pJ/kg]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet2 /seconds2 [ft2/s2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches2/seconds2 [in2/sec 2]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms Joules/kilograms [J/kg]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Joules/kilograms [J/kg]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s milliJoules/tons [mJ/t]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

in,lbf, s inches2/seconds2 [in2/sec 2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 27: Energy Per Volume

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Joules/meter3 [J/m3]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A ergs/centimeter3 [erg/cm3]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliJoules/millimeter3 [mJ/mm3]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoJoules/micrometer3 [pJ * um3]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * foot2/second2 * feet3[(lbm/32.2) *
ft2/s2 * ft3]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inch2/second2 * inch3 [(lbm/386.4)
* in2/s2 * in3)]
(Bin)

Table 28: Film Coefficient

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Watts/meter2 * degree Celsius [W/m2 * °C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne/second * centimeter * degree Celsius
[dyne/s * cm * °C]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons/second3 * degree Celsius [t/s3 * °C]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoWatts/micrometer2 * degree Celsius
[pW/μm2 * °C]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/second3 * degree Fahrenheit
[(lbm/32.2)1/s3 * °F]
(Bft)

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A (slinch/1)/second3 * degree Fahrenheit
[(lbm/386.4)1/s3 * °F]
(Bin)

Table 29: Force

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newtons [N]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes [dyne]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeters/second2 [t * mm/s2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewtons [μN]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet/second2 [(lbm/32.2)ft/s2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inches/second2 [(lbm/386.4)in/s2]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms milliNewtons [mN]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Newtons [N]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s Newtons [N]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pound force (lbf )

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 30: Force Intensity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newtons/meter [N/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/centimeter [dyne/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons/second2 [t/s2]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewtons/micrometer [μN/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/second2 [(lbm/32.2)1/s2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slinch/1)/second2 [(lbm/386.4)1/s2]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms Newtons/meter [N/m] or
milliNewtons/millimeter [mN/mm]
[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s Newtons/meter [N/m]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s Newtons/millimeter [N/mm]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pound force/inch [lbf/in]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 31: Force Per Angular Unit

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newtons/radian [N/rad]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/radian [dyne/rad]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Newtons/radian [N/rad]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewtons/radian [μN/rad]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pounds mass/radian [lbf/rad]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pounds mass/radian [lbf/rad]

(Bin)

Table 32: Fracture Energy (Energy Release Rate)

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Joules/meter2 [J/m2]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A erg/centimeter2 [erg/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliJoules/millimeter2 [mJ/mm2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoJoules/micrometer2 [pJ/μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2/seconds2 * feet2 [(lbm-ft2)/(s2)
* ft2
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inch2/seconds2 * inch2 [(lbm-in2)/(s2)
* in2
(Bin)

Table 33: Frequency

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Hertz[Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Hertz[Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Hertz[Hz]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA Hertz[Hz]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Hertz[Hz]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Hertz[Hz]

(Bin)

Table 34: Gasket Stiffness

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Pascals/meter [Pa/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/centimeter3 [dyne/cm3]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons/second2 * millimeter2 [t/s2 * mm2]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA megaPascals/micrometer [MPa/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug/second2 * foot2 [(lbm/32.2)/s2 * ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch/second2 * inch2 [(lbm/386.4)/s2 * in2]

(Bin)

Table 35: Heat Flux

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Watts/meter2 [W/m2]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/second * centimeter [dyne/s * cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons/second3 [t/s3]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoWatts/micrometer2 [pW/μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/second3 [(lbm/32.2)1/s3]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slinch/1)/second3 [(lbm/386.4)1/s3]

(Bin)

Table 36: Heat Generation

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Watts/meter3 [W/m3]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/second * centimeter2 [dyne/s * cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons/second3 * millimeter [t/s3 * mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoWatts/micrometer3 [pW/μm3]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/second3 * foot [(lbm/32.2)1/s3 * ft]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slinch/1)/second3 * inch [(lbm/386.4)1/s3 *
in]
(Bin)

Table 37: Heat Rate

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Watts [W]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * centimeters/second [dyne * cm/s]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeters2/second3 [t * mm2/s3]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoWatts [pW]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2/second3 [(lbm/32.2) * ft2/s3]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inches2/second3 [(lbm/386.4) *
in2/s3]
(Bin)

Table 38: Impulse

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newton * second [N * s]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * second [dyne * s]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Newton * second [N * s]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewton * second [μN * s]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pounds mass * second [lbf * s]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pounds mass * second [lbf * s]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms microNewton * second [μN * s]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s Newton * second [N * s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s Newton * second [N * s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pound force * second (lbf * second)

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 39: Impulse Per Angular Unit

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newton * second/rad [N * s/rad]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * second/radian [dyne * s/rad]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Newton * second/rad [N * s/rad]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewton * second/radian [μN * s/rad]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pounds mass * second/radian [lbf * s/rad]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pounds mass * second/radian [lbf * s/rad]

(Bin)

Table 40: Inductance

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Henries [H]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Henries [H]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliHenries [mH]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA teraHenries [TH]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Henries [H]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Henries [H]

(Bin)

Table 41: Inverse Angle

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A 1/radians [1/rad]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A 1/radians [1/rad]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA 1/radians [1/rad]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA 1/radians [1/rad]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A 1/radians [1/rad]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A 1/radians [1/rad]

(Bin)

Note:

The units presented above are applicable when the Units are set to Radians. The applicable
units are 1/degree [1/o] when the Units are set to Degrees.

Table 42: Inverse Length

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A 1/meter [1/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A 1/centimeter [1/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA 1/millimeter [1/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA 1/micrometer [1/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A 1/foot [1/ft]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A 1/inch [1/in]

(Bin)

Table 43: Inverse Stress

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A 1/Pascal [1/Pa]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters2/dyne [cm2/dyne]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA second2 * millimeters/ton [s2 * mm/t]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA 1/megaPascal [1/MPa]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A second2 * feet/slug [s2 * ft/(lbm/32.2)]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A second2 * inch/slinch [s2 * in/(lbm/386.4)]

(Bin)

Table 44: Length

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters [m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters [cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters [mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers [μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet [ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches [in]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeters [mm]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s meters [m]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters [mm]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inches [in]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 45: Magnetic Field Intensity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Amperes/meter [A/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Oersteds [Oe]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliAmperes/millimeter [mA/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoAmperes/micrometer [pA/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Amperes/foot [A/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Amperes/inch [A/in]

(Bin)

Table 46: Magnetic Flux

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Webers [Wb]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Maxwells [Mx]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliWebers [mWb]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA Webers [Wb]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Lines

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Lines

(Bin)

Table 47: Magnetic Flux Density

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Teslas [T]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Gauss [G]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliTeslas [mT]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA teraTeslas [TT]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Lines/foot2 [lines/ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Lines/inch2 [lines/in2]

(Bin)

Table 48: Mass

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A kilograms [kg]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A grams [g]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons [t]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA kilograms [kg]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug [lbm/32.2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch [lbm/386.4]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms milligrams [mg]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s kilograms [kg]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s tons [t]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s slinch [lbm/386.4]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 49: Material Impedance

Unit System Measured in . . .

mm, mg, ms milligrams/millimeter2/second [mg/mm2/s]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s kilograms/meter2/second [kg/m2/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s tons/millimeter2/second [t/mm2/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s slinch/inch2/second [slinch/in2/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 50: Moment

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newton * meters [N * m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * centimeters [dyne * cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeters2/second2 [t * mm2/s2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewton * micrometers [μN * μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2/second2 [(lbm/32.2) * ft2/s2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inches2/second2 [(lbm/386.4) *
in2/s2]
(Bin)
mm, mg, ms microNewton * meters [μN * m]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s Newton * meters [N * m]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s Newton * millimeters [N * mm]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pound force * inch [lbf * in]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 51: Moment of Inertia of Area

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters4 [m4]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters4 [cm4]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters4 [mm4]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers4 [μm4]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet4 [ft4]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches4 [in4]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeters4 [mm4]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s meters4 [m4]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters4 [mm4]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inches4 [in4]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 52: Moment of Inertia of Mass

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A kilogram * meter2 [kg * m2]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A gram * centimeter2 [g * cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeter2 [t * mm2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA kilogram * micrometer2 [kg * μm2]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2 [(lbm/32.2) * ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inch2 [(lbm/386.4) * in2]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms milligram * millimeter2 [mg * mm2]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s kilogram * meter2 [kg * m2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s ton * millimeter2 [t * mm2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s slinch * inch2 [slinch * in2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 53: Normalized Value

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A unitless

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A unitless

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA unitless

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA unitless

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A unitless

(Bft)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A unitless

(Bin)

Table 54: Permeability

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Henries/meter [H/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Henries/centimeter [H/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliHenries/millimeter [mH/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA teraHenries/micrometer [TH/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Henries/foot [H/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Henries/inch [H/in]

(Bin)

Table 55: Permittivity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Farads/meter [F/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Farads/centimeter [F/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA microFarads/millimeter [μF/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoFarads/micrometer [pF/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Farads/foot [F/ft]

(Bft)

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A Farads/inch [F/in]

(Bin)

Table 56: Poisson's Ratio

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A unitless

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A unitless

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA unitless

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA unitless

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A unitless

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A unitless

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms unitless

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s unitless

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s unitless

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s unitless

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 57: Power

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Watts [W]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * centimeters/second [dyne * c/s]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeters2/second3 [t * mm2/s3]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoWatts [pW]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2/second3 [(lbm/32.2) * ft2/s3]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inches2/second3 [(lbm/386.4) *
in2/s3]
(Bin)
mm, mg, ms milliWatts [mW]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Watts [W]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s Newton * millimeters/second [N * mm/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pound force * inch/second [lbf * in/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 58: Pressure

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Pascals [Pa]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/centimeter2 [dyne/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton/second2 * millimeters [t/s2 * mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA megaPascals [MPa]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/second2 * foot [(lbm/32.2)1/s2 * ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slinch/1)/second2 * inch [(lbm/386.4)1/s2 *
in]
(Bin)
mm, mg, ms kiloPascals [kPa]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Pascals [Pa]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s megaPascals [MPa]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pounds/inch2 [lb/in2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 59: PSD Acceleration

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A (meters/second2)2/Hertz [(m/s2)2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A (centimeters/second2)2/Hertz [(cm/s2)2/Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA (millimeters/second2)2/Hertz [(mm/s2)2/Hz]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA (micrometers/second2)2/megahertz
[(μm/s2)2/MHz]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (feet/second2)2/Hertz [(ft/s2)2/Hz]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (inch/second2)2/Hertz [(in/s2)2/Hz]

(Bin)

Table 60: PSD Acceleration (G)

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A G2/Hertz [G2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A G2/Hertz [G2/Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA G2/Hertz [G2/Hz]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA G2/Hertz [G2/Hz]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A G2/Hertz [G2/Hz]

(Bft)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A G2/Hertz [G2/Hz]

(Bin)

Table 61: PSD Displacement

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters2/Hertz [m2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters2/Hertz [cm2/Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters2/Hertz [mm2/Hz]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers2/megaHertz [μm2/MHz]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet2/Hertz [ft2/Hz]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches2/Hertz [in2/Hz]

(Bin)

Table 62: PSD Force

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newtons2/Hertz [N2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes2/Hertz [dyne2/Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ((kilograms.millimeters)/second2)2/Hertz [((kg
* mm)/s2)2/Hz]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewtons2/Hertz [μN2/Hz]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A ((pounds * mass/32.2) *
feet)/second2))2/Hertz [((lb * m/32.2) *
(Bft) ft/s2))2/Hz]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A ((pounds * mass/32.2) *
inches)/second2))2/Hertz [((lb * m/32.2) *
(Bin) in/s2))2/Hz]

Table 63: PSD Moment

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A (Newtons * meters)2/Hertz [(N * m)2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A (dynes * centimeters)2/Hertz [(dyne *
cm)2/Hz]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ((kilograms * millimeters2)/Second2)2/Hertz
[((kg * mm2)/s2)2/Hz]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA (microNewtons * micrometers)2/Hertz [(μN
* μm)2/Hz]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A ((pounds * mass/32.2) * feet2)/second2)
2
/Hertz [((lb * m/32.2) * ft2)/s2)2/Hz]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A ((pounds * mass/386.4) *
inches2)/second2)2/Hertz [((lb * m/386.4) *
(Bin) in2)/s2)2/Hz]

Table 64: PSD Pressure

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Pascals2/Hertz [Pa2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A (dynes/centimeter2)2/Hertz [(dyne/cm2)2/Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA (kilograms/(millimeter * second2))2/Hertz
[(kg/(mm * s2))2/Hz]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA megaNewtons2/Hertz [MPa2/Hz]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/(foot * second2))2/Hertz [((lbm/32.2)/(ft
* s2))2/Hz]
(Bft)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A (slinch/(inch * second2))2/Hertz
[((lbm/386.4)/(in * s2))2/Hz]
(Bin)

Table 65: PSD Strain

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A (meters/meter)2/Hertz [(m/m)2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A (centimeters/centimeter)2/Hertz
[(cm/cm)2/Hz]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA (millimeters/millimeter)2/Hertz
[(mm/mm)2/Hz]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA (micrometers/micrometer)2/Hertz
[(μm/μm)2/Hz]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (feet/foot)2/Hertz [(ft/ft)2/Hz]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (inches/inch)2/Hertz [(in/in)2/Hz]

(Bin)

Table 66: PSD Stress

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Pascals2/Hertz [Pa2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A (dynes/centimeter2)2/Hertz [(dyne/cm2)2/Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA (kilograms/(millimeter * second2))2/Hertz
[(kg/(mm * s2))2/Hz]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA megaNewtons2/Hertz [MPa2/Hz]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/(foot * second2))2/Hertz [((lbm/32.2)/(ft
* s2))2/Hz]
(Bft)

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A (slinch/(inch * second2))2/Hertz
[((lbm/386.4)/(in * s2))2/Hz]
(Bin)

Table 67: PSD Velocity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A (meters/second)2/Hertz [(m/s)2/Hz]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A (centimeters/second)2/Hertz [(cm/s)2/Hz]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA (millimeters/second)2/Hertz [(mm/s)2/Hz]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA (micrometers/second)2/megahertz
[(μm/s)2/MHz]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (feet/second)2/Hertz [(ft/s)2/Hz]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (inches/second)2/Hertz [(in/s)2/Hz]

(Bin)

Table 68: Relative Permeability

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A unitless

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A unitless

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA unitless

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA unitless

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A unitless

(Bft)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A unitless

(Bin)

Table 69: Relative Permittivity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A unitless

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A unitless

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA unitless

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA unitless

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A unitless

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A unitless

(Bin)

Table 70: Rotational Damping

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newton * meter * seconds/radian [N * m *
s/rad]
(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * centimeter * seconds/radian [dyne
* cm * s/rad]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeter2 * seconds/second2 * radian
[t * mm2 * s/s2 * rad]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewton * micrometer * seconds/radian
[μN * μm * s/rad]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * foot2 * seconds/second2 * radian
[(lbm/32.2) * ft2 * s/s2 * rad]
(Bft)

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A slinch * inch2 * seconds/second2 * radian
[(lbm/386.4) * in2 * s/s2 * rad]
(Bin)

Table 71: Rotational Stiffness

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newton * meters/radian [N * m/rad]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes * centimeters/radian [dyne * cm/rad]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeters2/second2 * radian [t *
mm2/s2 * rad]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewton * micrometers/radian
[μN*μm/rad]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2/second2 * radian [(lbm/32.2) *
ft2/s2 * rad]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inches2/second2 * radian
[(lbm/386.4) * in2/s2 * rad]
(Bin)

Table 72: Seebeck Coefficient

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Volts/degree Celsius [V/°C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Volts/degree Celsius [V/°C]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliVolts/degree Celsius [mV/°C]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA Volts/degree Celsius [V/°C]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Volts/degree Fahrenheit [V/°F]

(Bft)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
in, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A Volts/degree Fahrenheit [V/°F]

(Bin)

Table 73: Section Modulus

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters3 [m3]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters3 [cm3]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters3 [mm3]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers3 [μm3]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet3 [ft3]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches3 [in3]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeters3 [mm3]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s meters3 [m3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters3 [mm3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inch3 [in3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 74: Shear Elastic Strain

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A radians [rad]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A radians [rad]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA radians [rad]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA radians [rad]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians [rad]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A radians [rad]

(Bin)

Table 75: Shock Velocity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A seconds/meters [s/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A seconds/centimeters [s/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA seconds/millimeters [s/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA seconds/micrometers [s/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A seconds/feet [s/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A seconds/inches [s/in]

(Bin)

Table 76: Specific Heat

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Joules/kilogram * degree Celsius [J/kg * °C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * centimeters/gram * degree Celsius
[dyne*cm/g * °C]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters2/second2 * degree Celsius
[mm2/s2 * °C]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoJoules/kilogram * degree Celsius [pJ/kg
* °C]
(μmks)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
ft, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A feet2/second2 * degree Fahrenheit [ft2/s2 *
°F]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches2/second2 * degree Fahrenheit [in2/s2
* °F]
(Bin)
mm, mg, ms Joules/kilogram * degree Kelvin [J/kg * °K]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Joules/kilogram/degree Kelvin [J/kg/°K]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s milliJoules/ton/degree Kelvin [mJ/t/oK]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inch2/second2/°F [in2/s2/°F]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 77: Specific Weight

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newtons/meter3 [N/m3]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/centimeter3 [dyne/cm3]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA tons/second2 * millimeters2 [t/s2 * mm2]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewtons/micrometer3 [μN/μm3]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/second2 * feet2 [(lbm/32.2)1/s2 * ft2]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slinch/1)/second2 * inch2 [(lbm/386.4)1/s2
* in2]
(Bin)
mm, mg, ms megaNewtons/meter3 [MN/m3]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Newtons/meter3 [N/m3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s Newtons/millimeter3 [N/mm3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

in,lbf, s pound force/inch3 [lbf/in3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 78: Square Root of Length

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meter0.5 [m0.5]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeter0.5 [cm0.5]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeter0.5 [mm0.5]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometer0.5 [μm0.5]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet0.5 [ft0.5]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inch0.5 [in0.5]

(Bin)

Table 79: Stiffness

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newtons/meter [N/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/centimeter [dyne/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA Newtons/millimeter [N/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewtons/micrometer [μN/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pound force/foot [lbf/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A pound force/inch [lbf/in]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms Newtons/meter [N/m] or
milliNewtons/millimeter [mN/mm]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s Newtons/meter [N/m]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s Newtons/millimeter [N/m]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pound force/inch [lbf/in]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 80: Strain and RS Strain

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meter/meter [m/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeter/centimeter [cm/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeter/millimeter [mm/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometer/micrometer [μm/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet/foot [ft/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inch/inch [in/in]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeter/millimeter [mm/mm]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s meter/meter [m/m]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeter/millimeter [mm/mm]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inch/inch [in/in]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 81: Strength

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Pascals [Pa]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/centimeter2 [dyne/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton/second2 * millimeters [t/s2 * mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA megaPascals [MPa]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slug/1)/second2 * foot [(lbm/32.2)1/s2 * ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A (slinch/1)/second2 * inch [(lbm/386.4)1/s2 *
in]
(Bin)
mm, mg, ms kiloPascals [kPa]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Pascals [Pa]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s megaPascals [MPa]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pounds/inch2 [lb/in2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 82: Stress and RS Stress

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Pascals [Pa]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dynes/centimeter2 [dyne/cm2]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton/second2 * millimeters [t/s2 * mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA megaPascals [MPa]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug/second2 * foot [(lbm/32.2)/s2 * ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch/second2 * inch [(lbm/386.4)/s2 * in]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms kiloPascals [kPa]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s Pascals [Pa]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s megaPascals [MPa]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s pounds/inch2 [lb/in2]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 83: Stress Intensity Factor

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Pascal * meter0.5 [Pa * m0.5]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * centimeter–2 * centimeter0.5 [dyne *
cm–2* cm0.5]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeter–1 * second–2 * millimeter0.5
[ton * mm–1 * s–2 * mm0.5]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA megaPascal * micrometer0.5 [MPa * μm0.5]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A lbm_ft * feet–1 * second–2 * feet0.5 [lbm_ft
* ft–1 * s–2 * ft0.5]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A lbm_inch * inch–1 * second–2 * inch0.5
[lbm_in * in–1 * s–2 * in0.5]
(Bin)

Table 84: Thermal Capacitance

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Joules/degree Celsius [J/°C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A ergs/degree Celsius [erg/°C]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliJoules/degree Celsius [mJ/°C]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoJoules/degree Celsius [pJ/°C]

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A BTU/degree Fahrenheit [BTU/°F]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A BTU/degree Fahrenheit [BTU/°F]

(Bin)

Table 85: Thermal Conductance - 3D Face and 2D Edge

For Thermal Conductance on 3D Faces and 2D Edges, the units are the same as those for Film
Coefficient (p. 1772).

Table 86: Thermal Conductance - 3D Edges and Vertices

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Watts/degree Celsius [W/°C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * centimeter/second * degree Celsius
[dyne * cm/s * °C]
(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA ton * millimeter2/second3 * degree Celsius
[t * mm2/s3 * °C]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA picoWatts/degree Celsius [pW/°C]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slug * feet2/second3 * degree Fahrenheit
[slug * ft2/s3 * °F]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinch * inch2/second3 * degree Fahrenheit
[slinch * in2/s3 * °F]
(Bin)

Table 87: Thermal Expansion

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A 1/degree Celsius [1/°C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A 1/degree Celsius [1/°C]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA 1/degree Celsius [1/°C]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA 1/degree Celsius [1/°C]

(μmks)

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
ft, lbm, lbf, F, s, V, A 1/degree Fahrenheit [1/°F]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A 1/degree Fahrenheit [1/°F]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms microJoules/degree Kelvin [μJ/°K]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s 1/degree Kelvin [1/°K]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s 1/degree Kelvin [1/°K]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s 1/degree Fahrenheit [1/°F]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 88: Temperature

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A degrees Celsius [°C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A degrees Celsius [°C]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA degrees Celsius [°C]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA degrees Celsius [°C]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A degrees Fahrenheit [°F]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A degrees Fahrenheit [°F]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms degrees Kelvin [°K]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s degrees Kelvin [°K]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s degrees Kelvin [°K]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

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Unit System Measured in . . .

in,lbf, s degrees Fahrenheit [°F]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 89: Temperature Difference

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A degrees Celsius [°C]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A degrees Celsius [°C]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA degrees Celsius [°C]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA degrees Celsius [°C]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A degrees Fahrenheit [oF]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A degrees Fahrenheit [°F]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms degrees Kelvin [°K]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

Table 90: Temperature Gradient

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A degrees Celsius/meter [°C/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A degrees Celsius/centimeter [°C/cm]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA degrees Celsius/millimeter [°C/mm]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA degrees Celsius/micrometer [°C/μm]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A degrees Fahrenheit/foot [°F/ft]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A degrees Fahrenheit/inch [°F/in]

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Unit System Measured in . . .

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms degrees Kelvin/millimeter [°K/mm]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

Table 91: Time

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A seconds [s]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A seconds [s]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA seconds [s]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA seconds [s]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A seconds [s]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A seconds [s]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms milliseconds [ms]

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]

m, kg, s seconds [s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s seconds [s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s seconds [s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 92: Translational Damping

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Newton * seconds/meter [N * s/m]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A dyne * seconds/centimeter [dyne * s/cm]

(cgs)

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 Solving Units

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
mm, kg, N, C, s, mV, mA ton * millimeter * seconds/second2 *
millimeter [t * mm * s/s2 * mm]
(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA microNewton * seconds/micrometer [μN *
s/μm]
(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slugfoot * seconds/second2 * foot
[(lbm/32.2)ft * s/s2 * ft]
(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A slinchinch * seconds/second2 * inch
[(lbm/386.4)in * s/s2 * in]
(Bin)

Table 93: Velocity and RS Velocity

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters/second [m/s]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters/second [cm/s]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters/second [mm/s]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers/second [μm/s]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet/second [ft/s]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches/second [in/s]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms meters/second [m/s] or
millimeters/millisecond [mm/ms]
[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s meters/second [m/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters/second [mm/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

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Understanding Solving

Unit System Measured in . . .

in,lbf, s inches/second [in/s]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Table 94: Voltage

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A Volts [V]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A Volts [V]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA milliVolts [mV]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA Volts [V]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Volts [V]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A Volts [V]

(Bin)

Table 95: Volume

Unit System Measured in . . .

o
m, kg, N, C, s, V, A meters3 [m3]

(mks)
cm, g, dyne, oC, s, V, A centimeters3 [cm3]

(cgs)
mm, kg, N, oC, s, mV, mA millimeters3 [mm3]

(nmm)
μm, kg, μN, oC, s, V, mA micrometers3 [μm3]

(μmks)
ft, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A feet3 [ft3]

(Bft)
in, lbm, lbf, oF, s, V, A inches3 [in3]

(Bin)
mm, mg, ms millimeters3 [mm3]

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 Saving your Results in the Mechanical Application

Unit System Measured in . . .

[Explicit Dynamics solvers]
m, kg, s meters3 [m3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
mm, t, s millimeters3 [mm3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]
in,lbf, s inches3 [in3]

[ LS-DYNA solver]

Saving your Results in the Mechanical Application

There are three ways to save your results in the Mechanical application:

• As a Mechanical APDL application database file.

To save the Mechanical application results in a Mechanical APDL application database file, click
Analysis Settings on the Outline (p. 56) and in its Details, click Yes next to Save ANSYS db under
Analysis Data Management (p. 1160).

• As an input file for the Mechanical APDL application. See Writing and Reading the Mechanical APDL Applic-
ation Files (p. 1810).

• As a Mechanical application database file.

To save your solution as a Mechanical application database file, select File> Export. Select File> Save
As in the Project Schematic to save the project. The Save As dialog box appears, allowing you to
type the name of the file and specify its location.

Note:

The application creates reference files that contain analysis information that is read back into
the application during solution processing. Certain textual characters can create issues during
this reading process. Avoid the use of the following characters in your file naming conventions:

• Quote character (“)

• Ampersand (&)

• Apostrophe (‘)

• Greater than and less than characters (< >)

• Japanese script

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Understanding Solving

Writing and Reading the Mechanical APDL Application Files

The Solution Context tab (p. 24) includes options for writing the Mechanical APDL application input
files and for reading the Mechanical APDL application results files.

To write the Mechanical APDL application input file:

1. Highlight the Solution object folder in the tree.

2. From the Tools group on the Solution Context tab, select the Write Input File option.

3. In the Save As dialog box, specify a location and name for the input file.

To read the Mechanical APDL application result files:

1. Highlight the Solution object folder in the tree.

2. From the Tools group on the Solution Context tab, select the Read Result Files option.

3. Browse to the folder that contains the Mechanical APDL application result files and click Open.

4. In the dialog box that follows, select the unit system, then click OK.

The Unit System used during the solution is stored in the results file (/UNITS command). The Select
Results in Unit System dialog box displays to have you verify the system. Selecting a unit system
that differs from the specified result file unit system causes a warning message to display.

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 Writing and Reading the Mechanical APDL Application Files

If the application does not have a specified unit system (/UNITS,0), then the application warns you
that you have updated the system based on your choice in the Select Results in Unit System dialog
box.

Important:

The application does not overwrite any existing result files that are in the Solver Files Dir-
ectory.

Caution:

• Errors will occur if the Mechanical APDL application result files are from a version of the Mechan-
ical application that is older than the version currently running.

• The procedure above instructs you to browse to the folder that contains the Mechanical APDL
application result files. This folder should only contain files pertinent to that solution because
Mechanical copies all the files contained in this folder to the Solver Files Directory. In addition,
for the file names that match the jobname you select in the file browse window the application
renames them to the “file” jobname during the copy.

Mechanical APDL Application Analysis from a Mechanical Application Mesh

The option for writing the Mechanical APDL application file can be used to perform analyses in the
Mechanical APDL application while taking advantage of the meshing capabilities within the Mechanical
application. The procedure is as follows:

1. Attach the model into the Mechanical application (p. 220).

2. Mesh the model.

3. Select the Solution folder in the tree.

4. Select Write Input File... from the tab and specify a location and name for the input file.

5. Use this input file to complete your analysis in the Mechanical APDL application. The meshed model
will contain generic elements encoding only shape and connectivity information. Such elements can
then be replaced by others that are appropriate to your desired analysis.

Note:

Any named selection group from the Mechanical application is transferred to the Mechanical
APDL application as a component according to specific naming rules and conventions (p. 786).

Using Writing and Reading Files Together

The writing and reading options are useful when used together. You can use the write option, then
solve at your leisure on the machine of your choice. When the solution is done, you can use the read
option to browse to the directory that contains the Mechanical APDL application output files (for example,
result file, file.err, solve.out, file.gst, file.nlh). Workbench will then copy all files into your solution directory
and proceed to use those files for postprocessing.

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Understanding Solving

The reading option only requires that the target directory include the result (.rst) file. You can also
use uncombined result files from a Distributed ANSYS solution instead of a single combined result file.
This requires that your Jobname is named “file” and you must also select the file file0.rst (or
file0.rth) from the directory. You may find it useful to read uncombined result files from a solution
that was stopped before the combination took place or if you requested that the result file not be
combined (DMPOPTION,RST,NO).

Note:

You must ensure that the mesh in the result file matches the mesh in Workbench. This includes
the Workbench generated mesh from the geometry as well as any nodes or elements defined
in the input file (such as for contact or remote boundary conditions). Failure to do so could
result in incorrect results and unexpected behavior.

The reading Mechanical APDL application file option is available for all analysis types except rigid dy-
namic analyses and shape analyses.

The writing Mechanical APDL application file option is available for all analysis types except rigid dynamic
analyses.

System units must be specified in the Mechanical APDL application result files being read for Result
Tracker graphs to display properly. Result Tracker graphs will display in the Mechanical APDL application
result file units if the units specified when reading the files are inconsistent with those in the files.

Writing ANSYS Rigid Dynamics Files

When using a Rigid Dynamics analysis system, the Tools group on the Solution Context tab provides
the option Write Input File. You can write a file to use for co-simulation with Twin Builder (p. 575)
(.mbd, .fmu), or the .fmu file can be used as a slave in co-simulation with an external tool (co-simu-
lation master). For more details about the FMI standard and tools that support co-simulation with FMU,
see fmi-standard.org.

To write the Rigid Dynamics input file:

1. Highlight the Rigid Dynamics object folder (or any object under it) in the tree.

2. From the Tools group on the Solution Context tab, select the Write Input Files option.

3. In the Save As dialog box, choose the type of file to write (either .mbd or .fmu) and specify a location
and name for the file.

Writing NASTRAN Files

This feature is supported for Static Structural and Modal analysis types only. It enables you to export
your simulation as a NASTRAN Bulk Data file. You can use the capabilities of Mechanical and run the
resulting simulation with your choice of NASTRAN solver. Currently, the NASTRAN Export capability is
designed to export the common features of static structural and modal simulations. However, not all
features are supported. Review the following subsections for additional information about exported
what is supported as well as the limitations associated with this feature:

• NASTRAN Export Supported Features (p. 1815)

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 Writing NASTRAN Files

• NASTRAN Export Limitations (p. 1817)

Application
1. Select the Environment (p. 2017) object and select the Export NASTRAN File option from the Tools group
of the Environment Context Tab (p. 23) (the option is also available via right-click on the Environment
object). Based on your analysis type, one of the following dialogs displays.

You use these property options to further define how you wish to export your simulation. Review
the property descriptions (p. 1814) listed below.

Static Structural Modal

2. Click OK to begin the export process. You are prompted to enter a file name and specify the file extension,
.dat, .bdf or .nas.

Note:

The contents of each file type (.bdf, .nas, and .dat) are identical.

3. As needed, you can open the log file (filename.log) produced during the NASTRAN Export process to review
certain translation details of the export. This file is placed in the same location as your NASTRAN file.

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Understanding Solving

Property Definition
General Properties
Each dialog includes the following identical Properties:

• Grid Definition CS: This property determines which Mechanical Cartesian coordinate system is used as
the NASTRAN basic coordinate system. When set to 0 (the usual case), the Mechanical global coordinate
system will be used. You may instead choose any local Cartesian coordinate system in Mechanical to be
used as the NASTRAN basic coordinate system, thereby translating and/or rotating the grid for export.
To do so, set this property value to the desired Mechanical coordinate system reference number.

Unless you have a specific reason for doing so, do not choose a cylindrical or other non-Cartesian
system for this property. Doing so will cause R, Θ, and, Z coordinates, for example, to be interpreted
as X, Y, and Z values, causing a cylindrical mesh to be unrolled (developed) into a planar mesh.

• Numbering Offset: This property is used to add a specified integer offset to the numbering of all node,
element, material, property, and coordinate system IDs. This property can be used to prevent numbering
conflicts if the exported data is to be combined with data from additional exports or other sources. Enter
the offset value for the property value.

• WTMass: This property is used to specify a scaling factor to be applied to the exported defined mass
units. A value of 1 should be used if the Mechanical defined mass units are consistent with those used
in the NASTRAN solver. For non-consistent units, the appropriate scaling factor should be specified as
the WTMass property value.

• Joint Stiffness: This property is used to specify the stiffness of any rigidly restrained degrees of freedom
for NASTRAN CBUSH joint elements (created from Mechanical MPC184 joint elements). This stiffness is
used as-is and is unaffected by any unit conversions. A value greater than 1e6 may cause an ill-conditioned
matrix in the NASTRAN solver.

• Time: In the case of a Mechanical model with time-varying applied loads, this property specifies which
load values are to be used as the static loads for the export. Repeating the export with a different Time
property value will calculate a new set of load values at the new time.

• CPYRAM Elements: This option suppresses (unchecked) or allows (checked) the creation of NASTRAN
pyramid elements. Not all NASTRAN versions support pyramid elements. Using this option, you can
customize the export to the capabilities of the target NASTRAN version.

Note:

If pyramid elements are present in the Mechanical model and this option is left un-
checked (pyramid elements are suppressed), there will be voids in the exported mesh
in place of the pyramid elements.

Modal Analysis Specific Properties

The modal analysis dialog includes the additional options described below.

Case Control: From this group of options, select the type of modal analysis you want the NASTRAN
Export to do:

• Modal: Modal analysis of a constrained model, without pre-stress.

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 Writing NASTRAN Files

• Modal (Free-Free): Modal analysis of an unconstrained model, without pre-stress. The first modes
will be rigid body modes at nominally 0 Hz.

• Modal (Pre-Stressed): Static analysis of a constrained model, using the exported applied loads,
followed by a modal analysis of the pre-stressed model.

Modal Options: This group contains the following properties/options:

• – Modes: Specify the number of modes (increasing in frequency) to be calculated.

– Perform Ground Check: This option displays when the Modal (Free-Free) Case Control is se-
lected. Activating (checking) this option will direct that a ground check be performed to discover
any unintentionally constrained rigid body modes.

NASTRAN Export Supported Features

The following table summarizes which Mechanical items are supported by NASTRAN Export, and the
NASTRAN commands they are mapped to. The Mechanical items are categorized by Group and Sub-
group. This table is only a guide and should not be used as the definitive list of supported items.

Group Subgroup Mechanical Item Generated NASTRAN

Command
Analysis Modal Modal SOL103
Modal (Free-Free) with Perform SOL103,GROUNDCHECK
Ground Check
Modal (Pre-Stressed) SOL103, STATSUB
Static Linear Static SOL101
Boundary Acceleration Acceleration by components GRAV
Conditions Displacement Fixed Support, by vertex SPC, spc id, grid id,
123456
Fixed Support, by vertex SPC, spc id, grid id,
123456
Fixed Support, by vertex SPC, spc id, grid id,
123456
Nodal Displacement SPC+SPCD pair
Remote Displacement, rigid, by edge SPC, spc id, grid id, dof
remote Displacement, rigid, by face SPC, spc id, grid id, dof
Remote Displacement, rigid, by SPC, spc id, grid id, dof
remote point
Remote Displacement, rigid, by SPC, spc id, grid id, dof
vertex
Remote displacement, rigid, by vertex SPC, spc id, grid id, dof
Force Force, by edge on beam PLOAD1: P1 term
Force, by face PLOAD4: P1,N1,N2,N3
terms
Line Pressure, by edge on beam PLOAD1: P1 term
Moment, by face MOMENT

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Understanding Solving

Nodal Force FORCE

Pressure, by face PLOAD4: P1 term
Remote Force, by face FORCE
Nodal Orientation Nodal Orientation object GRID: CD term
Thermal Thermal Condition, by body Thermal loads
(line/solid)
Thermal Condition, by body (surface Thermal loads
top)
Connection Joint Bushing CBUSH
Fixed CBUSH
General CBUSH
Revolute, rotational stiffness CBUSH
Remote Point Deformable, scoped to faces RBE3
Rigid, scoped to edges RBE2
Rigid, scoped to solid body face RBE2
Coordinate Coordinate System Defined by Geometry CORD2*
System Defined by Named Selection CORD2*
Offset CORD2*
Rotated CORD2*
Material Orientation Surface Cody Coordinate System CQUAD*/CTRIA*: MCID
term
Element Beam cross_section, ASEC PBEAM
cross_section, CHAN PBEAML,CHAN
cross_section, CSOLID PBEAML,ROD
cross_section, CTUBE PBEAML,TUBE
cross_section, HAT PBEAML,HAT
cross_section, HREC PBEAML,BOX1
cross_section, I PBEAML,I
cross_section, RECT PBEAML,BAR
cross_section, T PBEAML,T2
cross_section, Z PBEAML,Z
Line Body, Model Type:Beam, linear CBEAM
Link Line Body, Model Type:link CROD
Line Body, Model Type:link PROD
Shell Layered Section, by body PCOMP
Surface Body, linear CQUAD4 / CTRIA3
Surface Body, quadratic CQUAD8 / CTRIA6
Thickness, by body PSHELL
Solid Solid Body, hex20 CHEXA
Solid Body, hex8 CHEXA

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 Writing NASTRAN Files

Solid Body, pyr13 CPYRAM

Solid Body, pyr5 CPYRAM
Solid Body, tet10 CTETRA
Solid Body, tet4 CTETRA
Spring Longitudinal CBEAM w/ end releases
Longitudinal, force preload CBEAM w/ end releases
and TEMP
Mass Distributed Mass Scoped to Line Body PBEAM*/PROD: NSM term
Scoped to Surface Body PSHELL/PCOMP: NSM term
Point Mass Direct vertex attachment CONM2
Remote attachment, vertex CONM2+RBE2
Property Material Isotropic MAT1
Isotropic, Temperature Dependant MAT1, MATT1, TABLEM1
Orthotropic MAT8
Shell Preintegrated Shell Section PSHELL + 4x MAT2

NASTRAN Export Limitations

The NASTRAN Export feature is currently subject to the limitations listed below.

General
The NASTRAN Export object is not supported for downstream linked systems.

Supported Elements Types

Only the following element types are supported: 14, 21, 154, 156, 170, 173, 174, 175, 177, 180, 181, 184,
185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 201, 250, 281.

Not all features of the element types above are supported. Check the NASTRAN Export log file
for messages about unsupported KEYOPT settings or element behaviors.

Pyramid Elements
Not all NASTRAN versions support pyramid-shaped 3D solid elements. For this reason, the NASTRAN
Export ignores pyramid elements in the Mechanical model by default. The menu does have an option
to include pyramid-shaped elements in the export. If pyramid elements are present in the Mechanical
model and this option is set to ignore them (left unchecked), there will be voids in the exported mesh
in place of the pyramid elements.

Element Properties

Element/Specification Limitation
LINK180 This element Is exported as CROD elements with the torsional constant J
equal to 0.1 x the cross-sectional area.
COMBIN14 For this element:

• Body-to-ground preloaded springs are not supported.

• The damping portion of the element contributes only damping coefficients

to the structural damping matrix.

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Understanding Solving

Element/Specification Limitation
• 3D torsional elements are not supported.

• Preloaded springs are exported as beams with end releases and a

temperature load applied. New properties are created for these equivalent
beams. The beam sections have orientation vectors that reference the
displacement coordinate system of the end nodes; this may result in an
improper orientation vector if the beam nodes reference the basic
coordinate system and the model is rotated.
COMBI250 For this element:

• Assumes KEYOPT(1)=0, (lumped mass between nodes I and J).

• Offsets are not supported.

Beam Sections For beam section specifications:

• Section offsets are assumed to be relative to the shear center of the

beam.

• 'Hat' cross-sections assume average section thicknesses and bottom flange

widths.

• 'Z' cross-sections assume average flange thicknesses and widths.

• Tapered sections are not supported.

• Warping constants, shear corrections, and shear relief are not supported.
Also review the Beam and Pipe Cross Sections documentation in the
Mechanical APDL Structural Analysis Guide.
Pre-integrated Shell Pre-integrated shell sections do not support density.
Sections
Shell Offsets Only user-defined offsets are supported (Top and Bottom are not
supported).

Connections
Remote Points: CTE is not supported for remote points or surface-based constraints.

Distributed Mass
When scoped to a solid body, Distributed Mass applied to a/an:

• Face of a solid body is not supported.

• Edge of a solid body is not supported.

When scoped to a surface body, Distributed Mass applied to a/an:

• Surface body must be applied to all faces of the surface body.

• Edge of a surface body is not supported.

• Surface body and also scoped to a layered section or thickness must be scoped to all faces of
the surface bodies within the layered section.

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 Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechanical APDL Solver)

Scoped to a line body, Distributed Mass must be scoped to:

• All edges of the line body.

• Every body that has the same cross-section assignment.

Loading
For the SFE command:

• Imaginary components of SFE loads are not supported.

• Line pressures and forces defined on surface or solid body edges are not supported.

• An SFE load scoped to a line body assumes the element coordinate system is aligned with the global
coordinate system and the load is uniformly applied over the length of element.

For the BFE command: Temperatures applied with BFE commands are only supported for shell
element types 181 and 281.

Loads applied using tabular data or functions are not supported.

Solution Options
Multiple load steps are not supported. Use the Time option in the NASTRAN Export menu to specify the
time at which time-varying loads will be exported.

Converting Boundary Conditions to Nodal DOF Constraints (Mechanical

APDL Solver)
This section discusses converting structural boundary conditions on the geometry to constraints on the
mesh for analyses targeting the ANSYS solver.

In the Mechanical APDL application, structural degree-of-freedom constraints can be defined at individual
nodes. Specifically, you can choose to constrain each node along any of the three axis directions (x, y,
z) of its local coordinate system to simulate the kinds of supports your model requires. In the Mechan-
ical application, however, you specify boundary conditions on the geometry, so the program must
automatically convert them into nodal constraints prior to solution. Ordinarily, this process is straight-
forward and the boundary conditions can be transcribed directly onto the nodes. In certain cases,
however, the Mechanical application may be confronted with combinations of boundary conditions
that require negotiation to produce an equivalent rendition of the effective constraints acting on the
nodes. A common case occurs in structural analyses where two or more boundary conditions are applied
to neighboring topologies, for example, Frictionless Supports applied to neighboring faces that meet
at an angle: the nodes on the edge are subject to two separate combinations of DOF constraints, one
from each Frictionless Support. The Mechanical application attempts to identify a suitable orientation
to the nodal coordinate system that accommodates both frictionless supports and, if successful, constrain
its axes accordingly. Should this attempt ever fail, the solution will be prevented and an error will be
issued to the Message Window (See The Solver Has Found Conflicting DOF Constraints (p. 2273) in the
Troubleshooting section.)

Among the boundary conditions that participate in this conversion, there are:

Fixed Supports (p. 1346) (Fixed Face, Fixed Edge, Fixed Vertex)
Simply Supported (p. 1370) (Edge or Vertex)

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Understanding Solving

Fixed Rotation (p. 1371)

Displacements (Displacements for Faces (p. 1348), Displacement for Edges (p. 1348), Displacements For
Vertices (p. 1348))
Frictionless Support (p. 1362)
Cylindrical Support (p. 1368)
Symmetry Regions (p. 802)

The calculations that convert the boundary conditions into nodal constraints involve:

• the identification of the linear span contributed by each of the boundary conditions

• the combination of the individual spans into a final nodal constraint choice.

Angular tolerances are involved in distinguishing and combining the spans; a program controlled toler-
ance of 0.01 degrees will be used.

Note:

The calculations have a built in preference for producing nodal coordinate systems that are
closest in orientation to the global coordinate system.

Solving a Fracture Analysis

Once the crack mesh is generated, you can apply loads and constraints, then solve the analysis. Then,
once the solution is done, you can analyze the stress and deformation pattern around the crack. For
meshes defined by the Semi-Elliptical Crack object or the Arbitrary Crack object, you can apply the
loads on the crack face top and bottom discontinuity plane using nodal named selections.

Note:

The application does not create a contact pair for Arbitrary crack meshing.

For the Semi-Elliptical Crack object, the application defines the internally generated crack mesh after
the initial base mesh. The base mesh generation is based on a different set of requirements and con-
straints than the crack mesh. As a result, the crack mesh, generated using the Hex dominant mesh
method, may not perfectly match the boundaries of the fracture affected zone. Because they may not
match perfectly, kinematic constraints are required to establish a connection between base mesh and
crack mesh in the boundaries of the fracture affected zone, which is accomplished using the multi-point
constraint (MPC) contact (p. 1107). A contact pair is created at the interface of the crack and base meshes,
with contact surface created at the interface on the buffer zone side of the base mesh and target surface
created at the interface on the fracture affected zone side of the hex dominant mesh. When the solution

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 Solving a Fracture Analysis

is performed using internally-generated crack meshes, the MPC contact region is automatically created
and sent to the solver.

Note:

When meshing a Semi-Elliptical Crack, the application does not create a contact pair when
the Mesh Method property is set to Tetrahedrons.

Note:

Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses are the only analyses supported for fracture
mechanics calculations. However, the mesh with cracks is also supported with a static struc-
tural analysis linked to an upstream steady state thermal or transient thermal analysis.

Also, all loads and boundary conditions applicable to the static structural analysis are applic-
able with the existence of crack in the solution.

Although you can add Fracture and crack objects of any definition to a Modal analysis or a
Mode Superposition (MSUP) Transient analysis, the application does not compute fracture
parameters during the solution.

Computation of Fracture Parameters

The stress and deformation pattern around the crack is not sufficient to evaluate the catastrophic failure
of the structure. The computation of fracture parameters and its comparison against fracture toughness
is necessary for designing safe structures.

To compute fracture parameters for all cracks defined under the Fracture folder, the Fracture property
in the Fracture Controls (p. 1131) of the Analysis Settings must be set to On. This entry is visible only if
the Fracture folder exists in the model. By default, the application does not compute fracture parameters
for Material Force and T-Stress. You need to set their properties under the Fracture Controls of the
Analysis Settings to Yes.

The computations used for fracture analysis include Stress Intensity Factors (SIFS), J-Integral (JINT), Energy
Release Rates, Material Force, T-Stress and C*-Integral. The Mode 1 Stress Intensity Factor (K1), Mode 2
Stress Intensity Factor (K2), Mode3 Stress Intensity Factor (K3), and T-Stress are computed along the
crack front using the interaction integral method. The Mode 1 Energy Release Rate (G1) and Mode 2
Energy Release Rate (G2), Mode 3 Energy Release Rate (G3) and Total Energy Release Rate (GT) are
computed using the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) along the crack front.

Note:

The Energy Release Rate parameters, which are specific to the Pre-Meshed Crack object, are
computed using the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT). When the VCCT technique is
used, a specific mesh pattern composed of hexahedral shapes along the crack front is recom-
mended for better accuracy. For more information, see Understanding Fracture Mechanics
in the Fracture Analysis Guide.

The JINT result is a mixed mode result and is also computed along the crack front using the domain
integral method. The fracture parameters, for all cracks defined under the fracture folder, are automat-
ically computed and stored in the results file when the Fracture property in the Fracture Controls (p. 1131)

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Understanding Solving

category of Analysis Settings is set to On. The SIFS and JINT results are calculated for all cracks defined
under the Fracture folder. The VCCT results are calculated only if the crack mesh generated is of lower
order (dropped midside nodes). Material Force and T-Stress results are calculated only when their re-
spective control is set to Yes in the Fracture Controls (p. 1131) category of Analysis Settings. You can
direct the fracture parameter computation for all cracks to use symmetry by setting the all cracks
symmetric variable to active with a value of 1 in the Variable Manager. For more information, see
Setting Variables (p. 158). Fracture parameter calculation based on SIFS supports linear isotropic elastic
material behavior. VCCT based fracture parameter calculation supports linear isotropic elastic, anisotropic
elastic and orthotropic elastic material behavior. J-Integral based and T-stress based fracture parameter
calculation supports isotropic elastic and isotropic plastic material behaviors. Material force based fracture
parameter calculation supports linear isotropic elastic, isotropic hardening plasticity, kinematic
hardening plasticity and isotropic hyperelastic material behaviors. C*-Integral based fracture parameter
calculation supports secondary (steady-state) creep material behavior and it is computed along the
crack front using the domain integral method. You can exclude computation of any fracture parameter
(except VCCT) by setting its respective control in the Fracture Controls (p. 1131) category of Analysis
Settings to No.

Note:

If you get the following message:

The fracture parameters computed during solution may be incorrect. Check the Solver Output
on the Solution Information object (p. 1735) for possible causes.

Check for the following:

• A contact might have been created in the region of the crack contours.

• A load might have been applied in the region of the crack contours that is not supported
in the fracture parameter computation. Try replacing it with a Direct FE (p. 1402) load. You
can also replace the normal Pressure loads using the Applied By property option, Direct.

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Commands Objects
Overview and Application
The Commands (APDL) object (p. 1972) enables you to execute Mechanical APDL commands in the
Mechanical application. Insert this object by first selecting the desired and supported parent object and
then selecting the Commands option from the Home tab or by right-clicking on the parent object or
in the Geometry window and selecting Insert > Commands.

Once inserted, the Worksheet automatically displays, as illustrated below. You use this window to make
Mechanical APDL command entries. As shown, the Worksheet contains default instruction information.
The default information displayed changes depending upon the parent object. The example shown
below appears for a Commands (APDL) object inserted under a Contact Region object.

Command Entry and Mechanical APDL Entry Options

To make an entry you must first place your cursor in an available blank line. When you have the
Mechanical APDL solver selected, a drop-down appears displaying supported commands (based on the
entered character) as well as a tooltip banner of supported command arguments. As you continue your
command entry, the tooltip banner is maintained in the window. These features are illustrated below.

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Commands Objects

Additional Worksheet options include:

• • Automatic syntax color highlighting for scripting commands, as illustrated below, including Commands,
Keywords, fixed values, variables, parameters, etc. (Mechanical APDL or ANSYS Rigid Dynamics solvers
only).

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 Example Command Entry

• A zoom in/out option available in the lower right corner of the Worksheet (highlighted above).

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Commands Objects

• A search feature accessed using the key combination [Ctrl]+[F]. The displayed dialog enables you to
perform a text/character search on your command entries. This features also supports search and replace.

Furthermore, you can change default display settings and behaviors (use of Interactive Tooltips, font
size, etc.) of the Worksheet using the preferences available in the Options dialog (p. 138) under the
Commands category (p. 157).

Important:

This object supports command entry for other supported solvers.

• For the Rigid Dynamics solver, commands are expressed in Python. See the Commands
Objects and the Rigid Dynamics Solver (p. 1836) section for additional information.

• For the Explicit Dynamics solver, commands are expressed as keywords with comma separated
arguments. See Commands Objects in Explicit Dynamics for additional information.

• See the appropriate external documentation for command entries for any other supported
solver type.

Refer to the object reference page for the Commands (APDL) object (p. 1972) for information about the
valid objects under which you can insert single or multiple Commands (APDL) objects.

The following additional topics are covered in this section:

Commands (APDL) Object Properties
Commands (APDL) Object Post Processing Specifications
Commands (APDL) Objects and the Mechanical APDL Solver
Commands (APDL) Objects and the Rigid Dynamics Solver

Commands (APDL) Object Properties

The main properties of the command feature, regardless of the selected solver include:

• Solver Target (p. 1826)

• Issue Solve Command (p. 1827)

• Input Arguments (p. 1827)

Solver Target
The Target property in the Details view of a Commands (APDL) object provides a drop-down list of
solver selections (Mechanical APDL, Samcef, ABAQUS, etc.). The text displayed in the Worksheet for
the selected solver varies. If you change the solver selection, the application prompts you that a Target

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 Commands (APDL) Object Post Processing Specifications

property change replaces the Worksheet text and gives you the option to replace or not to replace the
text.

When displayed, the Target property is set according to the following situations:

• If all the environments in the tree have the same solver target then the Commands (APDL) object is tied
to that solver target.

• If there is a mix of solver targets in the tree, the Target property is left empty and you must assign a solver
target.

Important:

In order to send command entries to the solver, the solver specified for the environment
being must match the solver specified in the Commands (APDL) object.

Issue Solve Command

This property is only available for a Commands (APDL) object inserted under the Environment (p. 2017)
object for analyses that include load steps (Static or Transient). This property enables you to issue the
SOLVE command for a load step (or steps). Property options include Yes (default) and No.

This option supports all analysis types that use the Mechanical APDL Solver. It may be particularly useful
for additive manufacturing process simulations.

Input Arguments
(Not applicable to the LS-DYNA solver)

Input arguments are available on all Commands (APDL) objects. There are nine arguments that you
can pass to the Mechanical APDL application macros. Numerical values only are supported. Input Argu-
ments are editable on the Details view of a Commands (APDL) object under Input Arguments and
listed as ARG1 through ARG9. If you enter a numerical value, including zero, for an argument, that
value is passed along to the Mechanical APDL application. If you leave the argument value field empty,
no argument value is passed for that specific argument.

Note:

If you are calling a user defined macro from within a Commands (APDL) object, be aware
of the macro's location on the disk to make sure the macro is able to be located during the
solution. Refer to the /PSEARCH command description located in the Mechanical APDL ap-
plication Command Reference within the Mechanical APDL Help for more information.

Commands (APDL) Object Post Processing Specifications

The Commands (APDL) (p. 1972) object can perform post processing actions when inserted under the
Solution (p. 2211) object.

For solved analyses, you can specify a command and choose whether the Mechanical APDL Solver
processes the specified commands only or whether the solver processes the entire solution (including

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Commands Objects

the new command) all over again using the Invalidate Solution control. This control is, by default, set
to No - does not invalidate the results. If the solver is not specified as Mechanical APDL, then the Inval-
idate Solution control defaults to Yes and is read-only.

An example of the Commands (APDL) object and its Details is illustrated below.

As shown on the status/progress dialog box, the Solver processes only the newly specified commands.

Post Output File

The post command entries generate a new and independent solution output file, post.dat. The
post.dat file contains only the content of unsuppressed command objects. The output file can be viewed
in the Worksheet for the Solution Information object by setting the Solution Output control to Post
Output, as shown below.

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 Commands (APDL) Object Post Processing Specifications

Note:

• This post processing solution only happens if changes or additions are made to the Commands
(APDL) object of a Solution object for an otherwise solved environment. If the solution is unsolved
or obsolete for some other reason, then the commands are executed as part of the normal solving
process.

• Existing and post processed results are available for use with any subsequent linked analyses.

• When using this mode, Mechanical APDL runs all commands including the ones that may have
existed as a part of the regular solve. Some commands may require certain variables or parameters
to be active for execution or to produce correct results. As a result, it may be necessary to resume
the Mechanical APDL db file by making sure that the Analysis Settings>Analysis Data Manage-
ment> (p. 1160)Save MAPDL db option is set to Yes prior to restarting the entire solution.

• The solve mode is always In Process (p. 1715).

• If the command snippet is inserted or edited with the Invalidate Solution setting set to Yes,
then you can issue post-processing commands using the last restart point of a completed solution.
The solution executes without incurring the cost of a full solve, as it sends only the post commands
and will generate solve.out as a solution output file.

• If you are using the Mechanical APDL post processing command, SET, and you are not executing
a complete re-solve of the solution or if you do not resume a database file (file.db) first, the
default result file name is file.rst. Therefore, if your result file name is not file.rst, you
need to implement the FILE command before any SET commands in order to open the proper
file. An example is a thermal analysis that uses the file name file.rth. In this case, either a

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Commands Objects

FILE,file,rth command or a RESUME command (if the file.db was saved during the full solution)
is needed.

Important:

It is important to note that not all of the Mechanical APDL Commands are available for use
in Mechanical. For example, the command RAPPND, that physically alters the result file is
not currently supported. Furthermore, using commands that change the numbering of nodes
or the numbering of elements or change how nodes are arranged on elements will most
likely cause post processing errors.

Note that the generated Output files are written to the Solver Files Directory and are named accordingly.
An example of the directory is shown below.

Commands (APDL) Objects and the Mechanical APDL Solver

The commands issued by the Commands (APDL) objects affect the solution, however; they do not alter
settings within Mechanical. This section describes how the following characteristics and requirements
apply to Commands (APDL) object when used with the Mechanical APDL solver.

• Text and Units (p. 1831)

• Step Selection Mode (p. 1831)

• Point Selection Mode (p. 1831)

• User Convenience Parameters (p. 1832)

• Mechanical APDL Application Plots in Workbench (p. 1833)

• Commands (APDL) Objects and Materials (p. 1835)

• Mechanical and Mechanical APDL Applications Conflicts (p. 1835)

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 Commands (APDL) Objects and the Mechanical APDL Solver

Text and Units

Command text cannot contain characters outside of the standard US ASCII character set due to the fact
that this text will propagate into the Mechanical APDL application input files and must follow the rules
set aside for the Mechanical APDL application commands and input files. Use of languages other than
English for the command text may cause erratic behavior. The Mechanical APDL application commands
should not be translated.

Make sure that you use consistent units of measure throughout your simulation. The application does
not convert units of measure in the Commands (APDL) objects. Unit-dependent entries do not get
converted if you make unit system changes in the analysis. Changes of this nature can lead to inaccurate
results.

Commands (APDL) object input for magnetostatic analyses must be in MKS units (m, Kg, N, V, A).

Step Selection Mode

The Step Selection Mode property displays when you:

• Have a Commands (APDL) object inserted under the environment and have Steps Controls (p. 1110)
defined.

or...

• Are performing an MSUP Harmonic Response analysis (standalone or linked).

For stepped analyses, this property enables you to specify which sequence steps are to process the
Commands (APDL) object. The choices are: First, Last, All, and By Number. If you select the By
Number option, the property Step Number displays. You use this property to specify the step during
which your command(s) will execute.

For a Harmonic Response analysis, you can specify the solution phase (All, Modal Solution, Harmonic
Solution, or Harmonic Expansion) during which the command snippet will execute.

Point Selection Mode

The Point Selection Mode property displays in the Details view of a Commands (APDL) object that is
inserted under a Modal environment when the Campbell Diagram property is set to On (Analysis
Settings > Rotordynamics Controls (p. 1164)). This property enables you to specify which Modal Points,
as they correspond to the Campbell Diagram, are to process the Commands (APDL) object. Options
include:

• First

• Last

• All (default)

• By Number

The By Number property enables you to choose specific Campbell Diagram solve points. When
you select By Number, the Point Number also displays. Using this additional property, you
specify individual and/or intermediate Campbell Diagram solve points to execute command(s).

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Commands Objects

The additional property Point Number displays when you select the option By Number. You
use this additional property to specify the Campbell Diagram solve point your command(s) will
execute.

The Point Number value cannot exceed the Number of Points value specified in the Rotordy-
namics Controls (p. 1164). If you specify a Point Number that exceeds the Number of Points
value, the application defaults to the highest solve point available.

User Convenience Parameters

When a project is saved in workbench, the application’s project file management (p. 1758) creates a dir-
ectory/folder structure. The generated folders house a variety of files, such as input or result files. As a
part of this structure, there is a folder created that is named user_files.

The Mechanical APDL solver input file, ds.dat, includes the following parameter (variable):

_wb_userfiles_dir(1)

The value of this parameter equals the path to the user_files directory.

You can use this parameter with the Commands (APDL) object (p. 1972) and perform file operations in
the Mechanical APDL language. For example, by specifying this parameter, you can copy result files to
the user_files directory.

For a more specific example, accessing external user macros located in this directory might be done
using the following Mechanical APDL command:
/INPUT, '%_wb_userfiles_dir(1)%file_aqld1001.dat'

For additional information on the Mechanical APDL Command language, see the Mechanical APDL
Command Reference.

Output Parameters: Using Parameters Defined in Solution Command Objects

When you insert a Commands (APDL) object at the Solution level, one of the available Details view
properties is the Output Search Prefix property.

For a solved analysis, you use this property’s text entry to create searchable parameters. Once you make
an entry in the Worksheet using the prefix and a parameter and select the Search Parameters option,
the application:

1. Displays your new prefix/parameter in the Results category of the Details view

2. Searches the result file for matches and then displays the results and their values. An example is illus-
trated below.

The default Output Search Prefix property entry is my_. Changing the prefix at any time causes the
application to rescan the result file for matches.

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 Commands (APDL) Objects and the Mechanical APDL Solver

Note:

• If you have parameterized an output parameter in the Commands APDL object, you cannot edit
the command text. You need to remove the parameters to edit the text

• You can use generated parameters in Design Exploration.

Mechanical APDL Application Plots in Mechanical

You can view Mechanical APDL application plots in Mechanical that result from using Commands APDL
objects. The Mechanical APDL application plots are returned from Mechanical APDL to display in the
Worksheet. This feature is useful if you want to review result plots that are available in the Mechanical
APDL application but not in Workbench, such as unaveraged stress results or contact results only on a
particular region.

To View the Mechanical APDL Application Plots in Mechanical:

1. Create one or more Commands APDL objects.

2. Direct plot(s) to PNG format.

3. Request plots in the Commands APDL objects.

4. Make sure that there is at least one Commands APDL object under Solution in the tree.

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Commands Objects

5. Solve. Requested plots for all Commands APDL objects are displayed as objects under the first unsup-
pressed Commands APDL object that appears below Solution.

Note:

The Mechanical APDL application PowerGraphics mode for displaying results is not compatible
with Commands APDL objects. No results will be produced in this mode. If your command
list includes the PowerGraphics mode (/GRAPH,POWER), you must switch to the Full mode
by including /GRAPH,FULL at the end of the list.

Presented below is an example of a Commands APDL object used to create two plots, one for unaver-
aged stress, and one for element error.
! Commands inserted into this file will be executed immediately after the ANSYS /POST1 command.
! If a SET command is issued, results from that load step will be used as the basis of all
! result objects appearing in the Solution folder.

set,last ! read the last data set

/show,png ! output to png format

/gfile,650 ! adjust size of file

/edge,1,1 ! turn on element outlines

/view,,1,1,1 ! adjust view angle

ples,s,eqv ! plot unaverage seqv

ples,serr ! plot element error

The Mechanical APDL application plots are shown below.

Unaveraged Stress Result:

Element Error Result:

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 Commands (APDL) Objects and the Mechanical APDL Solver

Commands APDL Objects and Materials

When using Commands APDL objects:

• Do not change the material IDs for elements. This will cause the results retrieval form the Mechanical APDL
application to Workbench to malfunction.

• Instead of adding one large Commands APDL object to change all of the materials, add individual Commands
APDL objects under each part. That way you will be able to reference the matid in the Commands APDL
object for the material ID of the elements that make up the part. You will also only need to enter the adjusted
coefficient of thermal expansion and not the other materials.

• Use the Worksheet (p. 122) view of the Geometry object to determine which materials are assigned to
specific parts.

• Click the right mouse button on a selected item in the Worksheet view, then choose Go To Selected Items
in Tree (p. 122) to add Commands APDL objects.

• Copy and paste Commands APDL objects from one part to another that have the same material assignment.

Note:

When specifying the same material to multiple bodies using Material Assignment ob-
ject (p. 2112), the application can no longer identify the bodies using the material identifier
(matid) in the solver input file. In this case, you can use the typeids list to identify a body.
The identifier typeids is a one-dimension array parameter that you can use to access the
type numbers for a body. You can access type numbers using a subscript (enclosed in paren-
theses) to identify the required item of the array. For example, to access the first type number
for the body use typeids(1).

Mechanical and Mechanical APDL Applications Conflicts

In order to utilize the Command object feature and execute Mechanical APDL application commands
in Mechanical, you must have a thorough understanding the use of Mechanical APDL Commands.
Moreover, you need to understand that there are times when Mechanical APDL commands may conflict
with the internal settings in Mechanical and as a result adversely affect your solution values.

The following are some common conflicts that could arise:

• If you define only linear elastic properties in Engineering Data, it is possible to use the Mechanical APDL
application commands in a Commands APDL object to override the material properties defined in Engin-
eering Data or even change the linear elastic material model to a nonlinear material model, such as adding
a bilinear kinematic hardening (BKIN) model. In this case, the solution uses the BKIN model defined in the
Commands APDL object. However, since Mechanical is unaware of the nonlinear material specified by the
Commands APDL object, nonlinear solution quantities such as plastic strain will not be available for post-
processing.

• The Mechanical APDL application applies nodal boundary conditions in the nodal coordinate system. For
consistency, Mechanical must sometimes internally rotate nodes. As a result, any node-based boundary
conditions defined in a Commands APDL object will be applied in the rotated nodal coordinate system.

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Commands Objects

• Commands support the definition of Mechanical APDL arguments via the settings of the properties ARG1
through ARG9. Once a value for one of these arguments is set, it will be retained for the remainder of the
Mechanical APDL solve run unless explicitly set to zero in the Commands text.

• Mechanical assumes certain behaviors with respect to Mechanical APDL solution file names and locations.
Therefore, unexpected behavior could occur if Mechanical APDL commands such as /RENAME, /FILNAME,
and /ASSIGN are used in a Commands APDL object which alters the solution files.

Using Mechanical APDL Commands in the Mechanical application requires a working knowledge and
experience with Mechanical APDL Commands and therefore, it is your responsibility to make sure that
any command that you are issuing does not conflict with any existing Mechanical application requirement.

Important:

It is important to note that not all of the Mechanical APDL Commands are available for
use in Mechanical. For example, the command RAPPND, that physically alters the result
file is not currently supported. Furthermore, using commands that change the numbering
of nodes or the numbering of elements or change how nodes are arranged on elements
will most likely cause post processing errors.

Commands (APDL) Objects and the Rigid Dynamics Solver

The following information applies to Commands (APDL) objects used with the Rigid Dynamics solver.
Their use is very similar to Commands (APDL) objects used in the Mechanical APDL solver, but their
behavior may differ. This section highlights these differences.

The Rigid Dynamics solver commands are based on Python and follow the Python syntax. See Command
Reference for Rigid Dynamics Systems (p. 350) for a complete list and descriptions of commands available
with the Rigid Dynamics solver.

Input Arguments:
As with the Mechanical APDL solver, the Rigid Dynamics solver handles up to nine input arguments
(see Commands (APDL) Object Properties (p. 1826)). The are available in the Rigid Dynamics commands
using variables _arg1 to _arg9.

Output Parameters: Using Parameters Defined in Solution Command Objects

As with the Mechanical APDL solver, Commands (APDL) objects at the solution level can be used to
retrieve values such as output parameters. Their use is similar to Mechanical APDL (see Commands
(APDL) Objects and the Mechanical APDL Solver (p. 1830)) except for the following differences:

• The Rigid Dynamics solver is case sensitive.

• Unlike Mechanical APDL, it is not possible to perform post-only solve. Modifications to Commands (APDL)
objects at the Solution level require a full solve.

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Setting Parameters
The term Parameters in the Mechanical application includes CAD parameters and engineering parameters
(pressure magnitude, maximum stress, fatigue life, dimension of a part, material property type, Young's
modulus, and others).

While engineering parameters are indicated simply by clicking the parameter box (p. 75) in the Details
View (p. 67), CAD Parameters (p. 1840) must be given some extra attention, both in the CAD package
and in the Mechanical application.

The Parameter tab collects all specified parameters and lists them in the Parameter tab grids for later
use and/or modification.

Also see the Specifying Parameters (p. 1837) section for additional information.

Specifying Parameters
The Details View (p. 67) in the application window provides check boxes for items that may be para-
meterized.

The following Details View images illustrate parameter definition for typical objects in the Mechanical
application:

Part Object (p. 1837)

Force Object (p. 1838)
Stress Object (p. 1838)

Part Object
The details of a part object:

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Setting Parameters

A P defines the Volume as parameterized.

Force Object
The details for a Force object:

The Magnitude of the force is parameterized.

Other details, such as the Geometry, Define By and Direction cannot be parameterized.

Stress Object
The details for a Stress object.

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 Specifying Parameters

A P appears next to the selected output parameters.

The Minimum is selected as an output parameter.

The Maximum is not selected as an output parameter.

Parameter Restrictions
If an object has a parameterized field, and that object definition is changed in a way that makes that
parameterization non-meaningful, the parameterization will be removed by the program. Some examples
include:

• A material in Engineering Data has a parameterized density, and then the user suppresses the material.

• A result in the Mechanical application is scoped to a face and has a parameterized maximum value, and
then the user re-scopes the result to a different topology.

Note:

If you suppress an object, no parameter boxes will be shown for any property on that object.
If you parameterize the Suppressed property on an object, no parameter boxes will be
shown for any other property on that object, regardless of whether or not the object is
suppressed.

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Setting Parameters

CAD Parameters
CAD parameters are a subset of the application parameters. As the name implies, CAD parameters come
from a CAD system and are used to define the geometry in the CAD system. Although each CAD system
assigns its parameters differently, the Mechanical application identifies them via a key (ans; ds or ANS:
DS). This identifier can appear either at the beginning or the end of the parameter name and does not
need to be separated from the name with an underscore or any other character. By identifying the
parameters of interest you can effectively filter CAD parameter exposure. Any of the following examples
are valid CAD parameter names using ANS; DS or ans: ds as the key:

• DSlength

• widthds

• dsradius

ANS; DS is the default key for importing CAD parameters into the application. You can change this
default via the Personal Parameter Key option on the Geometry Preferences.

Note:

If you change the key phrase to nothing all parameters are exposed.

CAD parameters must be assigned correctly in the CAD system in order to be imported. Refer to your
CAD system instructions for detailed information on assigning these parameters. Some system specific
notes are included here for your convenience. Remember that these are all actions that must be per-
formed in the CAD system before importing the model. CAD systems include:

• Autodesk Inventor (p. 1840)

• CATIA V5 (p. 1841)

• Creo Parametric (formerly Pro/ENGINEER) (p. 1841)

• NX (p. 1841)

• Solid Edge (p. 1841)

• SOLIDWORKS (p. 1841)

Autodesk Inventor
After a part is open in Inventor, click Tools> Parameters. In the Parameters dialog box, click a para-
meter name under the Parameter Name column, modify the parameter name to include ans; ds at
either the beginning or end of the name and click Enter. Click Done to close the Parameters dialog
box.

For detailed information, see CAD Integration.

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 CAD Parameters

CATIA V5
After a part is open in CATIA V5, click Tools> Formula. In the Formulas dialog box, select the desired
parameter in the scrolling list. In the "Edit name or value of the current parameter" field, modify the
parameter name to include ans; ds at either the beginning or end of the name, then click OK or Apply.

For detailed information, see CATIA V5 Associative Geometry Interface (*.CATPart, *.CATProduct) in the
CAD Integration section of the product help.

Creo Parametric (formerly Pro/ENGINEER)

In Creo Parametric, modify the parameter name by selecting the feature it belongs to, right-click Edit.
Creo Parametric will then display all dimensions (parameters) for the selected feature. If the model
shows numeric values, then select Info> SwitchDims so that the names are text based instead of nu-
meric. Next, select the dimension/parameter you wish to rename, it will turn red when selected. Then
hold down right-click until a menu appears and there select Properties. The Dimension Properties
dialog box will appear, select the Dimension Text tab. Here you can give the dimension a new name,
also be sure to change the @D to @S (case sensitive) before completing the modification by clicking
OK.

For detailed information, see Creo Parametric Associative Geometry Interface (*.prt, *.asm) in the CAD
Integration section of the product help.

NX
After a model is opened in NX, click Application > Modeling and Tools > Expression. In the Edit Ex-
pressions dialog box, select the expression with the variable name that you want to rename and click
Rename. Change the expression name in the Rename Variable dialog box to include ans; ds (or
whatever matches your parameter key preference) at either the beginning or end of the name and click
OK. Click OK/Apply to close the Edit Expressions dialog box.

For detailed information, see NX in the CAD Integration section of the product help.

Solid Edge
After a model is opened in Solid Edge, click Tools> Variables... If the dimensions (type Dim) are not
shown in the Variable Table dialog box, click the Filter button for the Filter dialog box. Highlight both
Dimensions and User Variables under the Type column; select Both under the Named By
column and select File under the Graphics in column. Then click OK. Click the name of a dimension
(under the Name column), modify the dimension name to include ans; ds at either the beginning or
end of the name and click Enter. Close the Variable Table dialog box.

For detailed information, see Solid Edge in the CAD Integration section of the product help.

SOLIDWORKS
In SOLIDWORKS, open the part and then click the part or on the feature in the tree. Then right-click the
dimension on the model, open the Properties dialog box, and edit the name of the dimension.

For detailed information, see SOLIDWORKS in the CAD Integration section of the product help.

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Using Design Assessment
Note:

Advisory for Users or Prospective Users of Design Assessment. If you are considering
creating your own post-processing customization, we recommend that you develop it using
ANSYS ACT. ACT is our customization platform going forward, and it offers more powerful
post-processing along with pre-processing capabilities. For more information, see the ANSYS
ACT Developer's Guide.

ANSYS Beamcheck and ANSYS Fatjack are no longer included in the installation and will not
work with Design Assessment.

The Design Assessment system provides further options to quantitatively examine the results from
other Mechanical application systems by supporting built-in operations, as well as facilities to perform
custom computations on the data. For example, a Design Assessment system could be used to obtain
solution combinations, to verify a design in relation to a particular standard, or to perform custom cal-
culation processes (for example, fragmentation analyses, calling a third-party program to process results
data, or running a Mechanical APDL post processing session).

User Workflow
It is useful to understand the user workflow in a Design Assessment system in order to customize its
calculation process. A key step in the workflow is to select the upstream system whose results will be
examined. This is accomplished using the Solution Selection (p. 1850) object. Once specified, there are
three considerations that affect the outcome of the calculation process (and can thus be customized):

• what inputs are required

• what scripts should run

• how results should be displayed

The user feeds inputs into the Design Assessment system via one or more Attribute Group (p. 1854) objects.

The scripts are the workhorse for computation. They are programmed in the Python scripting language
and have access, at runtime, to all relevant data in the model, including any inputs collected from the
user, along with the mesh and upstream results, through an Application Programmable Interface (API).

The user defines result requests using the DA Result (p. 1856) object to prescribe what quantities to plot
and where on the model.

Note:

Probes are not supported in Design Assessment.

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Using Design Assessment

Customization
Feature Attribute Groups, Scripts, and Result Objects can be used as the basis for customization. These
three components of the calculation process must be described in the XML definition file before they
can be featured in a Design Assessment system.

Collectively, the inputs for the process are described in the AttributeGroups section of the Definition
File. Each input is controlled by an individual Attribute indicating the type of data to gather from the
user, its scope of application on the model, and its validation, among other details.

The scripts are prescribed in the DAScripts section of the XML definition file and are the workhorse for
computation. Distinct scripts for "Solve" and for "Evaluating Results" are possible to respond to the re-
spective user operations in the Mechanical application editor. Example snippets are provided for each
class in the scripting API, along with full worked examples (p. 1905) in this documentation. There is a
section on Developing and Debugging Scripts (p. 1855) for more operation details.

The display of results is configured in the Results section of the XML definition file. Individual Attributes
are also used here to collect inputs from the user that can be accessed in the script to control what is
to be plotted.

Once configured, the XML definition file is imported into Design Assessment as a User Defined type,
distinct from all the predefined ones mentioned, and is ready to be used as a custom calculation process.
For details, see the section below on configuring the assessment type.

Design Assessment Types

Design Assessment systems offer a predefined Solution Combination Only type as well as a user-defined
type (for customization).

To configure a particular Design Assessment system, you may:

• Setup cell Right Mouse Button Menu

Right-click the Setup cell for the system in the Project Schematic and select Assessment Type. Here
you can select one of the pre-defined types, or a user defined type. For user defined types, you could
provide the XML definition file from an Open File dialog or a listing of recent files (if available).

To identify the selected assessment type, look for a checkmark next to the pre-defined type on the
menu. Absence of a checkmark means a user defined type is in effect.

or

• Setup Cell Properties Panel

Select View > Properties from the Main Menu in the Project Schematic. This will display the Properties
Panel in the workspace.

Now click the Setup cell of the Design Assessment system and the Properties Panel will be updated
to show the available options for the cell.

From here you can change the Assessment Type using the drop-down list in the Design Assessment
Settings section. You can choose between the predefined types or select User Defined. For user
defined types, you can provide the XML definition file from an Open File dialog or a listing of recent
files (if available). The name of this file will then be displayed in the properties panel.

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 Predefined Assessment Types

For User Defined assessment types, the XML definition file will automatically be copied to your project
folder upon selection, to keep as a reference. If you subsequently edit your XML definition file and want
the changes to be used in a project, it will need to be re-selected. At this stage the differences between
the original and the revised XML definition file will be detected and any defined objects will be updated
as detailed in Changing the Assessment Type or XML Definition File Contents (p. 1849)

Note:

If you Import a Mechanical database (e.g., a .mechdat file) containing a Design Assessment
system you must reselect the Assessment Type (and associated XML definition file for the
User Defined type) before opening the project in the Mechanical application. Otherwise, your
assessment type will revert to Solution Combination Only and any Design Assessment objects
will be lost.

The following sections describe the use of the Design Assessment system.
Predefined Assessment Types
Changing the Assessment Type or XML Definition File Contents
Solution Selection
Using the Attribute Group Object
Developing and Debugging Design Assessment Scripts
Using the DA Result Object
The Design Assessment XML Definition File
Design Assessment API Reference
Examples of Design Assessment Usage

Predefined Assessment Types

The following predefined Assessment Types can be selected as described previously (p. 1843) after you
add a Design Assessment system to the Project Schematic.

Solution Combination Only

Enables solution combinations of upstream results using the Solution Selection (p. 1850) object. Mechanical
results can be added to the system. DA result objects can be added for more advanced combination re-
quirements, such as establishing an SRSS combination, or reviewing a combination for maximum values.

BEAMCHECK (Beam and Joint Strength)

This feature is no longer supported.

FATJACK (Beam Joint Fatigue)

This feature is no longer supported.

The following sections describe the use of the predefined Assessment Types in the Design Assessment
system.
Modifying the Predefined Assessment Types Menu
Using Advanced Combination Options with Design Assessment

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Using Design Assessment

Modifying the Predefined Assessment Types Menu

The menu of predefined assessment types can be controlled by editing the AttributeTem-
plate.xml file in the {ANSYS Installation}\v201\Addins\Simulation folder. This file
defines what entries appear in the menu when it is selected, along with the order of the entries and
the default entry. The User Defined entry is always shown on the Assessment Type menu in addition
to the predefined assessment types.

An Example Menu Definition File

The following example defines the standard entries on the Assessment Type menu:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?>
<AttributeTemplates>
<AttributeList>
<Attribute>
<Name>FATJACK (Beam Joint Fatigue)</Name>
<File>DA_FATJACK.xml</File>
<Priority>1.1</Priority>
<ValidOn>Windows</ValidOn>
</Attribute>
<Attribute>
<Name>BEAMCHECK (Beam and Joint Strength)</Name>
<File>DA_BEAMST.xml</File>
<Priority>1.2</Priority>
<ValidOn>Windows</ValidOn>
</Attribute>
<Attribute>
<Default>true</Default>
<Name>Solution Combination Only</Name>
<File>DA_SolutionCombinations.xml</File>
<Priority>1.5</Priority>
<ValidOn>Windows,Linux</ValidOn>
</Attribute>
</AttributeList>
</AttributeTemplates>

Defining the Menu Entries

Each menu entry is defined using an Attribute XML block. The following tags can be defined in
the <Attribute></Attribute> block.

Name: The name that the user will see in the menu.

File: The XML definition file (p. 1857) that is passed to Mechanical. If the full path to the file is omitted,
the location is assumed to be in the {ANSYS Installa-
tion}\v201\aisol\DesignSpace\DSPages\xml folder.

Priority: The position in the menu, entered as 1.1 - 1.xxx.

Default: Specifies which entry is the default. Include this tag with a value of true for the entry that
is to be the default option (omit it for other entries).

ValidOn: Specifies which platforms are supported for the entry. Available options are Windows and
Linux. To specify both platforms, separate entries with a comma (Windows,Linux).

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 Predefined Assessment Types

Using Advanced Combination Options with Design Assessment

Advanced combination options are available through the addition of DA Result objects when the
Assessment Type is Solution Combination Only. They are not available by default with custom XML
definition files, even when CombResults =1. These DA Result objects offer similar capability to that
offered by the LCOPER command for Mechanical APDL.

Introduction
DA Result objects can be added to the Design Assessment system for combining the upstream
solution results that have been specified in the Solution Selection (p. 1850) table. Different combina-
tions or comparisons can be applied to the selected solutions.

Any number of DA Results can be added to combine or compare as many solutions as needed. It
is also possible to compare results from the same solution but over different time steps. This is
done by selecting the same environment in multiple entries in the Solution Selection table and
specifying the desired time steps for those entries.

Defining Results
These DA Result (p. 1856) objects have predefined fields that allow you to define the solution com-
bination/comparison method that you want to use. A number of different Result Type and Result
Subtype values can be selected to define the combination method.

Important:

For Shells, the DA Result types only produce results for the top surface of the Shell.

Result Type
Choose the Result Type that you want to combine/compare in this DA Result. You can choose one of
the following from the drop-down list.

• Stress

• Strain

• Displacement

• Expression-Based

If you choose Stress, Strain, or Displacement as the Result Type, the Entry Value of Attribute
1 will allow you to choose from a drop-down list of selected results. The result units are auto-
matically chosen.

If a Stress, Strain or Displacement result type is selected, together with a resultant expression
(for example, S1 or USUM), the combination/comparison will be performed on the components,
and the resultant value recalculated afterwards. This is the same method used by the Mechan-
ical APDL LCOPER command. However in some cases, such as finding the maximum values
over a number of time points, this behavior is not desired and the combination/comparison is
required to be performed on the resultant of the expression itself. In these cases, select Expres-
sion-Based as the result type and enter the expression name in the relevant Attribute box.

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Using Design Assessment

If Expression-Based is selected, any user defined result can be entered in an expression

string (p. 1660) in the Entry Value field of Attribute 1. The result unit type must be selected
from the drop-down list in the Entry Value field of Attribute 2. Any combination/comparison
is performed directly on the expression and does not take into account component values.

Caution:

This method may produce undesired or nonphysical results. For example, combining
USUM vector results would normally be performed on a component basis, and the
direct combination of values would most likely cause an undesired result.

Result Subtype
The Result Subtype field allows you to select the type of combination/comparison operation that
you want to perform in this DA Result object. The following operations are available regardless of the
Result Type:

• Sum results

This operation adds the specified results from the selected solutions.

• Subtract Results

This operation subtracts the specified results from the selected solutions.

The lowest solution row number available acts as the minuend and all subsequent solutions
act as subtrahends. This can be manipulated using negative coefficients.

• Mean Result

Sums all selected solution results and divides the total by the number of solutions selected.

• SRSS Result

Computes the square root of the sum of squares for all selected solution results.

• Absolute Maximum

Computes the absolute maximum of the selected solution results and sets the DA result to
this value with the relevant sign; in other words, the value furthest from zero. For example,
if two results with the values 9 and -10 are compared, the DA Result would be set to -10.

• Absolute Minimum

Similar to Absolute Maximum, but returns the minimum value; in other words, the value
closest to zero.

• Maximum

Finds the maximum result from the selected solution results and sets the DA Result to this
value. For example, if two results with the values 9 and -10 are compared, the DA Result
would be set to 9.

• Minimum

Similar to Maximum, but returns the minimum value.

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 Changing the Assessment Type or XML Definition File Contents

Other Attributes

• Solutions (By Row Number)

This attribute allows the user to compare different solutions within one Design Assessment
system. First specify all of the required solutions in the Solution Selection table. Then, using
commas and hyphens, you can enter specific solution rows to consider for the current DA
Result in this attribute. For example, if solutions 1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10 were required for one com-
bination and 5,6 were required for the other, then you could enter 1-4,7-10 for the first
DA Result and 5,6 for the second DA Result. Solution Row numbers are 1 based.

Changing the Assessment Type or XML Definition File Contents

If you change the Assessment Type of your Design Assessment system, or if you change the location
or contents of the XML definition file, the Mechanical application will evaluate the existing Design As-
sessment objects in your project and modify those objects as indicated below. If no content changes
are found in the XML definition file (even if the file location changes), or if only the Solve or Evaluate
script locations change, no changes are made in the Design Assessment objects in the tree.

If the contents of any Design Assessment XML definition file change, the Mechanical application
refreshes the existing Design Assessment objects as follows:

When the Group Type in use is not present in the file

The affected Attribute Group or DA Result is initialized to default values. Default values are the values
which you get when an Attribute Group or DA Result is inserted in the tree.

When the Group Sub Type in use is not present in the file
The affected Attribute Group or DA Result is initialized to default values. Default values are the values
which you get when an Attribute Group or DA Result is inserted in the tree.

When the Attribute IDs present for a Group Type and Sub Type combination in use are changed (IDs
added or removed)
The affected Attribute Group or DA Result is initialized to default values. Default values are the values
which you get when an Attribute Group or DA Result is inserted in the tree.

Group Type not in use is changed/added/removed

No existing Design Assessment objects are affected.

Group Sub Type not in use is changed/added/removed

No existing Design Assessment objects are affected.

Attribute IDs are changed/added/removed for a Group Type and Sub Type combination which is not in
use
No existing Design Assessment objects are affected.

Validation/Default Value/Attribute Name/Geometry Application/Property type is changed

Design Assessment object is modified as indicated.

Note:

For any above mentioned change, the state of the system becomes obsolete, forcing the
user to solve again.

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Using Design Assessment

Solution Selection
A Solution Selection object is automatically included as part of the Design Assessment environment.
This object allows you to select upstream solutions to be used in a way similar to the standard Solution
Combination (p. 1699) object available in the Mechanical application.

To use the Solution Selection object, the individual analysis systems should be connected in sequence
on the Project Schematic (sharing the Engineering Data, Geometry and Model cells), with the Design
Assessment system at the end of the chain.

Depending upon the Assessment Type, various types of upstream systems are valid as shown in the
table below.

Assessment Type Valid systems

Solution Combination Static Structural, Modal, Harmonic Response, Random Vibration Analysis,
Only Response Spectrum Analysis, or Transient Structural
User Defined Static Structural, Modal, Harmonic Response, Random Vibration, Response
Spectrum, Explicit Dynamics, or Transient Structural

The Solution Selection Table

When you click the Solution Selection object in the tree, the Solution Selection table is displayed. To
include systems in the Solution Selection table either for access to the results or inclusion in the
solution combination, right-click the table and select Add. In the Environment Name column of the
row that is added, click Choose.... and select the name of the system that you want to add to the
table. For Static, Transient, Explicit, and Harmonic systems, you can specify that a set of results is re-
turned for a particular system. (Other types of systems will only return a single result for each system
at the indicated Time/Step, Frequency/Phase Angle, or Mode.) If a Random Vibration analysis is selected,
1-sigma results are used in solution combination.

Set the values in the columns to select the results that are returned for each solution.

• Multiple Sets – Values are Enabled or Disabled. This column applies to any upstream solution that supports
Multiple Set data, i.e. Static, Transient, Explicit Dynamics and Harmonic.

– If Enabled, then the user can enter Start/End Times, or Min/Max Frequencies to define a result
step/substep for combination (all result sets found within the boundaries of the defined step are used)
or to use during the execution of their scripts.

– If Disabled, then only the End Time and Max Frequency columns will be available in order to define a
single result point to be used for combination (the result set defined is used for every calculated point
in the combined result) or to use during the execution of the scripts.

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 Solution Selection

• Start Time (s) – Will define the start time of the step/substep used from the upstream solution.

• End Time (s) – Will define the end time of the step/substep used from the upstream solution.

• Step – The step number used from the upstream solution. Value can also be “Multiple” and “All”, in cases
where the Start and End Times defined cover more than one step or the entire analysis from the upstream
solution.

• Min Frequency (s) – Will define the start frequency of the step/substep used from the upstream solution.

• Max Frequency (s) – Will define the end frequency of the step/substep used from the upstream solution.

The Step column in the solution selection table defaults to 'All' which means all steps from your up-
stream solution are available. All can be specified by entering '0' in the Step column. Otherwise this
column can take any integer value that lies within the step boundaries to define a single step. If you
define a start or end time that is outside the boundaries of one step, then the Step column will say
Multiple.

Steps are inclusive of their Start/End Times or Min/Max Frequencies. During combination, the data
from all result points within the steps/substeps defined are linearly combined to produce a result
containing multiple sets. Therefore the limits of the combined result will be defined by the smallest
and greatest values (Start/End Time or Min/Max Frequency) found within the Solution Selection table.

Results Availability
The Results Availability field in the Details panel for the Design Assessment system Solution object
allows you to specify which Mechanical results will be available to the Design Assessment system. If
Results Availability is set to Filter Combination Results and different upstream system types are
selected, only results that are valid for all selected systems can be inserted under the Solution object.
However, if you set the Results Availability field to Allow all Available Results, you can add any
results valid for any of the selected systems to the Solution object. In this case, results that are inserted
will be combined for those systems for which they are valid. You can set the default value for the
Results Availability field in the Mechanical Options (p. 138).

If Results Availability is set to Filter Combination Results, and additional upstream systems are
selected which cause a result type to be invalid, then its state will change accordingly and a solution
will not be possible.

Note:

• When used in a solution combination based result, it may not be correct to combine the results.
Any combined results are formed by linear combination only.

• The available systems in the drop-down list are not constrained depending upon the Assessment
Type.

• The Results Availability setting will only appear under the Design Assessment Solution object
in the tree if the <CombResults> tag within the XML that is being used by the Design Assessment
system is set to 1. Otherwise it has no function.

• User defined results (p. 1656) containing complex expressions are supported through the use of
DA Results (p. 1847). In addition, you can access results from various environments, using python

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Using Design Assessment

scripts to combine results with highly complex, user defined mathematical functions (see
CreateSolutionResult in the Solution (p. 1889) class).

Solution Combination Behavior

The Solution Selection object differs in several ways from a standard Solution Combination object:

• There is an ability to add extra columns to the worksheet using the XML configuration file. Each row
in the table can be used to enter additional data that can be passed out to the processing script.
These values can be obtained using the Design Assessment API.

• Results are added to the Solution object in the Design Assessment system, not directly under the
Solution Selection object.

• The Solution Selection object can be configured such that select results from multiple upstream
systems are available for use in post processing scripts, but the display of combined results is sup-
pressed. When CombResults = 0 in a user defined XML file, Solution Selection will make the results
of the selected solutions available for external processing, but no solution combination is done, and
no Mechanical results are available.

• Appropriate columns are enabled to access appropriate result sets defined by start time, end time,
step, minimum frequency, maximum frequency, phase angle, and mode, based on the upstream
system.

• Upstream results systems can be accessed via the python scripts using the Selection class (p. 1888).

Where times or frequencies overlap, data will be combined. However, where these values are unique
to an upstream solution, the data will be the equivalent to the result point held in the upstream
solution.

The following tables and charts illustrate how the combination takes place. Here is an example of
solutions entered in the Solution Combination table:

The individual uncombined results are:

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 Solution Selection

The combined results would be as follows. Notice here that the solution with Multiple Sets Disabled
is a single result point and therefore combined over the entire result.

The Effective Result for the deformation values of Node X in the combined result would be:

The combined plot, where the Combination line illustrates the combined values of Node X in Solutions
1 to 4 at these time points, would be:

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Using Design Assessment

Using the Attribute Group Object

Attribute Group objects allow the Mechanical application to collect inputs. They can be configured in
the XML definition file of a User Defined Type. After you have opened the project in the Mechanical
application, insert an Attribute Group by one of the following methods:

1. Right click the Design Assessment object and select Insert > Attribute Group

or

Click on the Design Assessment object, then click the Attribute Group button in the toolbar.

An Attribute Group object will be added to the analysis.

2. Click on the Attribute Group and then set it up by selecting the appropriate AttributeGroupType and
AttributeGroupSubtype. This will display the attributes for that group subtype.

3. Enter the attribute values that you wish to pass out to the postprocessing script defined in the XML
definition file, along with any associated geometry information.

Note:

Numerical attributes within an attribute group can be parameterized.

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 Developing and Debugging Design Assessment Scripts

Developing and Debugging Design Assessment Scripts

The scripting environment used in Design Assessment is the same as that used in the Workbench and
is based on IronPython, which is well integrated into the rest of the .NET Framework (on Windows) and
Mono CLR (on Linux). For more details see the Workbench Scripting documentation.

With the help of a development environment, such as Microsoft® Visual Studio®, Python scripts can be
developed and “debugged”. To debug a script, open its text file in your development environment and
attach the debugger to the AnsysWBU.exe process of interest. Be sure to specify managed code mode.
You will then be able to control the execution of your script, stepping along and reviewing the values
obtained.

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Using the DA Result Object

DA Result objects allow you to specify what results to calculate and how to display them. You can add
DA Result objects to the analysis system for Solution Combination assessment types, and for any custom
scripts you create.

Important:

Note the following:

• For Shells, DA Result types only produce results for the top surface of the Shell.

• DA Result types do not support Cyclic Symmetry.

• On the Workbench project page, if you set the Assessment Type property, of the Setup
cell, to Solution Combination Only (default setting), the Environment Selection setting
of the Worksheet in Mechanical only supports specification for Static Structural, Transient
Structural, or Explicit Dynamics analyses.

Define a DA Result object in a Design Assessment system as follows:

1. Insert a DA Result object using one of the following methods.

• Right click the Solution object under Design Assessment and select Insert > DA Result, or

• Click on the Solution object, then click the DA Result button in the toolbar.

Click on the newly added DA Result object to setup the fields in the Details panel.

2. Set the Scoping Method for the DA Result.

• If you choose Geometry Selection, Geometry defaults to All Bodies; or you can select the part of the
geometry for which you want to see results and click Apply.

• If you choose Named Selection, select a defined Named Selection from the drop-down list.

3. Select the desired Result Type and Result Subtype from the drop-down lists.

4. Set By to Substep Value or Result Set.

• If you choose Result Set, enter the result Set Number that you want to observe.

• If you choose Substep Value, enter the Substep Value. Substep Value is equivalent to the Result
Time/Result Frequency on a normal Result Object, and as such if you enter '0' in the user interface you
will automatically receive the 'Last' result point. Otherwise you can enter any double value that is within
the boundaries of your result.

5. Set the Entry Value for each attribute in the DA Result object to return the Results of interest to you.

6. Right click the DA Result object and select Solve. The results of the post processing script are displayed
in the Results section of the Details panel, and the resulting contour is shown in the Geometry window
if applicable for that result type.

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 The Design Assessment XML Definition File

The Design Assessment XML Definition File

The Design Assessment system is driven in part by an XML definition file (referred to as the XML
definition file). This file can be user defined or provided by ANSYS or a third party. This section defines
the format of the XML definition file. The XML definition file is split into four parts to define the following:

• Available Attributes (p. 1858)

• Attribute Groups (p. 1861)

• Scripts (p. 1862)

• Result Availability (p. 1865)

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For each Design Assessment system, a copy will be made of the selected XML definition file and associ-
ated with that Design Assessment system to define the visibility of the tree objects. The entries in the
tree objects will be saved with the Mechanical project database file; this includes the actual script used
for the assessment. The overview of the file format is shown below.
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Attributes>
definition of attributes for re-use throughout the attribute groups.
</Attributes>
<AttributeGroups>
grouping of attributes; used to define the available options in the attribute groups objects
</AttributeGroups>
<DAScripts>
analysis script language & contents; used to define a script covering how the design assessment
will be performed and a script used to obtain results
</DAScripts>
<DAResults>
definition of the available results and the available options in the results object.
</DAResults>

Note:

For all sections of the XML definition file, all values entered as part of a list in a tag must be
separated by commas only (no spaces); for example in the following tag, <Validation Prop-
Type="vector&lt;string>">0.5,10</Validation>, there should not be any space between the
values 0.5 and 10.

Attributes Format
Within the Attributes section there are a number of options to define the name and type of attribute
(for example, whether it’s a double, integer, drop-down list, text, etc.), and what it applies to (for ex-
ample, can it be applied to selectable geometry or loadcases, and if geometry, is it vertex, lines, surfaces
or solids). Depending upon the type, default values and validation ranges can be set. Attributes of
int and double types can be parameterized.
<Attributes ObjId="2" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2"></Attributes>
<DAAttribute ObjId="100" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">attr name</name>
<AttributeType PropType="string">type keyword</type>
<Application PropType="string">selection keyword</application>
<Validation PropType="string">validation data</validation>
<Default PropType="string">default value</default>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">display units keyword</DisplayUnits>
</DAAttribute>
</Attribute>

The attribute is defined in the Details panel with 4 rows:

If Scoping Method is set to Named Selection, the fourth row will contain a drop-down of all defined
named selections that contain geometric entities of the type specified in the attribute definition.

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 The Design Assessment XML Definition File

The Attributes tag properties should be set as follows:

Property Value Meaning

ObjId enter an Number identifying this attribute collection
integer
Type CAERepBase Specifies that the file is in ANSYS intermediate file format
Ver enter an Version of the Attributes object definition; this should be set to
integer 2

The DAAttribute tag properties should be set as follows:

Property Value Meaning

ObjId enter an Unique number identifying this DAAttribute, suggest starting at a fixed
integer number (e.g. 100) to avoid conflict with other objects
Type DAAttribute Signifies that the contents of the DAAttribute tag define an attribute
Ver enter an Version of the DAAtribute object definition; this should be set to 2
integer

The following tags can be included as children of a DAAttribute tag (note that each tag must have
a property PropType=”string” or PropType=”vector&lt;string>” (the latter if entering more than a single
value in the tag contents).

Property Value Meaning

AttributeName enter a string Displayed name of the attribute
AttributeType, with following Int Integer entry only
values of type keyword Double Double precision entry only
allowed:
Text Text entry only
DropDown Drop down list selection
Browse Text based, but includes browse
to a file button
None Only Geometry Selection
required, hides Value Cell
Application, with following Vertices Enables Geometric selection of
values of selection vertices only
keyword allowed: Lines Enables Geometric selection of
line bodies only
Surfaces Enables Geometric selection of
surface bodies only
Solids Enables Geometric selection of
solid bodies only
Geometry Enables Geometric selection of
lines, surfaces and solids

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Using Design Assessment

Property Value Meaning

All Hides Geometry Selection cell,
applies to the whole analysis
Validation, with following values Two comma separated numbers For Int or Double type keywords
of validation data allowed: defining a min and max
Multiple comma separated For DropDown type keywords
strings defining the available
entries
A single number to define the For the Text or Browse type
maximum length of the string keywords
Default, with following values of Default value in SI units; if For Int or Double type keywords
default value allowed: default is within the valid range,
when it’s created the object state
will be checked, otherwise “?”
String; used to set the default For DropDown type keywords
entry in the drop-down
Default text string For the Text or Browse type
keywords
DisplayUnits, with following No Units No units are associated with the
values of display units value (default if field is not
keywords allowed: defined)
Stress Values are treated as stress
(Only used if version
number of DAAttribute > 2 Distance Values are treated as distance
and AttributeType is Strain Values are treated as strain
Double) Force Values are treated as force
When a display unit is Moment Values are treated as moment,
defined the value will i.e. force x distance
automatically scale Rotation Values are treated as rotation
depending on the defined
Angular Acceleration Values are treated as angular
unit system for the Analysis
acceleration, i.e. rotation / time2
and for the unit system
used to view Angular Velocity Values are treated as angular
velocity, i.e. rotation / time
Velocity Values are treated as velocity, i.e.
distance / time
Acceleration Values are treated as
acceleration, i.e. distance / time2
Temperature Values are treated as
temperature
Pressure Values are treated as pressure,
i.e. force / distance2
Voltage Values are treated as voltage
Energy Values are treated as energy
Volume Values are treated as volume, i.e.
distance3

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 The Design Assessment XML Definition File

Property Value Meaning

Area Values are treated as area, i.e.
distance2
Current Values are treated as current
Heat Rate Values are treated as heat rate
Current Density Values are treated as current
density
Power Values are treated as power
Heat Generation Values are treated as heat
generation
Magnetic Flux Values are treated as magnetic
flux

Attribute Groups Format

The AttributeGroups tag contains DAAttributeGroup tags that provide a means for the user to select
the groups of attributes shown in the Details panel when an Attributes Group tree object is selected.
A maximum of 10 attributes can be grouped per attribute group object. Attribute group objects
automatically sort themselves by drop-downs of available types and subtypes.
<AttributeGroups ObjId="3" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAAttributeGroup ObjId ="100001" Type="DAAttributeGroup" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Group Type</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Group Subtype</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">list of attribute numbers</AttributeIDs>
</DAAttributeGroup>
</AttributeGroups>

The group is defined in the Details panel with 3 standard rows and then up to 10 attributes:

The AttributeGroups tag properties should be set as follows:

Property Value Meaning

ObjId enter an Number identifying this attribute group collection
integer
Type CAERepBase Specifies that the file is in ANSYS intermediate file format

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Using Design Assessment

Property Value Meaning

Ver enter an Version of the AttributeGroups object definition; this should be set to
integer 2

The DAAttributeGroup tag properties should be set as follows:

Property Value Meaning

ObjId enter an integer Unique number identifying this DAAttributeGroup, suggest starting at
fixed number (e.g. 500) to avoid conflict with other objects
Type DAAttributeGroup Signifies that the contents of the DAAttributeGroup tag define an attribute
group
Ver enter an integer Version of the DAAttributeGroup object definition; this should be set to
2

The following tags can be included as children of a DAAttributeGroup tag:

Property Value Meaning

GroupType enter a string Type of this attribute group
GroupSubtype enter a string Subtype of this attribute group
AttributeIDs enter a comma separated list of Attributes that will be displayed
attribute ID numbers for this attribute group

The PropType property of the GroupType and GroupSubtype tags must be set to string, and the
PropType property of the AttributeIDs tags must be set to vector&lt;unsigned int>.

Script Format
This section defines the location for the Design Assessment post processing scripts and also defines
what values can be accessed in this Design Assessment system. The scripts are to be written using
the Python scripting language.

There are three Design Assessment specific system environment variables that can be used when
specifying script paths:

DAPROGFILES
Default: C:\Program Files

DANSYSDIR
Default: C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\v201

DAUSERFILES
The Workbench project user_files subfolder

The Solve tag defines the location of the script that will be run upon pressing the solve button
within the Mechanical application. The Evaluate tag defines the location of the script that will be run
when evaluating the DAResult objects. The Evaluate script will be run by default after the solve script
when solve has been selected. This separation enables the ability for any intensive processing to be
performed and saved to files during the solve stage and then results extraction and presentation to
be scripted during the evaluation stage. Alternatively, you may want all the processing performed
during the evaluate script and enter None in the Solve Script section.

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 The Design Assessment XML Definition File

Additional tags allow you to:

• permit or prevent the inclusion of Design Assessment Attribute Groups and Results in the tree for
the associated Design Assessment system

• permit or prevent the availability of solution combination results in the associated Design Assessment
system

• add additional columns to the Solution Selection Worksheet

• define which upstream solution types are permitted in the Solution Selection Worksheet
<DAScripts ObjId="4" Type="DAScripts" Ver="2"/>
<!--analysis script language & contents; used to define a script covering
how the design assessment will be performed and a script used to obtain results-->
<Solve PropType="string">"c:\mysolve.py"</Solve>
<Evaluate PropType="string">"c:\myevaluate.py"</Evaluate>
<DAData PropType="int">1</DAData>
<CombResults PropType="int">1</CombResults>
<CombExtra PropType="vector&lt;string>">Extra 1,Extra 2,Extra 3</CombExtra>
<CombTypes PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">1,2,3,4,5,6,7</CombTypes>
lt;/DAScripts>

The DAScripts tag properties should be set as follows:

Property Value Meaning

ObjId enter an Number identifying this script set
integer
Type DAScripts Signifies that the contents of the DAScripts tag define solve and evaluate
postprocessing scripts
Ver enter an Version of the DAScripts tag; this should be set to 2
integer

The following tags can be included as children of a DAScripts tag:

Property Value Meaning

Solve enter a string Path to the file called
during the solution; a
relative path can be
entered. A relative path will
be relative to
{install}\aisol\bin\{platform},
so for example,
..\..\..\My_Solve.py would
need to be located in the
same folder as the
installation.

Standard environment
variables or one of the
Design Assessment specific
environment variables may
be used in the path

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Using Design Assessment

Property Value Meaning

(enclosed in percent signs).
For example:

%TEMP%\My_solve.py

%DAPROGFILES%\My_solve.py

If no solve script is required,

the keyword None can be
entered.
Evaluate enter a string Path to the file called during the
evaluate. As per the Solve string,
this can be relative or use
standard environment variables
or the Design Assessment
specific environment variables.
DAData enter either 1 or 0 Set to 0 to prevent any DA Data
(Attribute Groups or DA Results)
from being added to the project,
or 1 to allow them
CombResults enter either 1 or 0 Set to 0 to prevent Mechanical
Results objects from being
added to the Design Assessment
Solution, or 1 to allow them
CombExtra enter a comma separated list of Enter a string for each extra
strings column heading that you want
to appear in the Solution
Selection Worksheet.
CombTypes enter a comma separated Each of the numbers
list of positive numbers represents a system type.
between 1 and 7 Only system types in this list
will be permitted to be
selected in the Solution
Selections table. The
numbers correspond to the
systems as follows:

1: Static Structural

2: Transient Structural

3: Explicit Dynamics

4: Modal

5: Harmonic Response

6: Random Vibration

7: Response Spectrum

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 The Design Assessment XML Definition File

Property Value Meaning

If CombTypes is not
defined, there will be no
restrictions applied.

The PropType property of the Solve and Evaluate tags must be set to string, The PropType property
of the DAData and CombResults tags must be set to int, and the PropType property of the
CombExtra tag must be set to vector&lt;string> and the PropType property of the CombTypes
tag must be set to vector&lt;unsigned int>.

Results Format
The DA Results format defines the available DA Results tree objects. A maximum of 10 attributes can
be included per DA Result object; for example to define direction components. For attributes applied
to results objects, the application entry is ignored. DA Result objects automatically sort themselves
by drop-downs of available types and subtypes. Each DA Result object also contains information on
how it should display results; this can either be set in this XML definition file or programmatically in
the python solve or evaluate scripts.

Minimum and maximum values are also reported and can be parametrized. Probe labels can be added
to the graphic to identify specific results, or the minimum and maximum locations.
<Results ObjId="3" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAResult ObjId ="100001" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Group Type</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Group Subtype</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">list of attribute numbers</AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">display type keyword</DisplayType>
<DisplayStyle PropType="string">display style keyword</DisplayStyle>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">display units keyword</DisplayUnits>
</DAResult>
</Results>

The result is defined in the Details panel with standard rows and then up to 10 attributes:

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Using Design Assessment

Note that if the Display Style of a result is anything other than scalar, a "Components" field is shown
in the Definitions section.

The Results tag properties should be set as follows:

Property Value Meaning

ObjId enter an Number identifying this attribute group collection
integer
Type CAERepBase Specifies that the file is in ANSYS intermediate file format
Ver enter an Version of the Results definition section; this should be set to
integer 2

The DAResult tag properties should be set as follows:

Property Value Meaning

ObjId enter an Unique number identifying this DA Result; suggest starting at a fixed number
integer (e.g. 1000) to avoid conflict with other objects
Type DAResult Signifies that the contents of the DAResult tag defines a result group
Ver enter an Version of the DA Result object definition; this should be set to 3
integer

The following tags can be included as children of a DAResult tag:

Property Value Meaning

GroupType enter a string Type of this DA Result object
GroupSubtype enter a string Subtype of this DA Result object

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 The Design Assessment XML Definition File

Property Value Meaning

AttributeIDs enter a comma separated list of Attributes that will be displayed
attribute ID numbers for this DA Result object
DisplayType, with following Element Values per element are expected
values of display type Nodal Values per node are expected.
keywords allowed:
ElementNodal Values per node of each element
are expected
DisplayStyle, with following Scalar A single number is expected for
values of display style each element / node depending
keywords allowed: upon the DisplayType set
(default if field is not defined)
(Only used if version
Vector X, Y and Z component
number of DAResult > 2)
values are expected for
each element / node
depending upon the
DisplayType

An additional drop-down
will be provided to choose
between X, Y, Z, Resultant
and Vector Display

The Resultant, R, is
determined by

Tensor X, Y, Z, XY, YZ and XZ

component values are
expected for each element
/ node depending upon the
DisplayType

An additional drop-down
will be provided to choose
between X, Y, Z, XY, YZ and
XZ, Maximum
Principal (p. 1521), Middle
Principal (p. 1521), Minimum
Principal (p. 1521),
Intensity (p. 1522),
Equivalent (p. 1521), Vector
Principal (p. 1523), and
Maximum Shear (p. 1522)
StrainTensor As Tensor, but without the
Maximum Shear option
DisplayUnits, with following No Units No units are associated with the
values of display units result (default if field is not
keywords allowed: defined)
Stress Results are treated as stress
(Only used if version
number of DAResult > 2) Distance Results are treated as distance

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Using Design Assessment

Property Value Meaning

When a display unit is Strain Results are treated as strain
defined the result will Force Results are treated as force
automatically scale
depending on the given Moment Results are treated as moment,
unit system i.e. force x distance
Rotation Results are treated as rotation
Angular Acceleration Results are treated as angular
acceleration, i.e. rotation / time2
Angular Velocity Results are treated as angular
velocity, i.e. rotation / time
Velocity Results are treated as velocity,
i.e. distance / time
Acceleration Results are treated as
acceleration, i.e. distance / time2
Temperature Results are treated as
temperature
Pressure Results are treated as pressure,
i.e. force / distance2
Voltage Results are treated as voltage
Energy Results are treated as energy
Volume Results are treated as volume,
i.e. distance3
Area Results are treated as area, i.e.
distance2
Current Results are treated as current
Heat Rate Results are treated as heat rate
Current Density Results are treated as current
density
Power Results are treated as power
Heat Generation Results are treated as heat
generation
Magnetic Flux Results are treated as magnetic
flux

The DisplayType, DisplayStyle and Display unit can all be over-ridden or set within the python script
if desired. However, DisplayStyle needs to be set here to enable the addition of the drop-down to
choose the component and automatic calculation of additional results (e.g. Resultant, Maximum
Principal, etc.) in the cases of vector or tensor display. See the DAResult class (p. 1900) in the API for
details on how to set these programmatically.

The PropType property of the GroupType, GroupSubtype, and DisplayType tags must be set to string,
and the PropType property of the AttributeIDs tags must be set to vector&lt;unsigned int>.

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 Design Assessment API Reference

Design Assessment API Reference

These guidelines describe the Design Assessment API. Included with the standard ANSYS Workbench
installation is the IronPython scripting environment that allows a Python script to be run. Within Design
Assessment scripts can be run upon Solve and Evaluate. These Python based scripts have a DesignAs-
sessment object defined as an entry point to access to the API functions to enable data to be processed
either directly in python, or externally by calling 3rd party programs.

The following API classes are available:

DesignAssessment class
Helper class
MeshData class
DAElement class
DANode class
SectionData class
AttributeGroup class
Attribute class
SolutionSelection class
Solution class
SolutionResult class
DAResult class
DAResultSet class

The API is structured as shown in this diagram:

Every effort is made to ensure compatibility of the API across versions. However, there are occasions
where functions or properties need to be modified. In these scenarios, the existing function will be
deprecated, i.e. it will become undocumented.

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Using Design Assessment

Any data output via the print command will be added to the appropriate script output file which can
be reviewed via the Solution Information object. If a deprecated function is called a message will be
added to the appropriate script output file with a suggested alternative methodology. These can be
viewed via the Solution Information object. This inclusion of the message in the file can be controlled
by the OutputDeprecatedWarnings function in the DesignAssessment (p. 1876) class. Additional text
output from your script can be included in a file that is displayed using the Solver Output (p. 1735) option
(see Helper (p. 1878) class, ReplaceSolverOutputFile).

Undocumented functions (including those recently deprecated) may be removed or altered in subsequent
releases if it becomes impractical to maintain a backwards compatible interface, so effort should be
made to update any calls to deprecated functions.

Functions may not work on previous releases; therefore, all users should use the same release of
Workbench to ensure compatibility.

API Change Log for R14.5

No functions were deprecated or modified with this release. Newly added functions are not detailed
here, but were mainly contained within the Solution (p. 1889) class.

API Change Log for R14.0

Release 14 represents the first release after the initial version. In response to feedback, we have made
a number of changes of functions to properties where appropriate, hence there are an unusually high
number of deprecated functions. These changes are tabulated below, grouped by class name. The tables
do not include newly added functions.

Design Assessment Class:

Method/Property Description of Change

getHelper() Changed to property Helper, old code: DesignAssessment.getHelper(), new
code DesignAssessment.Helper
GeometryMeshData() Changed to property MeshData, old code:
DesignAssessment.GeometryMeshData(), new code
DesignAssessment.MeshData
Selections() Changed name to SolutionSelections() to be consistent with the Mechanical
application
Selection(int Duplication of python functionality. Old code
Index) DesignAssessment.SolutionSelection(0), new code MyArray =
DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections() then MyArray[0] (NB, using the shortcut
DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[index] in a loop is less efficient than
assigning it to an array within python)
ResultGroups() Changed name to DAResults() to be consistent with the Mechanical application
ResultGroup(int Duplication of python functionality. Old code DesignAssessment.DAResult(0),
Index) new code MyArray = DesignAssessment.DAResults() then MyArray[0] (NB,
using the shortcut DesignAssessment.DAResults()[index] in a loop is less
efficient than assigning it to an array within python)
NoOfAttributeGroups() Changed to property AttributeGroupCount, old code:
DesignAssessment.NoOfAttributeGroups(), new code
DesignAssessment.AttributeGroupCount

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 Design Assessment API Reference

Method/Property Description of Change

NoOfSelections() Changed to property SolutionSelectionCount, old code:
DesignAssessment.NoOfSelections(), new code
DesignAssessment.SolutionSelectionCount
NoOfResultGroups() Changed to property DAResultCount, old code: DesignAssessment.
NoOfResultGroups(), new code DesignAssessment.DAResultCount
ProjectName() Changed to property ProjectTitle, old code: DesignAssessment. ProjectName(),
new code DesignAssessment.ProjectTitle
AttributeGroup(int Duplication of python functionality. Old code
Index) DesignAssessment.AttributeGroup(0), new code MyArray =
DesignAssessment.AttributeGroups() then MyArray[0] (NB, using the shortcut
DesignAssessment.AttributeGroups()[index] in a loop is less efficient than
assigning it to an array within python)

Helper Class:

A number of functions related to an internal file, the CAERep, were previously documented in error.
These have been removed from the documentation; it is not recommended that these are used as the
file structure is subject to change.

Function/Property Description of Change

getUnits() Replaced by property Units in the DesignAssessment class, for the units set
for the Design Assessment System and also the property Units in the Solution
class for the units system used in upstream solution.
getSolverOut() Changed to property SolverOutputFilePath, old code: Helper.getSolverOut(),
new code Helper.SolverOutputFilePath
getOutputFile() Changed to property SystemDirectory, old code: Helper.getOutputFile(), new
code Helper.SystemDirectory
getGeometryPath Changed to property GeometryPath, old code: Helper. getGeometryPath (),
() new code Helper.GeometryPath
getResultPath Changed to property ResultPath, old code: Helper.getResultPath(), new code
() Helper.ResultPath
getSystemDirectory Changed to property SystemDirectory, old code: Helper.getSystemDirectory(),
() new code Helper.SystemDirectory
getLogFile() Removed as the log file can be displayed via Solution Information and its
contents can be added to via the standard python print function
WriteToLog () Removed as the log file contents can be added to via the standard python
print function

MeshData Class (previously named GeometryMeshData):

A number of functions related to an internal reference, the TopologyID, were previously documented
in error. These have been removed from the documentation.

Method/Property Description of Change

NoOfNodes() Changed to property NodeCount, old code: MeshData. NoOfNodes(), new
code MeshData.NodeCount

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Method/Property Description of Change

NoOfElements() Changed to property ElementCount, old code: MeshData.NoOfElements(),
new code MeshData.ElementCount
ElementbyID(int Corrected capitalization, old code: MeshData.ElementbyID(Id), new code
ID) MeshData.ElementById(Id)
NodebyID(int ID) Corrected capitalization, old code: MeshData.NodebyID(Id), new code
MeshData.NodeById(Id)
getConnectedElementIDs Removed as incorrectly located and duplicated functionality; the method
(int ID) should be the responsibility of the Node object, old code:
MeshData.getConnectedElementIDs(Id), new code
MeshData.NodeById(Id).ConnectedElementIds()
getConnectedElements Removed as incorrectly located and duplicated functionality; the method
(int ID) should be the responsibility of the Node object, old code:
MeshData.getConnectedElementIDs(ID), new code
MeshData.NodeById(Id).ConnectedElements()
getElementsByID(int[] Consistency issue, old code: MeshData.getElementsByID (ID[]), new code
ID) MeshData.ElementsByIds(ID[])
Element(int Index) Duplication of python functionality. Old code MeshData.Element(0), new
code MyArray = MeshData.Elements() then MyArray[0] (NB, using the
shortcut MeshData.Elements()[index] in a loop is less efficient than assigning
it to an array within python)
Node(int Index) Duplication of python functionality. Old code MeshData.Node(0), new code
MyArray = MeshData.Nodes() then MyArray[0] (NB, using the shortcut
MeshData.Nodes()[index] in a loop is less efficient than assigning it to an
array within python)

DAElement Class:

The function TopologyID() related to an internal reference was previously documented in error. This
has been removed from the documentation.

Method/Property Description of Change

Type() Replaced with property Description, this provides a text description of the
element, rather than an internal number which was subject to change, old
code: DAElement.Type(), new code DAElement.Description
SectionData() Changed to property CrossSectionData, old code: DAElement.SectionData(),
new code DAElement.CrossSectionData
getNodeIDs() Consistency issue, old code: DAElement.getNodeIDs(), new code
DAElement.NodeIds()
ID() Changed to property Id, old code: DAElement.ID(), new code DAElement.Id
NoOfConnectedNodes() Changed to property NodeCount, old code:
DAElement.NoOfConnectedNodes(), new code DAElement.NodeCount

DANode Class:

Method/Property Description of Change

ID() Changed to property Id, old code: DANode.ID(), new code DANode.Id

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Method/Property Description of Change

x() Changed to property X, old code: DANode.x(), new code DANode.X
y() Changed to property Y, old code: DANode.y(), new code DANode.Y
z() Changed to property Z, old code: DANode.z(), new code DANode.Z
NoOfConnectedElements() Changed to property ConnectedElementCount, old code:
DANode.NoOfConnectedElements(), new code
DANode.ConnectedElementCount
ConnectedElementIDs() Corrected capitalization, old code: DANode.ConnectedElementIDs(Id), new
code DANode.ConnectedElementIds(Id)

SectionData Class:

Method/Property Description of Change

Type() Replaced with property Description, this provides a text description of the element,
rather than an internal number which was subject to change, old code:
SectionData.Type(), new code SectionData.Description
Diameter() Changed to property TubeDiameter, old code: SectionData.Diameter(), new code
SectionData.TubeDiameter
Thickness() Changed to property TubeThickness, old code: SectionData.Thickness(), new code
SectionData.TubeThickness
WebThickness() Changed to property BeamWebThickness, old code: SectionData.WebThickness(),
new code SectionData.BeamWebThickness
FlangeThickness() Changed to property BeamFlangeThickness, old code:
SectionData.FlangeThickness(), new code SectionData.BeamFlangeThickness
FilletRadii() Changed to property BeamFilletRadii, old code: SectionData.FilletRadii(), new code
SectionData.BeamFilletRadii
Height() Changed to property BeamHeight, old code: SectionData.Height(), new code
SectionData.BeamHeight
Width() Changed to property BeamWidth, old code: SectionData.Width(), new code
SectionData.BeamWidth

AttributeGroup Class:

Method/Property Description of Change

NoOfAttributes() Changed to property AttributeCount, old code: AttributeGroup.NoOfAttributes(),
new code AttributeGroup.AttributeCount
Name() Changed to property TreeName, old code: AttributeGroup.Name(), new code
AttributeGroup.TreeName
Type() Changed to property XmlType, old code: AttributeGroup.Type(), new code
AttributeGroup.XmlType
SubType() Changed to property XmlSubType, old code: AttributeGroup.SubType(), new code
AttributeGroup.XmlSubType

Attribute Class:

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Method/Property Description of Change

Name() Changed to property AttributeName, old code: Attribute.Name(), new
code Attribute.AttributeName
Value() Replaced with the properties ValueAsInt, ValueAsDouble, ValueAsString
in order to simplify the interface, old code: ValueObj = Attribute.Value()
then ValueObj.GetAsInt(), new code: Attribute.ValueAsInt
getNoOfSelectedElements() Changed to property SelectedElementCount, old code:
Attribute.getNoOfSelectedElements(), new code
Attribute.SelectedElementCount
getSelectedElements() Consistency issue, old code: Attribute.getSelectedElements(), new code
Attribute.SelectedElements()
getNoOfSelectedNodes() Changed to property SelectedNodeCount, old code:
Attribute.getNoOfSelectedNodes(), new code
Attribute.SelectedNodeCount
getSelectedNodes() Consistency issue, old code: Attribute.getSelectedNodes(), new code
Attribute.SelectedNodes()

SolutionSelection Class (previously named Selection):

Method/Property Description of Change

NoOfSolutions() Changed to property SolutionCount, old code: Selection.NoOfSolutions(), new
code SolutionSelection.SolutionCount
Solution(int Replaced with method SolutionByRow(int Row), Row is 1 based. Old code:
index) Selection.Solution(0), new code SolutionSelection.SolutionByRow(1)

Solution Class:

Method/Property Description of Change

NoOfAdditionalSolutionData() Changed to property AdditionalSolutionDataCount, old code:
Solution.NoOfAdditionalSolutionData(), new code
Solution.AdditionalSolutionDataCount
EnvironmentName() Changed to property Id, old code: Solution.EnvironmentName(), new
code Solution.Id
getResult() This method and the object it returned have been removed and the
objects functions replaced with properties within the Solution Class.
Old code: Solution.getResult().ResultFilePath(), new code:
Solution.ResultFilePath
AdditionalSolutionData(int Replaced with method AdditionalSolutionDataByColumn (int Col), Col
Index) is 1 based. Old code: Solution. AdditionalSolutionData(0), new code
Solution.AdditionalSolutionDataByColumn(1)

SolutionResult Class:

Method/Property Description of Change

ResultFilePath() Function moved to SolutionClass. Old code: Solution.getResult().ResultFilePath(),
new code: Solution.ResultFilePath

DAResult Class (previously named ResultGroup):

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Method/Property Description of Change

Name() Changed to property TreeName, old code: ResultGroup.Name(), new code
DAResult.TreeName
Type() Changed to property XmlType, old code: ResultGroup.Type(), new code
DAResult.XmlType
AddStepResult() Renamed to AddDAResultSet, old code: ResultGroup.AddStepResult(), new
code DAResult.AddDAResultSet()
AddStepResult(Result Function has been removed, use AddDAResultSet to create the DAResultSet
myResult) object then define values within that object.
StepResult() Renamed to DAResultSets(), old code: ResultGroup.StepResult(), new code
DAResult.DAResultSets()
StepResult(int Renamed to DAResultSet(), old code: ResultGroup.StepResult(index), new code
index) DAResult.DAResultSet(SetNumber). Note: SetNumber is 1 based.
NoOfAttributes() Changed to property AttributeCount, old code: ResultGroup.NoOfAttributes(),
new code DAResult. AttributeCount

DAResultSet Class (previously named Result):

Method/Property Description of Change

AddElementResultValue(ValueStructureClass Modified so that it’s easier to create sets of result values.
newElementResultValue) Now element result values can be directly defined using
SetElementalValue. Old code
Result.AddElementValue(ValueStructure), new code:
DAResultSet.SetElementalValue(ElementID, Component,
Value)
ValueStructureClass The ValueStructure class has been deprecated as the
AddElementResultValue() result values can be accessed directly. Values are also
now added with a given ElementID, so numerous entries
need not be made. Old code ValueStructure =
Result.AddElementValue() then
ValueStructure.setValue(Value), new code:
DAResultSet.SetElementalValue(ElementID, Component,
Value)
ValueStructureClass[] The ValueStructure class has been deprecated as the
ElementResultValues() result values can be accessed directly for the given
element. It is no longer possible to get all the values
out as an Array, but values can be obtained via
GetElementalValue(ElementID, Component) instead.
ValueStructureClass The ValueStructure class has been deprecated as the
ElementResultValue(int index) result values can be accessed directly for the given
element. Values are also now added with a given
ElementID. Old code ValueStructure = Result.
ElementResultValue(Index) then Value =
ValueStructure.GetAsDouble(), new code: Value =
DAResultSet.GetElementalValue(ElementID, Component)

ValueStructure Class:

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This class has been deprecated; all functionality is now redundant as the values can either be obtained
or set directly.

DesignAssessment class
This class is the parent class of all Design Assessment API objects that can be called from the python
scripts. It is a global variable that can be accessed from anywhere in your script.

Table 96: Members

Name Type Description

Helper Helper (p. 1878) class See Helper class description for available
properties and methods
Units string Returns the solver units defined by
the user in the analysis settings,
represented as a string:

MKS: i.e. Metric (m, Kg, N, s, V, A)

UMKS: i.e. Metric (µm, Kg, µN, s, mV,

mA)

CGS: i.e. Metric (cm, g, dyne, s, V, A)

NMM: i.e. Metric (mm, Kg, N, s, mV,

mA)

LBFT: i.e. US Customary (ft, lbm, lbf,

s, V, A)

LBIN: i.e. US Customary (in, lbm, lbf,

s, V, A)
MeshData MeshData (p. 1880) class See MeshData class description for
available properties and methods
AttributeGroups() AttributeGroup[] (p. 1886) Array of AttributeGroup objects
class
AttributeGroups(string AttributeGroup[] (p. 1886) Array of AttributeGroup objects with the
TreeName) class given TreeName filtered from the
available AttributeGroups
AttributeGroups(string Type, AttributeGroup[] (p. 1886) Array of AttributeGroup objects with the
string SubType) class given Type and SubType filtered from the
available AttributeGroups
SolutionSelections() SolutionSelection[] (p. 1888)Array of SolutionSelection class objects
class
DAResults() DAResult[] (p. 1900) class Array of DAResult objects
DAResults(string TreeName) DAResult[] (p. 1900) class Array of DAResult objects with the given
TreeName filtered from the available
DAResults

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Name Type Description

DAResults(string Type, string DAResult[] (p. 1900) class Array of DAResult objects with the given
SubType) Type and SubType filtered from the
available DAResults
AttributeGroupCount int A count of the number of AttributeGroup
objects
SolutionSelectionCount int A count of the number of
SolutionSelection objects
DAResultCount int A count of the number of DAResult
objects
ProjectTitle string The title of the project
OutputDeprecatedWarnings(bool void Sets the verbosity of the warnings
ShowWarnings) related to deprecated
properties/methods:

False – for no output

True – for full output for each call

Warnings are presented as text

output to the solve or evaluate
debug logs.

By default only a summary is shown;

the user can then decide to add this
function to their script to display
them all, or display none.

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_DesignAssessment():
DA = DesignAssessment #just to save typing.
#To know full details of deprecated functions.
DA.OutputDeprecatedWarnings(True)

#Get the helper object

HelperObject = DA.Helper
#Output units string, e.g. MKS
print DA.Units
# Get the MeshData object
MeshDataObject = DA.MeshData
print DA.ProjectTitle

#Attribute Groups:
#Obtain an array of all attribute group objects.
AllAttributeGroupsObjects = DA.AttributeGroups()
#Filter for an array of attribute group objects called Bob
NameFilterAttributeGroupsObject = DA.AttributeGroups("Bob")
#Filter for an array of attribute groups with type Sam, subtype Phil
TypeFilterAttributeGroupsObject = DA.AttributeGroups("Sam", "Phil")
#Returns the total number of attribute groups
print str(DA.AttributeGroupCount)

#Solution Selection:
#Obtain all solution selection objects
AllSolutionSelections = DA.SolutionSelections()

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#DA Results:
#Obtain an array of all DA Result objects.
AllDAResultsObjects = DA.DAResults()
#Filter for an array of DA Result objects called John
NameFilterDAResultsObject = DA.DAResults("John")
#Filter for an array of DA Result with with type Paul, subtype Mike
TypeFilterDAResultsObject = DA.DAResults("Paul", "Mike")
#Returns the total number of DA Result objects
print str(DA.DAResultCount)

#Access first object in NameFilterAttributeGroupsObject array

if (NameFilterAttributeGroupsObject != None):
AGObjectA = NameFilterAttributeGroupsObject[0]

#Example Loop around Array AllAttributeGroupsObjects

for AGObject in AllAttributeGroupsObjects:
#Now AGObject is a representation of each Attribute Group.
print AGObject.TreeName
runClassDemo_DesignAssessment()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the number of Attribute Group and DA Result objects defined and
used in the model.
MKS
HelpFileExample--Design Assessment (B5)
1
1
Attribute Group

Helper class
This class provides some general functions to assist the user writing scripts.

Table 97: Members

Name Type Description

GeometryPath string Returns the directory where the Geometry file is
saved.
ResultPath string Returns the directory where the Result files should
be written. During the solving process this can be an
intermediate directory, not the project system
directory.
SystemDirectory string Returns the project system directory.
UserFilesDirectory string Returns the user_files directory for the current project.
RunMAPDL(string input, string output, void Runs an instance of the Mechanical APDL solver. You
string CommandLineParams) must provide file names which may include the full
path or may be in the application or current directory
for input and output. Specify any additional
Mechanical APDL command line parameters for
CommandLineParams, or a blank string if none are
required.

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Name Type Description

SetLastError(string errorString) void Sets the text message to show in the output messages
of the editor. This can be used to present a message
to the user of the script for a reason for failure,
ReplaceSolverOutputFile(string FileLoc) void Specifies a text file produced during output to replace
the default solve.out log file. The solve.out log
file will be shown in the Solution Information
Worksheet view if selected from the drop-down.
SolverOutputFilePath string Gets the file name and path of the file that is
displayed when the Solution Output displays the
Solver Output data.
AppendToSolverOutputFile(string void Appends a line of text to the Solver Output display.
AdditionalText)
ClearSolverOutputFile() void Deletes contents of the Solver Output File.

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_Helper():
HelperObject = DesignAssessment.Helper #Get the helper object

#Obtain some Helper based properties and print them to the debug file.
print "GeometryPath = " + HelperObject.GeometryPath
print "ResultPath = " + HelperObject.ResultPath
print "SystemDirectory = " + HelperObject.SystemDirectory
print "SolverOutputFilePath = " + HelperObject.SolverOutputFilePath

#Use some Helper based design assessment methods

#Create a text file with write access in the result path location
NewSolverFilePathAndName = HelperObject.ResultPath+"\\MySolverFile.txt"
MySolverFile = open(NewSolverFilePathAndName, "w")
MySolverFile.write("This is a solver output file\n")
MySolverFile.write("The backslash n indicates the end of a line\n")
MySolverFile.close()

#Make the solver output file text to be that contained in the MySolverFile
HelperObject.ReplaceSolverOutputFile(NewSolverFilePathAndName)

#uncomment out the below line to clear the previously entered text
#HelperObject.ClearSolverOutputFile()

#Append some more text, note this automatically includes the new line code.
HelperObject.AppendToSolverOutputFile("My First Additional Line")
HelperObject.AppendToSolverOutputFile("My Second Additional Line")
runClassDemo_Helper()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

GeometryPath = D:\Data\Documents\HelpFileExample_files\dp0\SYS\DM\SYS.agdb
ResultPath = D:\Data\Documents\HelpFileExample_files\dp0\SYS-1\MECH\
SystemDirectory = D:\Data\Documents\HelpFileExample_files\dp0\SYS-1\MECH\
SolverOutputFilePath = D:\Data\Documents\HelpFileExample_files\dp0\SYS-1\MECH\solve.out

Typical Solver Output

This is a solver output file
The backslash n indicates the end of a line

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My First Additional Line

My Second Additional Line

MeshData class
This class provides access to the mesh created for the analysis, including all elements and nodes,
which can be filtered or obtained as required.

Table 98: Members

Name Type Description

NodeCount int Total of number of nodes in this mesh
ElementCount int Total of number of elements in this mesh
ElementById(int Id) DAElement (p. 1881) class Obtains the DAElement class object with the given
Id. Represents a single element in the Mesh.
Elements() DAElement[] (p. 1881) class Array of all DAElement class objects representing
all the elements in the mesh
NodeById(int Id) DANode (p. 1883) class Obtains the DANode class object with the given Id.
Represents a single node in the Mesh
Nodes() DANode[] (p. 1883) class Array of all DANode class objects representing all
the nodes in the mesh
NodesByIds (int[] Ids) DANode[] (p. 1883) class Array of DANode class objects that belong to any
of the array of element Ids specified in ids.
ElementsByIds(int[] DAElement[] (p. 1881) class Array of DAElement class objects that belong to any
Ids) of the array of element Ids specified in Ids.

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
#we need to use arrays for the ElementsByIds and NodesByIds methods
from System import Array

def runClassDemo_MeshData():
MeshDataObject = DesignAssessment.MeshData #Get the MeshData object

#Output some data to the debug log file.

print "Number of Nodes = " + str(MeshDataObject.NodeCount)
print "Number of Elements = " + str(MeshDataObject.ElementCount)

#Loop around all element objects.

for ElementIterator in MeshDataObject.Elements():
print "ElementId = " + str(ElementIterator.Id)

#Three ways of getting elements.

#It can not be assumed that Element Ids start at 1 and are contiguous
Elements = MeshDataObject.Elements()
FirstElementId = Elements[0].Id
ByIdMethodElement = MeshDataObject.ElementById(FirstElementId)
# print true if they are the same Id.
print str(FirstElementId == ByIdMethodElement.Id)
# Create an Array so we can iterface with the .NET code
ElementIdArray = Array[int]([FirstElementId,MeshDataObject.Elements()[1].Id])
print ElementIdArray
#Pass the array into the ElementsById method.
ByIdArrayMethodElement = MeshDataObject.ElementsByIds(ElementIdArray)
# print true if they are the same Id.
print str(FirstElementId == ByIdArrayMethodElement[0].Id)

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#Three ways of getting nodes.

#It can not be assumed that Node Ids start at 1 and are contiguous
Nodes = MeshDataObject.Nodes()
FirstNodeId = Nodes[0].Id
ByIdMethodNode = MeshDataObject.NodeById(FirstNodeId)
# print true if they are the same Id.
print str(FirstNodeId == ByIdMethodNode.Id)
# Create an Array so we can iterface with the .NET code
NodeIdArray = Array[int]([FirstNodeId,MeshDataObject.Nodes()[1].Id])
print NodeIdArray
#Pass the array into the NodesById method.
ByIdArrayMethodNode = MeshDataObject.NodesByIds(NodeIdArray)
# print true if they are the same Id.
print str(FirstNodeId == ByIdArrayMethodNode[0].Id)
runClassDemo_MeshData()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the mesh used in the model.
Number of Nodes = 457
Number of Elements = 236
ElementId = 237
ElementId = 238
....
ElementId = 470
ElementId = 471
ElementId = 472
True
Array[int]((237, 238))
True
True
Array[int]((1, 3))
True

DAElement class
This class represents an element on the mesh for this model, providing access to the element, its
connectivity and, if it is a beam or tube, the associated section data.

Table 99: Members

Name Type Description

Description string A description of the
element:

Tetrahedral

Hexagonal

Wedge

Pyramid

Triangle

Triangle,Shell

Quadrilateral

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Name Type Description

Quadrilateral,Shell

Line

Point

EMagLine

EMagArc

EMagCircle

Surface

Edge

Beam

Special
CrossSectionData SectionData (p. 1885) class Section data for this element,
describes beam cross sections
for beam types; Only elements
that have a Circular Hollow
Section, Rectangular Hollow
Section or I Section are
supported, all other elements
will return NULL
NodeIds() int[] Array of integer values
representing Ids of the Element’s
Nodes
Nodes() DANode[] (p. 1883) class Array of DANode class objects
for each node of this Element
Id int Returns the unique Id number
of this Element
NodeCount int Returns the number of Nodes
for this Element
ElementThickness double The shell thickness of the
element. If the element is not a
shell, the value returned will be
zero. Where shell thickness can
be applied via geometry or by
a Shell Thickness object, that
defined by the Shell Thickness
will take precedence.
ElementThicknessAtNode(NodeId) double The shell thickness of the
element at position of Node
with NodeId. If the element is
not a shell, the value returned
will be zero. Where shell
thickness can be applied via

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Name Type Description

geometry or by a Shell Thickness
object, that defined by the Shell
Thickness will take precedence.
If shell thickness varies across
the element then it is
determined by the average
thickness of the element nodes.

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_DAElement():
#Loop around all element objects.
for ElementIterator in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():
#General info:
print "Element Description = " + ElementIterator.Description
print "Element Id = " + str(ElementIterator.Id)

# Information about the nodes of the element

print "Number of connected Nodes = " + str(ElementIterator.NodeCount)
NodeIdArray = ElementIterator.NodeIds()
print NodeIdArray
ConnectedNodeObjects = ElementIterator.Nodes()

#Cross Section Data is only available for beams.

#First test to see if it's a beam as they support it.
if 'Beam' in ElementIterator.Description:
XSectionDataObj = ElementIterator.CrossSectionData

#Element Thickness only applies to some elements, returns 0.0 if not supported.
print "Element Thickness = " + str(ElementIterator.ElementThickness)
ThicknessAtNode = ElementIterator.ElementThicknessAtNode(NodeIdArray[0])
print "Thickness at Node Id " + str(NodeIdArray[0]) + " = " + str(ThicknessAtNode)
runClassDemo_DAElement()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the elements used in the model; this output is for beams.
Element Description = Beam
Element Id = 237
Number of connected Nodes = 3
Array[int]((1, 3, 222))
Element Thickness = 0.0
Thickness at Node Id 1 = 0.0

DANode class
This class represents a node on the mesh for this analysis. It can be used to find the coordinates of
the node and the elements that it is connected to.

Table 100: Members

Name Type Description

Id int Returns the unique Id number of this Node

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Name Type Description

X double Returns the x coordinate of this Node in solver
units as set in Analysis settings
Y double Returns the y coordinate of this Node in solver
units as set in Analysis settings
Z double Returns the z coordinate of this Node in solver
units as set in Analysis settings
ConnectedElementIds() int[] Array of integer values representing Ids of the
connected Elements
ConnectedElements() DAElement[] (p. 1881) Array of DAElement class objects that represent
class the elements that this Node is connected to
ConnectedElementCount int Returns the number of Elements this node is
connected to
IsOrientationNode bool Some beam nodes are created to orient the
local axis system for the section; if this node
is used for orientation this function will return
true

Note: results cannot be displayed on

orientation nodes

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_DANode():
#Loop around all nodes.
for NodeIterator in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Nodes():
#General info:
print "Node Id = " + str(NodeIterator.Id)
print "Node X = " + str(NodeIterator.X)
print "Node Y = " + str(NodeIterator.Y)
print "Node Z = " + str(NodeIterator.Z)
print "Node only used for beam orientation? " + str(NodeIterator.IsOrientationNode)
# Information about the elements that connect to this node
print "Number of connected Elements = " + str(NodeIterator.ConnectedElementCount)
ElementIdArray = NodeIterator.ConnectedElementIds()
print "Connected Element Ids = " + str(ElementIdArray)
ConnectedElementObjects = NodeIterator.ConnectedElements()
runClassDemo_DANode()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the nodes used in the model.
Node Id = 1
Node X = -2.0
Node Y = 4.4408920985e-16
Node Z = 5.0
Is the node only used for beam orientation? False
Number of connected Elements = 4
Connected Element Ids = Array[int]((408, 400, 245, 237))

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SectionData class
This class provides Section Data properties for a beam based element in solver units as set in Analysis
settings. It can be accessed via DAElement (p. 1881).

Table 101: Members

Name Type Description

Description string Returns a description of the type of cross section:

CHS,Tube

I,Beam

RHS,Beam
TubeDiameter double Returns the Diameter as double, only applicable to sections that are
tubular
TubeThickness double Returns the Thickness as double, only applicable to sections that are
tubular
BeamWebThickness double Returns the WebThickness as double, only applicable to sections that
are beam based
BeamFlangeThickness double Returns the FlangeThickness as double, only applicable to sections that
are beam based
BeamFilletRadii double Returns the FilletRadii as double, only applicable to sections that are
beam based
BeamHeight double Returns the Height as double, only applicable to sections that are beam
based
BeamWidth double Returns the Width as double, only applicable to sections that are beam
based

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_SectionData():
#Loop around all element data objects.
for ElementIterator in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():
#Cross Section Data is only available for beams.
#First test to see if it's a beam as they support it.
if 'Beam' in ElementIterator.Description:
XSectionData = ElementIterator.CrossSectionData
print XSectionData.Description
if 'Tube' in XSectionData.Description:
print "Diameter = " + str(XSectionData.TubeDiameter)
print "Thickness = " + str(XSectionData.TubeThickness)

if 'Beam' in XSectionData.Description:
print "Web Thickness = " + str(XSectionData.BeamWebThickness)
print "Flange Thickness = " + str(XSectionData.BeamFlangeThickness)
print "Fillet Radii = " + str(XSectionData.BeamFilletRadii)
print "Height = " + str(XSectionData.BeamHeight)
print "Width = " + str(XSectionData.BeamWidth)
runClassDemo_SectionData()

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Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the elements used in the model; this output is for a tube and a beam.
CHS,Tube
Diameter = 0.5
Thickness = 0.01
I,Beam
Web Thickness = 0.01
Flange Thickness = 0.01
Fillet Radii = 0.03
Height = 0.65
Width = 0.5

AttributeGroup class
This class represents the Attribute Group entries in the tree view and provides access to the data
entered. This tree object is defined in the AttributeGroups (p. 1861) section of the XML definition file.

Table 102: Members

Name Type Description

Attributes() Attribute[] (p. 1887) class Array of all the Attribute class objects held under
this AttributeGroup
Attribute(int index) Attribute (p. 1887) class An Attribute class object at the index as defined
in the AttributeIDs field in the XML definition file.
Index is zero based.
Attribute(string Attribute (p. 1887) class An Attribute class object of the name defined in
XMLName) the XML definition file, from the Attribute array
AttributeCount int The number of Attribute class objects in the
Attribute array
TreeName string The name of this AttributeGroup as defined by
the user in the user interface
XmlType string The Type of this AttributeGroup as defined in the
XML definition file
XmlSubType string The Sub Type of this AttributeGroup as defined in
the XML definition file

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_AttributeGroups():
#Loop around all attribute group objects.
for AGIterator in DesignAssessment.AttributeGroups():
#Attribute Group info
print "Name = " + AGIterator.TreeName
print "Type = " + AGIterator.XmlType
print "Subtype = " + AGIterator.XmlSubType

#Obtaining contained attributes

print "No of Attributes = " + str(AGIterator.AttributeCount)
Index = 0
for AttributeIterator in AGIterator.Attributes():
#Get the name of this attribute
AName = AttributeIterator.AttributeName

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#Get the attribute, based on the index

AttributeMethod1 = AGIterator.Attribute(Index)
#Get the attribute, based on the Name, it's easier to look up by name.
AttributeMethod2 = AGIterator.Attribute(AName)
print "Attribute Name: " + AName
print "Check names are the same: " + str(AName == AttributeMethod1.AttributeName)
print "Are attrib. objects the same: " + str(AttributeMethod1 == AttributeMethod2)
#Add to the index (there are more concise ways of doing this in a loop)
Index = Index + 1
runClassDemo_AttributeGroups()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the XML definition file used in the model and the attribute groups
used.
Name = Attribute Group
Type = Geometry Factor
Subtype = My Factors
No of Attributes = 1
Attribute Name: Factor
Check names are the same: True
Are attrib. objects the same: True

Attribute class
This class provides access to the input provided for each attribute in the attribute group. The attributes
are defined in the Attributes (p. 1858) section of the XML definition file.

Table 103: Members

Name Type Description

AttributeName int The name of this Attribute
ValueAsInt int Returns the value entered as an integer; double
values will be truncated. Accepted input is
determined by the XML definition file.
ValueAsDouble double Returns the value entered as a double. Accepted
input is determined by the XML definition file.
ValueAsString string Returns the value entered as text; if the value is
numerical, it will automatically be converted to text.
Accepted input is determined by the XML definition
file.
SelectedElementCount int Returns the number of elements included in the
selected geometry
SelectedElements() DAElement[] (p. 1881) Returns an array of DAElements included in the
class selected geometry
SelectedNodeCount int Returns the number of nodes included in the selected
geometry

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Name Type Description

SelectedNodes() DANode[] (p. 1883) class Returns an array of DANodes included in the selected
geometry

Note:

The functions SelectedNodes and SelectedElements will return None if no geometry is

specified. These functions, plus the SelectedNodeCount and SelectedElementCount are
only valid if the <Application> field in the attributes section of the XML definition file is
used to enable geometry selection.

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_Attributes():
#Loop around all attribute group objects
for AGIterator in DesignAssessment.AttributeGroups():
for AttributeIterator in AGIterator.Attributes():
#Get info about the attribute
print "Attribute Name = " + AttributeIterator.AttributeName
print "Value via ValueAsInt = " + str(AttributeIterator.ValueAsInt)
print "Value via ValueAsDouble = " + str(AttributeIterator.ValueAsDouble)
print "Value via ValueAsString = " + AttributeIterator.ValueAsString
print "No Elements in Selection = " + str(AttributeIterator.SelectedElementCount)
print "1st Element in Selection = " + str(AttributeIterator.SelectedElements()[0])
print "No of Nodes in Selection = " + str(AttributeIterator.SelectedNodeCount)
print "First Node in Selection = " + str(AttributeIterator.SelectedNodes()[0])
runClassDemo_Attributes()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the XML definition file used in the model and the attributes and at-
tribute groups used.
Attribute Name = Factor
Value via ValueAsInt = 1
Value via ValueAsDouble = 1.0
Value via ValueAsString = 1
No Elements in Selection = 236
1st Element in Selection = <Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.DAElementClass object at
0x000000000000002B [Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.DAElementClass]>
No of Nodes in Selection = 221
First Node in Selection = <Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.DANodeClass object at
0x000000000000002C [Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.DANodeClass]>

SolutionSelection class
This class represents the Solution Selection object in the tree view and provides access to the Solutions
entered in the Worksheet view. Each solution represents an upstream analysis.

Table 104: Members

Name Type Description

Solutions() Solution[] (p. 1889) class Array of all the Solution class objects held under this
Solution Selection, each being a row of the table.

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Name Type Description

SolutionByRow(int Solution (p. 1889) class A Solution class object at the given row in the
row) SolutionSelections worksheet, a one based value, so
to obtain the Solution class object for the first row,
enter 1
SolutionCount int The number of Solution class objects in the Solutions
array

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_SolutionSelection():
#Loop around all solution selection objects (NB only 1 currently supported)
for SolutionSelectionIterator in DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections():
print "No of Solutions in selection = " + str(SolutionSelectionIterator.SolutionCount)
print "1st row in Solseln = " + str(SolutionSelectionIterator.SolutionByRow(1).Id)
for SolutionIterator in SolutionSelectionIterator.Solutions():
print "Id for solution = " + str(SolutionIterator.Id)
runClassDemo_SolutionSelection()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the XML definition file used in the model and the attributes and at-
tribute groups used.
No of Solutions in selection = 1
1st row in Solseln = 23
Id for solution = 23

Solution class
This class represents a row in the Worksheet of the Solution Selection tree object.

Table 105: Members

Name Type Description

AdditionalSolutionData() string[] Array of strings representing all the
additional data entered in to the
Solution Selection table additional
data columns
AdditionalSolutionDataByColumn(int
string The string object at the Column of
Column) the AdditionalSolutionData
AdditionalSolutionDataCount int The number of
AdditionalSolutionData text files in
the AdditionalSolutionData array
Id int The unique Id number for the
solution. Solution Id’s do not
change once the solution is
created.
Type string The type of solution as
defined by the description:

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Name Type Description

Static Structural

Transient Structural

Explicit Dynamics

Modal

Harmonic Response

Random Vibration

Response Spectrum
CreateSolutionResult() SolutionResult (p. 1894) class Create a new result based on this
analysis system. Returns the
created object.
CreateSolutionResult(string SolutionResult (p. 1894) class Create a new result of the given
Name) Name based on this analysis
system. Returns the created object.
CreateSolutionResult(string SolutionResult (p. 1894) class Create a new result of the
Name, string Expression, string given Name, Expression and
ResultType) ResultType based on this
analysis system. Returns the
created object.

ResultType string should be

set to one of the values listed
for DisplayUnits
keyword (p. 1866) in the
DAResult (p. 1865) section of the
XML definition file.
CreateSolutionResultSets(int SolutionResult[] (p. 1894) class Creates a number of new Solution
NumSets) Result objects determined by the
given NumSets, based on this
Solution. These Solution Results
are substeps spread evenly across
the result step provided by the
definition in the Solution Selection
table (p. 1850). The created Solution
Result objects are then returned in
the form of an array.
CreateSolutionResultSets(int SolutionResult[] (p. 1894) class Creates a number of new Solution
NumSets, string Name) Result objects determined by the
given NumSets and Name, based
on this Solution. These Solution
Results are substeps spread evenly
across the result step provided by
the definition in the Solution
Selection table (p. 1850). The created

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Name Type Description

Solution Result objects are then
returned in the form of an array.
CreateSolutionResultSets(int SolutionResult[] (p. 1894) class Creates a number of new Solution
NumSets, string Name, string Result objects determined by the
Expression, string ResultType) given NumSets, Name, Expression
and ResultType, based on this
Solution. These Solution Results
are substeps spread evenly across
the result step provided by the
definition in the Solution Selection
table (p. 1850). The created Solution
Result objects are then returned in
the form of an array. ResultType
string should be set to one of the
values listed for DisplayUnits
keyword (p. 1866) in the
DAResult (p. 1865) section of the
XML definition file.
ClearSolutionResultSets() void Clears all SolutionResult objects
created for this Solution class.
SolutionResults() SolutionResult[] (p. 1894) class Array of results containing all the
result objects.
SolutionResults(string Name) SolutionResult[] (p. 1894) class Array of results containing specific
results filtered on the given Name.
Units string Returns the Units used in this
solution, represented as a
string:

CGS

NMM

LBFT

LBIN

UMKS

MKS

No Units System
ResultFilePath string String representing the solution
combination result file path (rst
file) for the loadcase.
Time double Gets the value of time that has
been entered by the user in the
Solution Selection table (p. 1850), if
applicable.

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Name Type Description

Freq double Gets the value of frequency that
has been entered by the user in
the Solution Selection table (p. 1850),
if applicable.
Coefficient double Gets the Coefficient entered by the
user.
Phase double Gets the value of Phase Angle that
has been entered by the user in
the Solution Selection table (p. 1850),
if applicable.
Mode int Gets the value of Mode that has
been entered by the user in the
Solution Selection table (p. 1850), if
applicable.
StepStartTime double Gets the value of the start time
that has been entered by the user
in the Solution Selection
table (p. 1850), if applicable.
StepEndTime double Gets the value of the end time that
has been entered by the user in
the Solution Selection table (p. 1850),
if applicable.
StepMinFrequency double Gets the value of the minimum
frequency that has been entered
by the user in the Solution
Selection table (p. 1850), if
applicable.
StepMaxFrequency double Gets the value of the maximum
frequency that has been entered
by the user in the Solution
Selection table (p. 1850), if
applicable.
StepCount int Returns the number of inclusive
steps used in this Upstream
Solution. This is only applicable
when the Solution is based on a
Static or Transient analysis type.
SubstepCount int Returns the number of inclusive
substeps used in this Upstream
Solution. This is only applicable
when the Solution is based on a
Static, Transient or Explicit analysis
type.
Steps() Int[] Gets an array of inclusive step
numbers used in this Upstream
Solution. This is only applicable

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Name Type Description

when the Solution is based on a
Static or Transient analysis type.
Substeps() Int[] Gets an array of inclusive Substep
numbers used in this Upstream
Solution. This is only applicable
when the Solution is based on a
Static, Transient, or Explicit analysis
type.
TimePoints() Double[] Gets an array of result time points
for all inclusive Substeps used in
this Upstream Solution. This is only
applicable when the Solution is
based on a Static, Transient, or
Explicit analysis type.
MultipleSets bool Returns True if the Solution has
Multiple Sets set to ‘Enabled’ in the
Solution Selection table (p. 1850).

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_Solution2():
#Get all results called bob and set the expression to SX.
AllBobs = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1).SolutionResults("Bob")
for BobResultIter in AllBobs:
print "Bob found at " + str(BobResultIter)
BobResultIter.Expression = "SX"

def runClassDemo_Solution():
#Get the first entered upstream solution.
UpstreamSoln = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1)

#Get properties that identify this solution.

print "Id = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Id)
print "Type = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Type)

#Get properties defined for this entry in the solution selection worksheet
print "Time = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Time)
print "Frequency = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Frequency)
print "Phase = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Phase)
print "Mode = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Mode)
print "Coefficient = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Coefficient)
print "Result File Path = " + str(UpstreamSoln.ResultFilePath)
print "Units system used = " + str(UpstreamSoln.Units)

#XML defined properties in the solution selection worksheet

print "Number of Additional strings = " + str(UpstreamSoln.AdditionalSolutionDataCount)
print "Additional strings = " + str(UpstreamSoln.AdditionalSolutionData())
print "Additional string, col 1 = " + str(UpstreamSoln. AdditionalSolutionDataByColumn(1))

#Create a new result object for this solution

#this object can then be used directly to set expressions, etc.
MyResult = UpstreamSoln.CreateSolutionResult()
#Use the Name for identification,
#useful to obtain the results in another subroutine in python.
MyBobResult = UpstreamSoln.CreateSolutionResult("Bob")
MyFredResult = UpstreamSoln.CreateSolutionResult("Fred")
My2ndBobResult = UpstreamSoln.CreateSolutionResult("Bob")

#Define expression at same time as creating the result.

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MySXDefinedResult = UpstreamSoln.CreateSolutionResult("FredSX","sx")
runClassDemo_Solution()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the XML definition file used in the model and the attributes and at-
tribute groups used.
Id = 23
Type = Static Structural
Time = 1.0
Frequency = 0.0
Phase = 0.0
Mode = 0
Coefficient = 1.0
Result File Path = D:\Data\Documents\HelpFileExample_files\dp0\SYS\MECH\file.rst
Units system used = MKS
Number of Additional strings = 1
Additional strings = Array[str]((''))
Additional string, col 1 =
Bob found at <Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.SolutionResultClass object at
0x000000000000002D [Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.SolutionResultClass]>
Bob found at <Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.SolutionResultClass object at
0x000000000000002E [Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.SolutionResultClass]>

SolutionResult class
This class holds the solution result data that can be accessed, directly related to the solution. The
solution result class will be initialized with the unit system specified for the Design Assessment ana-
lysis. Only when a valid unit system and type are set will results obtained be converted correctly to
the expected result units.

Results are organized in sets; each set contains the results at a given time, frequency, etc. depending
upon the analysis type. It is more efficient to get all the required results at a given set, before changing
sets. For convenience the set can be identified automatically by defining a time or frequency. If the
value is not exact then the results will be interpolated from the adjacent values.

If the value cannot be obtained (for example, requesting elemental values for a nodal result), the
maximum value for a double type is returned (1.79769e+308).

Note:

DefineCoordinateSystem and CoordinateSystem are mutually exclusive; if both are used,

the last one defined takes precedence.

Table 106: Members

Name Type Description

Name string Gets or sets the name of the result, so that it
can be found from the solution class.
ElementNodalValues(int double[] Array of values of an element nodal result at
ElementId, int NodeId) the given ElementId and NodeId. The size of
the returned array will depend upon the
number of result components. If required, this

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Name Type Description

can be determined using ComponentCount or
the python len() function.
ElementalValues(int ElementId) double[] Array of values of an element result at the
given ElementId. The size of the returned array
will depend upon the number of result
components. If required, this can be
determined using ComponentCount or the
python len() function.
NodalValues(int NodeId) double[] Array of values of a nodal result at the given
NodeId. The size of the returned array will
depend upon the number of result
components. If required, this can be
determined using ComponentCount or the
python len() function.
DisplayStyle string Returns the DisplayStyle: i.e. if it’s a Vector,
Tensor, Scalar, etc. The returned string can
be used to programmatically set the
ResultGroup’s DisplayStyle.

Note: the returned value is dependent on

provided Expression and
IntegrationMethod, so these should be
called beforehand.
DisplayType string Returns the DisplayType: i.e. if it’s a Nodal,
Elemental or ElementNodal result. The
returned string can be used to
programmatically set the ResultGroup’s
DisplayType.

Note: the returned value is dependent on

provided Expression and
IntegrationMethod, so these should be
called beforehand.
ComponentCount int Returns the number of components for
this result, typically 1, 3, or 6.

Note: the returned value is dependent on

provided Expression and
IntegrationMethod, so these should be
called beforehand.
ResultSetCount int Returns the total number of results sets for
this system. The Result Set count is read
directly from the underlying file containing the
results..
Expression string Set the expression by assigning a string. Valid
expressions are the same as those used for
user defined results and can include
mathematical modifiers.

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Name Type Description

CoordinateSystem string Sets the coordinate system type by
assigning a string. Valid inputs are either
the name of a user coordinate system in
the Mechanical application or one of the
following:

Global (default)

Solution

The solution coordinate system is

generally associated with beam based
results.
DefineCoordinateSystem(string void Defines a custom coordinate system
Axes, double Axis1X, double orientation matrix to obtain results in. Use
Axis1Y, double Axis1Z, double as an alternative to CoordinateSystem to
Axis2X, double Axis2Y, double enable an axis to be defined directly in
Axis2Z, double OriginX, double the python code. Axes is one of the
OriginY, double OriginZ) following strings used to define what two
axes of the orientation matrix are being
entered, the third axis is calculated
automatically.

XY

YZ

ZX
SetUnitsSystem(string void Defines the units system that the results
UnitsSystem, string RotationUnit, are to be obtained in. If a string is blank,
string TemperatureUnit) then the default is assumed.

Options for UnitsSystem are:

MKS: i.e. Metric (m, Kg, N, s, V, A), (Default)

UMKS: i.e. Metric (µm, Kg, µN, s, mV, mA)

CGS: i.e. Metric (cm, g, dyne, s, V, A)

NMM: i.e. Metric (mm, Kg, N, s, mV, mA)

LBFT: i.e. US Customary (ft, lbm, lbf, s, V,

A)

LBIN: i.e. US Customary (in, lbm, lbf, s, V,

A)

Options for RotationUnit are:

Degrees

Radians (Default)

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Name Type Description

Options for TemperatureUnit are:

Kelvin

Celsius (Default for metric systems)

For US Customary, Fahrenheit is always

used and the entered value is ignored.
ResultType string Gets or Sets the ResultType. ResultType
string should be set to one of the values
listed for DisplayUnits keyword (p. 1866) in
the DAResult (p. 1865) section of the XML
definition file. No Units is the default
value.

If not set or left as default No Units, any

results obtained will not be unit converted
to the appropriate units for the Design
Assessment system.
IntegrationMethod string Defines the integration method used
when obtaining results by assigning a
string. Valid options are:

UnAveraged

Averaged (default)

Nodal Difference

Nodal Fraction

Elemental Mean

Elemental Difference

Elemental Fraction

Different Integration options can affect

the DisplayType.
ResultSet int Defines the set that data is obtained from
by assigning an integer value. It is
recommended that this method is used
to specify which results are to be obtained
for Modal, Spectrum, and Response
Spectrum analyses.

Assigning 0 will obtain data from the last

result set in the analysis.

Default is based on the entry in the

Solution Selection (p. 1850) table.

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Name Type Description

ResultTimeFrequency double Defines the time or frequency that data
is obtained from by assigning a real
number to indicate the time or frequency.
Whether it is defining Time or
Frequency1 (p. 1898) is determined
automatically from the analysis type.

Assigning 0.0 will obtain data from the

last time or frequency in the analysis.

If the analysis is time or frequency

independent then the ResultSet property
can be used instead.

Default is based on the entry in the

Solution Selection (p. 1850) table.
ShellLayer int Define the layer for which to obtain
results. In the case of composite sections,
assigning ShellLayer to a positive integer
can be used to define the layer number.
Alternatively, assign 0 for the whole
section; this is default behavior. See also
ShellFaceResultDisplay.

Only applicable to shell elements.

ShellFaceResultDisplay string Define what results are displayed on the
faces of shell elements by assigning a
string. Valid entries are:

Top (i.e. results calculated for the top face

on both faces)

Bottom (i.e. results calculated for the

bottom face on both faces)

Middle (i.e. calculated middle values on

both faces - see Surface Body Results
(including Layered Shell Results) (p. 1500)
for details)

Only applicable to shell elements.

1 - Obtaining frequency based results is not presently supported.

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_SolutionResult():
#Create a scripted, user defined, result
MyRes = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1).CreateSolutionResult()

#Define what result we're obtaining.

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MyRes.Expression = "UX"

#You can specify the solution or Global system..

MyRes.CoordinateSystem = "Solution"
#Alternatively, define a coordinate system directly.
#The last CS defined takes precidence.
#MyRes.DefineCoordinateSystem("ZX",1,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,0)

#Define the units sytem and the units type to convert the results.
#MyRes.SetUnitsSystem("UMKS","Radians","Celsius","Distance")

#Define the method of integrating the results, this can affect the result type.
#MyRes.IntegrationMethod = "UnAveraged"

#Set the time or set for the results that we want to obtain,
#last one defined takes precidence.
MyRes.ResultSet = 0
MyRes.ResultTimeFrequency = 0

#Get some info about this result

DS = MyRes.DisplayStyle
print DS
DT = MyRes.DisplayType
print DT
NC = MyRes.ComponentCount
print NC
NRS = MyRes.ResultSetCount
print NRS

#Loop around all elements objects.

for ElementIter in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():
print "Element Values = " + str(MyRes.ElementalValues(ElementIter.Id))
for NodeIter in ElementIter.Nodes():
Values = str(MyRes.ElementNodalValues(ElementIter.Id,NodeIter.Id))
print "Element Nodal Result Values = " + Values

#Loop around all node objects.

for NodeIterator in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Nodes():
print "Node Result Values = " + str(MyRes.NodalValues(NodeIterator.Id))
runClassDemo_Solution()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the model.
Scalar
Nodal
1
1
Element Value = Array[float](( 1.7976931348623157e+308))
Element Nodal Result Values = Array[float]((-2.5374282230927747e-08))
Element Nodal Result Values = Array[float]((-1.6870160379767185e-08))
Element Nodal Result Values = Array[float]((-9.8640562384844088e-09))
....
Node Result Values = Array[float]((-4.6618247040441929e-08))
Node Result Values = Array[float]((-3.7071398395482902e-08))
Node Result Values = Array[float]((-2.8261506912485856e-08))
....

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DAResult class
This class provides access to the results objects, and enables the user to set the results that are to be
displayed when the result object is selected. The DAResult is defined in the DAResults (p. 1865) section
of the XML definition file.

Table 107: Members

Name Type Description

TreeName string Returns the user defined name of this result
instance
XmlType string Returns the text string of the Type of this result
instance; the Type is set in the user interface by a
drop-down list (as defined in the XML definition
file)
XmlSubType string Returns the text string of the Sub Type of this result
instance; the Sub Type is set in the user interface
by a drop-down list (as defined in the XML
definition file)
DAResultSetCount int Total number of sets that are available for this
result
CreateDAResultSet() DAResultSet (p. 1902) Creates a new result set and returns it so that
class values can be defined within it

DisplayStyle and DisplayType will be read from

values in the XML definition file, or if multiple
DAResultSets are created, they’ll be read from
the first set.
CreateDAResultSet(string DAResultSet (p. 1902) Creates a new result set and returns it so that
DisplayStyle, string class values can be defined within it
DisplayType)
overrides the DisplayStyle entered in the XML
definition file for this result group. However,
unlike the XML definition file setting, defining
it here does not enable the option to choose
the component in the user interface of the DA
Result object. However, this option can be
used to force the display to show either a
Vector or Tensor result; 3 or 6 component
values should be defined accordingly.

DisplayStyle strings should be set to one of

the values listed for the DisplayStyle
keyword (p. 1866) in the DAResult (p. 1865) section
of the XML definition file.

DisplayType overrides the DisplayType entered

in the XML definition file, and should be a
valid DisplayType keyword in the DAResult
section of the XML definition file.

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 Design Assessment API Reference

Name Type Description

DAResultSets() DAResultSet[] (p. 1902) Returns an array of DAResultSets classes from the
class DAResultSet collection for this DAResult
DAResultSet(int DAResultSet (p. 1902) Returns a single DAResultSet object for the given
SetNumber) class SetNumber. SetNumber is 1 based and incremented
automatically with each set that is added.
AttributeCount() int Total number of Attributes objects defined
Attributes() Attribute[] (p. 1887) Array of Attribute class objects; the Attribute
class collection for this DAResult as Attribute class type
Attribute(string Attribute (p. 1887) class An Attribute class object of the name defined in
XMLName) the XML definition file, from the Attribute array
Attribute(int index) Attribute (p. 1887) class An Attribute class object at the index as defined
in the AttributeIDs field in the XML definition file.
Index is zero based.
DisplayStyle string Gets the type of display, as defined in the XML
definition file, or as defined when creating a result
set; Scalar, Vector, Tensor, or StrainTensor.
DisplayType string Gets the type of display, as defined in the XML
definition file or as defined when creating a result
set; Elemental, Nodal, or ElementNodal.
DisplayUnits string Gets or sets the DisplayUnits set programmatically.
By default it’s obtained from the display units set
via the XML definition file for this DAResult. If
setting it, the string should be set to one of the
values listed for DisplayUnits keyword (p. 1866) in
the DAResult (p. 1865) section of the XML definition
file.
IsUpToDate bool This will return true if the DAResult is currently Up
To Date, otherwise it will return false.

Note:

A DAResult that is currently Up To Date is in a read-only state, and therefore its properties
and results can not be modified. In order to modify the DAResult, you will need to clear
it via the User Interface before solving or evaluating.

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_DAResult():

for DAResultIter in DesignAssessment.DAResults():

#General info:
print "Name = " + DAResultIter.TreeName
print "XmlType = " + DAResultIter.XmlType
print "XmlSubType = " + DAResultIter.XmlSubType

#Show and modify display options.

print "Initial DisplayType = " + DAResultIter.DisplayType
print "Initial DisplayStyle = " + DAResultIter.DisplayStyle

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Using Design Assessment

print "Initial DisplayUnits = " + DAResultIter.DisplayUnits

DAResultIter.DisplayUnits = "Stress"
print "New DisplayUnits = " + DAResultIter.DisplayUnits

#Attribute access:
print "Number of Attributes = " + str(DAResultIter.AttributeCount)
myAttribute = DAResultIter.Attribute(0)
myAttributeByName = DAResultIter.Attribute("Mathematical Operator")
print "Are they the same? = " + str(myAttribute == myAttributeByName)
print "All attributes = " + str(DAResultIter.Attributes())

NewSet = DAResultIter.CreateDAResultSet()
GetSet = DAResultIter.DAResultSet(1)
print "Are they the same object? = " + str(NewSet == GetSet)
print "Number of Result Sets = " + str(DAResultIter.DAResultSetCount)
print "Result Sets = " + str(DAResultIter.DAResultSets())
runClassDemo_DAResult()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the XML definition file used in the model and the attributes and at-
tribute groups used.
Name = DA Result
XmlType = My Custom Result
XmlSubType = Element
Initial DisplayType = Elemental
Initial DisplayStyle = Scalar
Initial DisplayUnits = No Units
New DisplayUnits = Stress
Number of Attributes = 1
Are they the same? = True
All attributes = Array[AttributeClass]((<Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.AttributeClass
object at 0x000000000000002F [Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.AttributeClass]>))
Are they the same object? = True
Number of Result Sets = 1
Result Sets = Array[DAResultSetClass]((<Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.DAResultSetClass
object at 0x0000000000000030 [Ans.Simulation.DesignAssessmentAssembly.DAResultSetClass]>))

DAResultSet class
This class provides the ability to set result values ready for displaying at the appropriate solution step.

The object stores 3 types of result values:

• Elemental results are for when only a single value is to be displayed for each element.

• ElementNodal results are for when an element has different results at each node, but the result belongs
to the element, hence there can be multiple results at a given node.

• Nodal results have a value at each node.

A DAResultSet is equivalent to a DAResult substep. The SubstepValue parameter enables multiple

results to be calculated and displayed for a DAResult.

Only results that are appropriate for the display type set in the XML definition file should be added
to the object; otherwise an exception will be generated.

Depending upon the display style set in the XML definition file the result can have a 1, 3 or 6 com-
ponents, i.e. scalar, vector or tensor. The component input required is 1 based, i.e. use 1 in the case
of scalar.

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 Design Assessment API Reference

Setting any value to the capacity of a double (1.79769e+308) will result in the element being displayed
in a translucent manner. This is the default if a value is not defined for a particular element.

Table 108: Members

Name Type Description

SetElementalValue(int ElementId, int void Sets an element result for a given component
Component, double Value) to the specified Value
GetElementalValue(int ElementID, int double Returns the result value
Component)
SetElementalValues(int ElementId, double[] void Sets an element result for all components to
Values) the specified Value array
GetElementalValues(int ElementId) double Returns the result values for all components
[] as an array
SetElementNodalValue(int ElementId, int void Sets a node result at the NodeId of an
NodeId, int Component, double Value) element defined by the provided
ElementId, for the specified Component.

If the NodeId doesn’t exist on the given

ElementId an exception will be
generated.
GetElementNodalValue(int ElementId, int double Returns the result for a given NodeId,
NodeId, int Component) ElementId, and Component.

If the NodeId doesn’t exist on the given

ElementId an exception will be
generated.
SetElementNodalValues(int ElementId, int void Sets a node result at the NodeId of an
NodeId, double[] Values) element defined by the provided
ElementId for all components.

If the NodeId doesn’t exist on the given

ElementId an exception will be
generated.
GetElementNodalValues(int ElementId, int double[] Returns the result for a given NodeId and
NodeId) ElementId for all components as an array.

If the NodeId doesn’t exist on the given

ElementId an exception will be
generated.
SetNodalValue(int NodeId, int Component, void Sets a node result value for the given NodeId
double Value) and Component
GetNodalValue(int NodeId, int Component) double Returns the value for the given NodeId and
Component
SetNodalValues(int NodeId, double[] Values) void Sets a node result values for the given NodeId
for all Components
GetNodalValues(int NodeId) double[] Returns the value for the given NodeId as an
array for all Components

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Using Design Assessment

Name Type Description

SubstepValue double Sets the Substep value of this DAResultSet
(i.e. Time, Frequency, Substep Number)

Example Usage
The following example can be used as a basis of either the solve or evaluate script.
def runClassDemo_DAResultSet():

for DAResultIter in DesignAssessment.DAResults():

#Create Result Set:

Res = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1).CreateSolutionResult()
#Set the expression and integration method, result info is dependant on these
Res.Expression = "UX"
Res.IntegrationMethod = "Unaveraged"

#Create a result based on the upstream results type and style.

DT = Res.DisplayType
DS = Res.DisplayStyle
NewDAResultSet = DAResultIter.CreateDAResultSet(DS, DT)

print DT
print DS

if (DT == "Elemental"):
#Loop around all elements objects.
for ElementIter in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():
ElemId = ElementIter.Id
NewDAResultSet.SetElementalValues(Id, Res.ElementalValues(Id))

elif (DT == "ElementNodal"):

#Loop around all elements objects.
for ElementIter in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():
ElemId = ElementIter.Id
#Loop around all node objects attached to the element.
for NodeIter in ElementIter.Nodes():
NodeId = NodeIter.Id
ResultValues = Res.ElementNodalValues(ElemId, NodeId)
NewDAResultSet.SetElementNodalValues(ElemId, NodeId, ResultValues)

elif (DT == "Nodal"):

#Loop around all node objects.
for NodeIterator in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Nodes():
NodeId = NodeIterator.Id
ResultValues = Res.NodalValues(NodeId)
print NodeId + " : " + str(ResultValues)
NewDAResultSet.SetNodalValues(NodeId, ResultValues)
runClassDemo_DAResultSet()

Typical Evaluate (or Solve) Script Output

The output will depend upon the XML definition file used in the model and the attributes and at-
tribute groups used.
Nodal
Scalar
1 : 9.5726960580577725e-08
2 : -8.2783643051698164e-08
3 : -7.0038652211223962e-08
4 : -1.0865198873943882e-07

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

Examples of Design Assessment Usage

The following examples show how the Design Assessment system can be used to provide external
processing during an analysis.
Using Design Assessment to Obtain Results from Mechanical APDL
Using Design Assessment to Calculate Complex Results, such as Those Required by ASME
Using Design Assessment to Perform Further Results Analysis for an Explicit Dynamics Analysis
Using Design Assessment to Obtain Composite Results Using Mechanical APDL
Using Design Assessment to Access and Present Multiple Step Results
Using Design Assessment to Perform an Explicit-to-Implicit Sequential Analysis

The Python script and XML files described in the Design Assessment examples are available from the
ANSYS customer site. Go to http://support.ansys.com/docinfo and locate the Design Assessment examples
zip file. Download the file and unzip it to your local disk. There is a subfolder for each Design Assessment
example.

Using Design Assessment to Obtain Results from Mechanical APDL

The purpose of this example is to illustrate how to run Mechanical APDL in batch mode using Design
Assessment, and how to display the results within the Workbench environment; see the Command
Reference for further information.

An example Mechanical APDL data file is shown below. This surf154.dat file is written to obtain
surface 154 results that are not supported natively in the Mechanical application and to output them
to a CSV file called data.csv. In this scenario, results are element based. Two arguments are to be
passed in:

• ARG1 = Result file path (without file extension)

• ARG2 = Time point to obtain results

The surf154.dat file

/batch
/post1
FILE,ARG1
set,NEAR,,1.0,,ARG2
esel,s,ename,,154
ETABLE,my_press,smisc,13
*get,ecount,elem,0,count
*dim,output,arra,ecount,10
curre = 0
*do,i,1,ecount
curre = ELNEXT(curre)
output(i,1) = curre
*get,output(i,2),etab,1,elem,curre
*enddo
*cfopen,data,csv
*vwrite,output(1,1), output(1,2)
(2(F16.7,','))
*cfclose
fini
/exit

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Using Design Assessment

It is recommended that the files for this example are to be placed in a folder called DA MAPDL Ex-
ample within your ANSYS Inc folder. If you choose not to use this folder, the paths used in the
XML definition file to locate the python scripts will need to be modified.

Creating the XML Definition File

The XML definition file is set up to create an Attribute Group object for the user to browse to the
macro, and a DA Result object to indicate which column from the CSV file to present results for.

It will run two scripts. Upon solve, the macro file defined by the user in the Attribute Group will be
run by Mechanical APDL and the CSV file created. Upon evaluate, values will be read from the ap-
propriate column in the CSV file and displayed in the Details view of the Design Assessment system.

MAPDL.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<DARoot ObjId ="1" Type="CAERep" Ver="2">
<Attributes ObjId="2" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAAttribute ObjId="100" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">MAPDL Macro File</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Browse</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">256</Validation>
<Default PropType="string"></Default>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="101" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Column</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Int</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">1,100</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">1</Default>
</DAAttribute>
</Attributes>

<AttributeGroups ObjId ="3" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">

<DAAttributeGroup ObjId ="110000" Type="DAAttributeGroup" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Select MAPDL File</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">By Browsing</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">100</AttributeIDs>
</DAAttributeGroup>
</AttributeGroups>

<DAScripts ObjId="4" Type="DAScripts" Ver="2">

<Solve PropType="string">%DAPROGFILES%\Ansys Inc\DA MAPDL Example\MAPDL_S.py</Solve>
<Evaluate PropType="string">%DAPROGFILES%\Ansys Inc\DA MAPDL Example\MAPDL_E.py</Evaluate>
<DAData PropType="int">1</DAData>
<CombResults PropType="int">0</CombResults>
</DAScripts>

<Results ObjId="5" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">

<DAResult ObjId ="120000" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Select Result Column</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Number Input</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101</AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">Elemental</DisplayType>
<DisplayStyle PropType="string">Scalar</DisplayStyle>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">No Units</DisplayUnits>
</DAResult>
</Results>
</DARoot>

The Attributes section defines two DAAttributes:

1st Attribute: Enables the users to browse to the Macro file, Attribute Id = 100:

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

• Named “MAPDL Macro File”

• Browse control type

• Applies to all geometry

• Validates for a maximum length of 256 characters

• No default entry

2nd Attribute: Enables the users to select a column in the CSV file, Attribute Id = 101:

• Named “Column”

• Integer entry type

• Applies to all geometry

• Validates to check the value is between 1 and 100 (inclusive)

• Defaults to a value of 1

In the AttributeGroups section, we define a single Attribute Group object. As we have only one,
the GroupType and GroupSubtype fields are effectively redundant, but ought to be entered.

• Allow the users to browse to the Macro file, Attribute Id = 110000:

– Type = Select MAPDL File

– SubType = By Browsing

– Include Attribute with Id = 100

This becomes the following object in the Mechanical application:

In the DAScripts section we set the path to the scripts to be run on Solve and on Evaluate. In this
case we use the %DAPROGFILES% option to direct the program to the Program Files folder, wherever
it’s defined locally. The scripts in this case are called MAPDL_S.py and MAPDL_E.py. We want to
permit Design Assessment results and prevent combination results

In the Results section, we define a single DAResult object. As we have only one, the GroupType
and GroupSubtype fields are effectively redundant, but ought to be entered.

• Allow the users to browse to the Macro file, Attribute Id = 110000:

– Type = Select Result Column

– SubType = Number Input

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Using Design Assessment

– Include Attribute with Id = 101

– DisplayType is set to show results per element

– DisplayStyle is set to show a single, scalar, result

– There are no units associated to this result, we’ll set this in the python script

This becomes the following object in the Mechanical application:

Creating the Script to be Run on Solve, MAPDL_S.py

When the user selects “solve” the python script will:

1. Find out what macro file has been selected

a. Display a message to the Solver Script Output if more than one attribute group is defined

2. Obtain selected upstream solution data

a. Display a message to the Solver Script Output if more than one upstream system is entered

3. Run the macro with Mechanical APDL

a. It is assumed that the macro will write data out to a CSV file so it can be read at the evaluate stage

b. Display the output from running the macro as the Solver Output
import os

DA = DesignAssessment

def runDADemoSolve():
#1.a - display message
if DA.AttributeGroupCount != 1:
print "Only one Attribute Group should be entered"

#2.a - Display message

if DA.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionCount != 1:
print "Only one upstream solution should be entered"

#1 - Get the macro path

MAPDLMacro = DA.AttributeGroups()[0].Attribute("MAPDL Macro File").ValueAsString

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

SolPath = DA.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1).ResultFilePath

#2 - Form the command line strings

SolPath_Output = "Macro.out"
SolTime_ARG2 = str(DA.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1).Time)
BatchArgs = " -par1 file -par2 " + SolTime_ARG2

#2 - Run the solve with MAPDL

#Change to the path where the results are kept
os.chdir(SolPath.rstrip('file.rst'))
#Run MAPDL
DA.Helper.RunMAPDL(MAPDLMacro,SolPath_Output,BatchArgs)

#2.b - Display the output

DA.Helper.ReplaceSolverOutputFile(SolPath_Output)

runDADemoSolve()

Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate All Results, MAPDL_E.py

When the user selects “evaluate” the python script will:

1. Read the CSV file

a. Identify the location of the CSV file; this is stored in the upstream result path

b. Convert it to a dictionary based on the element ID; each entry of the dictionary is a list of values
for each column in the file

i. Read each line of the file

ii. Split using the commas as the delimiter

iii. Convert the text into numeric values

iv. Store the values in an array

v. Add the array into the dictionary based on the ID

2. For each DAResult create a DAResultSet. Each DAResultSet will display a value for each element

a. Find the column to use based on the users entry

b. Create the DAResultSet

c. The value is found by looking it up in the dictionary with the given element ID
#import System
DA = DesignAssessment

#1.b.iii - Define a rountine to convert text to either a real or integer number.

def convertStr(s):
#remove the comma
s = s.translate(None,',')
#If a value exists
if len(s) > 0:
#Try to convert to an integer
try:
ret = int(s)
except ValueError:
#couldn't convert to an integer, try a real number
try:
ret = float(s)

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Using Design Assessment

except ValueError:
#couldn't convert to a number, set to large value
#(makes Mechanical display translucent)
ret = 1.7976931348623157e+308
return ret

#1.b - Define seperate routine to convert CSV to a dictionary for in-memory access.
def CSVToDictionary(PathAndFile):
#Define a dictionary
IDToDataDict = {};

#Open the file

CSVFile = open(PathAndFile,"r")

#1.b.i - step through the file, line by line.

for line in CSVFile:
#1.b.ii - Split into an array of words.
words = line.split(",")

#Get the first column, this is the identifier (e.g. Element or Node ID)
ID = convertStr(words[0])

#1.b.iv - All other data becomes a list of numbers

Data = []
for i in range(len(words)-1):
Data.append(convertStr(words[i+1]))

#1.b.v - Assign the list to the identifier in the dictionary

IDToDataDict[ID] = Data

#Close the file and return the dictionary.

CSVFile.close()
return IDToDataDict

def runDADemo():

#1.a - Find where the CSV fle is stored.

SolPath = DA.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1).ResultFilePath
CSVPath = SolPath.rstrip('file.rst') + "data.csv"
#1.b - Call the function to convert the CSV file into a dictionary
IDToDataDict = CSVToDictionary(CSVPath)

#2 - access each DA Result object in the available results

for DAResult in DA.DAResults():
#2.a - Find the column to look up in the CSV data
ColIndex = DAResult.Attribute("Column").ValueAsInt - 1

#2.b - Create a result set to display the results using.

#We know that in this case it's scalar and element based.
DAResultSet = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet("Scalar","Elemental")

#2.c - For each element set the value.

for Element in DA.MeshData.Elements():
DAResultSet.SetElementalValue(Element.Id,1,IDToDataDict[Element.Id][ColIndex])

runDADemo()

Expanding the Example

The example given was for a scalar, elemental result. However, if the result required was say a
nodal, vector based result, then this example could easily modified by changing a few lines in the
evaluate script.

Assume that the CSV file contains a first column for the node Id, then 3 columns for X, Y, Z com-
ponents of the vector.

Then, these lines where it previously used SetElementValue:

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

DAResultSet = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet("Scalar","Elemental")

#2a - For each element set the value.

for Element in DA.MeshData.Elements():
DAResultSet.SetElementalValue(Element.Id,1,IDToDataDict[Element.Id][ColIndex])

Would change to the following, using the SetNodalValue function:

DAResultSet = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet("Vector","Nodal")

#2a - For each element set the value.

for Node in DA.MeshData.Nodes():
DAResultSet.SetNodalValue(Node.Id,1,IDToDataDict[Node.Id][0])
DAResultSet.SetNodalValue(Node.Id,2,IDToDataDict[Node.Id][1])
DAResultSet.SetNodalValue(Node.Id,3,IDToDataDict[Node.Id][2])

Alternatively, if the CSV file was always of this NodeId, X, Y, Z format, and given that this is converted
into a dictionary of arrays using the Node Id as the key, then the SetNodalValues function could be
used instead:
DAResultSet = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet("Vector","Nodal")

#2a - For each element set the value.

for Node in DA.MeshData.Nodes():
DAResultSet.SetNodalValues(Node.Id,IDToDataDict[Node.Id])

Using Design Assessment to Calculate Complex Results, such as Those Re-

quired by ASME
The purpose of this example is to illustrate how to Design Assessment can be used to calculate results
that are beyond the capabilities of the standard user defined result; for example those given in codes
of practice such as those from ASME.

Creating the XML Definition File

The XML definition file defines 4 attributes; 3 are material constants and are to be grouped under
a single Attribute Group. The final one is the result set, used to obtaining intermediary results at a
given time. The attribute section of the XML definition file is defined as:
<Attributes ObjId="2" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAAttribute ObjId="101" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Const 1</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Double</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">-100,100</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">0.247</Default>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="102" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Const 2</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Double</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">-100,100</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">2.2</Default>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="103" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Const 3</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Double</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">-100,100</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">0.25</Default>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="110" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">

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Using Design Assessment

<AttributeName PropType="string">Set Number</AttributeName>

<AttributeType PropType="string">Int</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">1,100</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">1</Default>
</DAAttribute>
</Attributes>

And to group the 3 material constants together we have an Attribute Group. Defining these in the
Attribute Group means that the values can be parameterized if required. This enables a range of
coefficients and associative results obtained by running Design Explorer.
<AttributeGroups ObjId ="3" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAAttributeGroup ObjId="100000" Type="DAAttributeGroup" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">ASME VIII Division 3 High Pressure Vessels</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Material Constants</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,102,103</AttributeIDs>
</DAAttributeGroup>
</AttributeGroups>

The solve and evaluate files are to reside in the user files folder so that they can be easily distributed
with the project. All of the processing is to be performed during the evaluate script, so no interme-
diary files are created to pass data from the solve process to the evaluate process. Combination
results are not required and we have no additional system based selection data to define.
<DAScripts ObjId="4" Type="DAScripts" Ver="2">
<Solve PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\DA-AFT-012_m1-S_empty.py</Solve>
<Evaluate PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\DA-AFT-012_m1-E_v3_ST.py</Evaluate>
<DAData PropType="int">1</DAData>
<CombResults PropType="int">0</CombResults>
</DAScripts>

In the final section, 3 types of DAResults are defined based on the following equations:

X - Based on 3 entered constants, plus principal and Von Mises stress

(102)

Damage - The damage value: change in plastic strain divided by X

(103)

Damage Sum - Accumulative damage; i.e. sum of current and previous Damage values for each
result set.

The results section of the XML definition file appears as follows:

<Results ObjId="5" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAResult ObjId="100001" Type="DAResult" Ver="3">
<GroupType PropType="string">ASME VIII Division 3 High Pressure Vessels</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Value X</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">110</AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">ElementNodal</DisplayType>
<DisplayStyle PropType="string">Scalar</DisplayStyle>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">Stress</DisplayUnits>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="100002" Type="DAResult" Ver="3">
<GroupType PropType="string">ASME VIII Division 3 High Pressure Vessels</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Damage</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">110</AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">ElementNodal</DisplayType>
<DisplayStyle PropType="string">Scalar</DisplayStyle>

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

<DisplayUnits PropType="string">No Units</DisplayUnits>

</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="100003" Type="DAResult" Ver="3">
<GroupType PropType="string">ASME VIII Division 3 High Pressure Vessels</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Culmative Damage</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>"></AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">ElementNodal</DisplayType>
<DisplayStyle PropType="string">Scalar</DisplayStyle>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">No Units</DisplayUnits>
</DAResult>
</Results>

Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate

The script first imports the python math function and defines some constants.
import math

DA = DesignAssessment
DA.OutputDeprecatedWarnings(True)
UpstreamSolution = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].Solutions()[0]

Three routines “EvaluateValueX”, “EvaluateDamage”, and “EvaluateCulmativeDamage”, are defined

for performing the calculations for each equation. These are followed with definitions for two addi-
tional routines, “Plot” to plot the results and “EvaluateAllResults” to control the evaluate process.
The following sections look at each of these routines, starting from the “EvaluateAllResults” entry
point.
EvaluateAllResults
EvaluateDamage
EvaluateCulmativeDamage
Plot

EvaluateAllResults
After defining a dictionary to store the element nodal based results, this function creates a new
result with part of the required equation and then defines which set to obtain the results from.
Then, looping through each element and its nodes, it calculates the part of the equation that is
not possible with the standard Mechanical equations and assigns it into the dictionary for the
given node and element Id.
def EvaluateValueX(Set, Const1, Const2, Const3):

XValues = {} #key = element node id tuple, #data = values array.

SolRes = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("",str(Const2/(1+Const3))+"*((((s1+s2+s3)/(3*seqv))-\
(1/3)))","Stress")
SolRes.ResultSet = Set

for Element in DA.MeshData.Elements():

for Node in Element.Nodes():
SolResValue = SolRes.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id,Node.Id)
XValue = Const1 * math.exp(SolResValue[0])
XValues[Element.Id,Node.Id] = XValue

return XValues

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EvaluateDamage
This routine calls the “EvaluateValueX” function to obtain the X Values then creates 2 solution
results for the plastic strain results for this and, if one exists, the previous set. A dictionary is
created for the element nodal results being generated and this is populated by performing the
required calculation.
def EvaluateDamage(Set, Const1, Const2, Const3):

XValues = EvaluateValueX(Set, Const1, Const2, Const3)

StrainRes = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLEQV_RST","Strain")
StrainRes.ResultSet = Set

PrevStrainRes = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLEQV_RST","Strain")
if (Set >= 2):
PrevStrainRes.ResultSet = Set - 1

DamageValues = {} #key = element node id tuple, #data = values array.

for Element in DA.MeshData.Elements():

for Node in Element.Nodes():
S1 = StrainRes.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id,Node.Id)[0]
S2 = 0
if (Set >= 2):
S2 = PrevStrainRes.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id,Node.Id)[0]
XValue = XValues[Element.Id,Node.Id]
DamageValues[Element.Id,Node.Id] = (S1 - S2) / XValue

return DamageValues

EvaluateCulmativeDamage
This routine creates a dummy result to obtain the number of result sets. Then, for each set, calls
the “EvaluateDamage” function summing the results into a dictionary of element nodal results
called CulmativeDamage.
def EvaluateCulmativeDamage(Const1, Const2, Const3):
DummyRes = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLEQV_RST","Strain")

CulmativeDamage = {}

for Set in range(DummyRes.ResultSetCount):

DamageValues = EvaluateDamage(Set,Const1, Const2, Const3)

if (Set > 1):

for Element in DA.MeshData.Elements():
for Node in Element.Nodes():
CulmativeDamage[Element.Id,Node.Id] = CulmativeDamage[Element.Id,Node.Id] +\
DamageValues[Element.Id,Node.Id]
else:
CulmativeDamage = DamageValues

return CulmativeDamage

Plot
This routine creates a new result for this DAResult object and then loops over each element and
node setting the value obtained from the passed in dictionary.
def Plot(DAResult, ValuesDictionary):
ResultSet = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet()

for Element in DA.MeshData.Elements():

for Node in Element.Nodes():

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

Value = ValuesDictionary[Element.Id,Node.Id]
ResultSet.SetElementNodalValue(Element.Id,Node.Id,1,Value)

When the script is run, a contour plot is generated for each DA Result.

Using Design Assessment to Perform Further Results Analysis for an Explicit

Dynamics Analysis
The purpose of this example is to illustrate how Design Assessment can be used to perform further
processing, presenting results in a text file and graphically. In this example, algorithms are written in
python to identify which elements form fragments of the geometry following an Explicit Dynamics
analysis.

Creating the XML Definition File

The XML definition file defines a number of DA Results. All of the processing is to be performed
during the evaluate script. This approach means that different levels of damage can be used for
the fragment identification within one analysis. This would not be the case if the fragments were
determined at the solve stage, but determining fragments at solve stage could be more efficient.
Six different results are set up as follows:

• Element Results:

– Hide Damaged Elements

– Show User Defined Result

• Fragment Results:

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Using Design Assessment

– Number of Elements in Fragment

– Volume of Fragment

– Mass of Fragment

– Average Damage in Fragment

Each can have failure based upon Failure Threshold or Status, with a numeric limit, and all but the
Show User Defined Result can optionally output text to the solver output file. These are attributes
90, 91, and 92 respectively. The Show User Defined Result also has additional input to enable the
user to choose the result to display.

The results section of the XML definition file is as follows:

<Results ObjId="5" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAResult ObjId ="120000" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Element</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Hide Damaged Elements</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="120001" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Element</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Show User Defined Result</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,103,105,106,107</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130000" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Number of Elements in Fragment</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130001" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Volume of Fragment</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130002" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Mass of Fragment</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130003" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Average Damage in Fragment</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130004" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Kinetic Energy Of Fragment</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130005" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Characteristic Length of Fragment</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130006" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">CL Increase</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130007" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Momentum</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130008" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Origin</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130009" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Centre</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId ="130010" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Fragment</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">AverageSpeed</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">90,91,92</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
</Results>

Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate

The script first calls the function runDADemo. This loops over each result and, based on the type
and subtype it calls an appropriate sub function to perform the calculation.

In the case of fragmentation results, it first calls a function, IdentifyFragments, to create a dictionary
of fragments. The fragment dictionary created is a data collection that contains the fragment
number for each Element Id. This dictionary is passed to each function so it can be used for the
fragment result calculation.

An example of this fragment result calculation is VolumeOfFragment:

def VolumeOfFragment(SortedDict, DAResult, FragmentDict, NodalMass):
print " "
print "Volume of Fragment"
print " ________________________________"
print "|Fragment | Volume(m^3) |"
print "+------------+-------------------+"
UpstrResDensity = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","DENSITY","No Units")
UpstrResDensity.IntegrationMethod = "unAveraged" # unaveraged because summing indiviual values
# and taking an average afterwards.
Density = 0
NodeCounter = 0

FragmentDataDict = {} #key = elementid, data = mass

FragmentDataDict2 = {}
NodesProcessed = {}
for ElementID in FragmentDict.keys():
NodeList = DA.MeshData.ElementById(ElementID).NodeIds()
for NodeID in NodeList:
if NodesProcessed.has_key(NodeID):
continue
else:
Fragment = FragmentDict[ElementID]
Mass = NodalMass[NodeID] # uses NodalMass dictionary from NodalMassFunc
if FragmentDataDict.has_key(Fragment):
FragmentDataDict[Fragment] += Mass
else:
FragmentDataDict[Fragment] = Mass
NodesProcessed[NodeID] = 0
Density += UpstrResDensity.ElementNodalValues(ElementID, NodeID)[0] # sum all of the
# densities
NodeCounter += 1 # Count the number of nodes which have been processed

Index = 1
Total = 0
for Key in FragmentDataDict.keys():
TVol = (FragmentDataDict[Key])/(Density/NodeCounter) # divide total density by the number
# of nodes
Text = "Fragment :" + str(Index) + " has a Volume of " + str(TVol) + " m^3"
FragmentDataDict2[Key] = TVol

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Using Design Assessment

Index += 1
Total += TVol
NewResultData = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet("Scalar","Elemental")
for ElementId in FragmentDict:
NewResultData.SetElementalValue(ElementId, 1, FragmentDataDict2[FragmentDict[ElementId]])
FragmentDataDict2 = Sort(SortedDict, FragmentDataDict2)
for Fragment in FragmentDataDict2:
print "| " + str(Fragment) + " | " + str('%.3e'%FragmentDataDict2[Fragment]) +\
" |"
print "+------------+-------------------+"
print "| Total | " + str('%.3e'%Total) +" |"
print "|____________|___________________|"
print " "
print " "
print " "

The result can then be displayed:

Expanding the Example

Additional results could be obtained on a per fragment basis.

Using Design Assessment to Obtain Composite Results Using Mechanical

APDL
Along with the example Using Design Assessment to Obtain Results from Mechanical APDL (p. 1905),
the purpose of this example is to illustrate how to run Mechanical APDL in batch mode using Design
Assessment, and how to present the results within the Workbench environment - see MAPDLCommand
Reference for further information.

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

Unlike Using Design Assessment to Obtain Results from Mechanical APDL (p. 1905) which is more
generic, this example is set up to run a specific script and obtain specific results; therefore the interface
can be more targeted and offer better guidance to the user.

In this example the input file for Mechanical APDL is dynamically generated by the python script.
This in turn calls a fix macro with various given parameters as determined from the DA Result objects
added to the model.

The macro file that is run, named LayerMultiPly.mac, is as follows:

! INPUT:
! Input arguments relate to the failure criteria for one material
! ARG1 Type of result, e.g. 'fail'
! ARG2 Subtype of the result, e.g. 'emax'
! ARG3 1 for nodal or 0 for elemental based results
! ARG4 1 based layer number
!
! OUTPUT: critical layer and Strength Ratio will be written to defined CSV file
!
/post1
/delete,CSVFile_Directory(1),csv
/cwd,Current_Directory(1)

Type = ARG1
SubType = ARG2
DisplayType = ARG3
LayerNum = ARG4

file,SYS_Directory(1),rst

set,last ! set the last set into memory

rsys,solu

! set the failure criteria

FCTYP,add,all
tblist,,1

! set the layer

layer,LayerNum

*if,DisplayType,eq,0,then

! select the elements

esel,s,ename,,181

! get the number of elements that we need to loop over

*get,ecount,elem,0,count

! make sure some elements are selection

*if,ecount,lt,1,then
*MSG,ERROR
THERE ARE NO ELEMENTS SELECTED FOR FAILURE CHECKING
*endif

! dimension the output arrays

*dim,output,arra,ecount,2

etab,bob,Type,SubType

!get elemental results

curre = 0
*do,i,1,ecount
curre = ELNEXT(curre) ! get the element number
output(i,1) = curre
*get,output(i,2),etab,1,elem,curre
*enddo

*cfopen,CSVFileScratch_Directory(1),csv
*vwrite,output(1,1),output(1,2)

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Using Design Assessment

(F10.0,',',F16.3)
*cfclose

*elseif,DisplayType,eq,1,then

! select the elements

esel,s,ename,,181
nsle

! get the number of nodes that we need to loop over

*get,ncount,node,0,count

! make sure some nodes are selection

*if,ncount,lt,1,then
*MSG,ERROR
THERE ARE NO NODES SELECTED FOR FAILURE CHECKING
*endif

*dim,output2,arra,ncount,2
curre = 0
*do,i,1,ncount
curre = NDNEXT(curre)
output2(i,1) = curre
*get,output2(i,2),node,i,Type,SubType
*enddo

*cfopen,CSVFileScratch_Directory(1),csv
*vwrite,output2(1,1),output2(1,2)
(F10.0,',',F16.3)
*cfclose

*endif

It is recommended that the files for this example are to be placed in your user_files folder.

Creating the XML Definition File

The XML definition file is set up so that there are no attribute groups, and where appropriate the
layer number, display types, and an option to invert the value attributes are included in the DA
Result definitions.

The failure.xml file

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<DARoot ObjId="1" Type="CAERep" Ver="2">
<Attributes ObjId="2" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">

<DAAttribute ObjId="100" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">

<AttributeName PropType="string">Layer</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Int</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">1,1000000</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">1</Default>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="101" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Display</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">DropDown</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">Elemental,Nodal</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">Elemental</Default>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="102" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Inverse</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">DropDown</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">Yes,No</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">Yes</Default>

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

</DAAttribute>
</Attributes>

<AttributeGroups ObjId="3" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">

</AttributeGroups>

<DAScripts ObjId="4" Type="DAScripts" Ver="2">

<Solve PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\SolveFailure.py</Solve>
<Evaluate PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\EvaluateFailure.py</Evaluate>
<DAData PropType="int">1</DAData>
<CombResults PropType="int">0</CombResults>
<SelectionExtra PropType="vector&lt;string>"></SelectionExtra>
</DAScripts>

<Results ObjId="5" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">

<DAResult ObjId="110001" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Maximum strain</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110002" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Maximum stress</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110003" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Tsai-Wu strength index</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110004" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Inverse of Tsai-Wu strength ratio index</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110005" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Hashin fiber failure</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110006" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Hashin matrix failure</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110007" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Puck fiber failure</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110008" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Puck inter-fiber (matrix) failure</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110009" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">LaRc03 fiber failure</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110010" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">LaRc03 matrix failure</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110011" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">LaRc04 fiber failure</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
<DAResult ObjId="110012" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Layer Dependant Failure</GroupType>

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Using Design Assessment

<GroupSubtype PropType="string">LaRc04 matrix failure</GroupSubtype>

<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">101,100,102</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>

<DAResult ObjId="120000" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">

<GroupType PropType="string">Maximum Failure Criteria</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Layer</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>"></AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">Elemental</DisplayType>
</DAResult>

<DAResult ObjId="120001" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">

<GroupType PropType="string">Maximum Failure Criteria</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Failure Criteria</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>"></AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">Elemental</DisplayType>
</DAResult>

<DAResult ObjId="120002" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">

<GroupType PropType="string">Maximum Failure Criteria</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Value</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">102</AttributeIDs>
<DisplayType PropType="string">Elemental</DisplayType>
</DAResult>

</Results>
</DARoot>

Creating the Script to be Run on Solve, SolveFailure.py

This is not used as everything is run on the fly, so it is just a simple print statement to say as such.

Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate All Results, EvaluateFailure.py

Example 1 covers some aspects of this evaluate function. For example reading the CSV file into a
dictionary. The following sections concentrate on the new techniques used here:
Using a Dictionary to Avoid a Long if/elif/else Statement.
Writing the MAPDL .inp File from Within Design Assessment
Running Mechanical APDL Multiple Times

Using a Dictionary to Avoid a Long if/elif/else Statement.

At the beginning of the script it sets up a dictionary matching the XML Type and XML SubType
to the Type and SubType of result required in Mechanical APDL:
TypeSubTypeDict = {}

TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Maximum strain"] = "fail","emax"

TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Maximum stress"] = "fail","smax"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Tsai-Wu strength index"] = "fail","twsi"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Inverse of Tsai-Wu strength ratio index"] = "fail","twsr"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Hashin fiber failure"] = "fail","hfib"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Hashin matrix failure"] = "fail","hmat"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Puck fiber failure"] = "fail","pfib"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","Puck inter-fiber (matrix) failure"] = "fail","pmat"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","LaRc03 fiber failure"] = "fail","l3fb"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","LaRc03 matrix failure"] = "fail","l3mt"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","LaRc04 fiber failure"] = "fail","l4fb"
TypeSubTypeDict["Layer Dependant Failure","LaRc04 matrix failure"] = "fail","l4mt"

TypeSubTypeDict["Maximum Failure Criteria","Layer"] = "FCMX","lay"

TypeSubTypeDict["Maximum Failure Criteria","Failure Criteria"] = "FCMX","fc"
TypeSubTypeDict["Maximum Failure Criteria","Value"] = "FCMX","val"

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

These can then be easily looked up using:

MAPDLKeys = TypeSubTypeDict[str(DAResult.XmlType),str(DAResult.XmlSubType)]

MAPDLKeys can then be accessed like a regular array; i.e. MAPDLKeys[0] will return “fail” or “FCMX”
appropriately.

Writing the MAPDL .inp File from Within Design Assessment

In this case we want to write the input file for Mechanical APDL from within Design Assessment
so that multiple paths can be set, etc., without having to use command line parameters. Most of
the common functionality is extracted to the macro file so the input file mainly just sets up these
parameters.
def CreateMAPDLInputFile(MAPDLKeys,Layer,Display):
ArgList = str(",'" + MAPDLKeys[0]) + "','" + str(MAPDLKeys[1]) + "'," + str(Display) + "," + \
str(Layer)

currentdirectory = os.getcwd()

RunMapdlFile = open(TempMAPDLRunFilePath, "w")

WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"/batch")

WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"*DIM,SYS_Directory,string,248")
RSTFileLoc = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1).ResultFilePath.rstrip('.rst')
WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"'SYS_Directory(1)' = " + "'" + RSTFileLoc + "'")

WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"*DIM,CSVFile_Directory,string,248")
WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"'CSVFile_Directory(1)' = " + "'" + DesignAssessment.Helper.ResultPath + \
"\\TempRes" + "'")

WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"*DIM,CSVFileScratch_Directory,string,248")
WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"'CSVFileScratch_Directory(1)' =" + "'" + currentdirectory + "\\TempRes" + \
"'")

WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"*DIM,Current_Directory,string,248")
WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"'Current_Directory(1)' =" + "'" + currentdirectory + "'")

WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"*USE,LayerMultiPly.mac" + ArgList)

WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"fini")
WriteLine(RunMapdlFile,"/exit")

RunMapdlFile.close()

Running Mechanical APDL Multiple Times

Mechanical APDL is run repeatedly for each DA Result object. In each case, the CSV file is read
and the results displayed. In-line if statements are used to determine, among other things, if the
value is to be inverted and what the value is if it is inverted.
def runStressEvaluate(DesignAssessment):

#Change to the result path as the local folder, to save passing in long file names to the MAPDL solve
originaldir = os.getcwd()
os.chdir(DesignAssessment.Helper.ResultPath)

# Make sure the mapdl macro is in this directory

shutil.copy2(DesignAssessment.Helper.UserFilesDirectory + "\\LayerMultiPly.mac", \
DesignAssessment.Helper.ResultPath)

# For now just assume one upstream but could make the code generic if required
if (DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionCount > 1):
print "only the first solution in the solution selection object will be used"

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Using Design Assessment

for DAResult in DesignAssessment.DAResults():

#Identify the type and subtype to be passed into MAPDL

MAPDLKeys = TypeSubTypeDict[str(DAResult.XmlType),str(DAResult.XmlSubType)]
print MAPDLKeys

#in-line if / else statements, format of N = ValueA if statement [is true] else [N =] ValueB.
Layer = 0 if (DAResult.Attribute("Layer") == None) else DAResult.Attribute("Layer").ValueAsInt
Display = "Elemental" if (DAResult.Attribute("Display") == None) else \
DAResult.Attribute("Display").ValueAsString
Inverse = False if (DAResult.Attribute("Inverse") == None) else \
DAResult.Attribute("Inverse").ValueAsString == "Yes"

#Create the results temp file by running a post script with MAPDL
if Display == "Elemental":
CreateMAPDLInputFile(MAPDLKeys,Layer,0)
elif Display == "Nodal":
CreateMAPDLInputFile(MAPDLKeys,Layer,1)

#Run MAPDL
DesignAssessment.Helper.RunMAPDL(TempMAPDLRunFilePath,"out.lis","/minimise")
DesignAssessment.Helper.ReplaceSolverOutputFile("out.lis")

#Read the results from the temp file to memory.

IDToDataDict = CSVToDictionary(DesignAssessment.Helper.ResultPath + "tempres.csv")

#Present the results

#Elemental
if Display == "Elemental":
DAResultSet = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet("Scalar","Elemental")

for Element in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():

Value = 1/max(IDToDataDict[Element.Id][0],0.01) if Inverse else \
IDToDataDict[Element.Id][0]
DAResultSet.SetElementalValue(Element.Id,1,Value)

#Nodal
elif Display == "Nodal":
DAResultSet = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet("Scalar","Nodal")

for Node in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Nodes():

Value = 1/max(IDToDataDict[Node.Id][0],0.01) if Inverse else IDToDataDict[Node.Id][0]
DAResultSet.SetNodalValue(Node.Id,1,Value)

os.chdir(originaldir)

Expanding the Example

The example could be expanded to perform combinations of results and factor the values based
on the coefficient provided for the upstream system.

Using Design Assessment to Access and Present Multiple Step Results

This example shows how to access upstream results from multiple time points and to create a new
result with a different number of time points as defined in the user object.

Creating the XML Definition File

The following XML definition file defines attributes for a DA Result object that allow you to specify
a particular row in the Solution Selection, an expression and units, along with the number of substeps
for which to present results.

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<DARoot ObjId ="1" Type="CAERep" Ver="2">
<Attributes ObjId="2" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAAttribute ObjId="10" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Row Number</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Int</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">1,50</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">1</Default>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">No Units</DisplayUnits>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="11" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Expression</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Text</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">20</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">SX</Default>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">No Units</DisplayUnits>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="12" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Number of Substeps</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Int</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">1,1000</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">1</Default>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">No Units</DisplayUnits>
</DAAttribute>
<DAAttribute ObjId="13" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Units</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">DropDown</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">No Units,Stress,Distance,Strain,Force,Moment,Rotation,
Angular Acceleration,Angular Velocity,Velocity,Acceleration,Temperature,Pressure,Voltage,
Energy,Volume,Area,Current,Heat Rate,Current Density,Power,Heat Generation,Magnetic Flux
</Validation>
</DAAttribute>
</Attributes>
<DAScripts ObjId="4" Type="DAScripts" Ver="2">
<Solve PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\loadsteps_S.py</Solve>
<Evaluate PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\loadsteps.py</Evaluate>
<DAData PropType="int">1</DAData>
<CombResults PropType="int">1</CombResults>
</DAScripts>
<Results ObjId="5" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAResult ObjId ="120002" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Load Steps</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Single</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">10,11,12,13</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
</Results>
</DARoot>

Creating the Script to be Run on Evaluate

The below code snippet shows it looping though the creation of a number of these sets, then setting
the ResultTimeFrequency value for it to use for each result set in the display.
while substepvalue <= EndTime:

#Create a DA Result set for each substep

NewResultData = DAResult.CreateDAResultSet(UpstreamResult.DisplayStyle,"Nodal")

#Set the substep value

NewResultData.SubstepValue = substepvalue

#Set the Solution result to obtain results at this time

UpstreamResult.ResultTimeFrequency = NewResultData.SubstepValue

#Loop over elements

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Using Design Assessment

for Element in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():

ElementID = Element.Id
#Loop over nodes
for Node in Element.Nodes():
NodeID = Node.Id
#Set the value for each Node in the Values Dictionary
ValueDict[NodeID] = UpstreamResult.NodalValues(NodeID)[0]

#Loop over Nodes in the mesh

for Node in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Nodes():
NodeID = Node.Id
#Set the value at the node to be the value set for that node in the Values Dictionary
NewResultData.SetNodalValue(NodeID, 1, ValueDict[NodeID])

#increment substep value

substepvalue += increment

Using Design Assessment to Perform an Explicit-to-Implicit Sequential

Analysis
The purpose of this example is to illustrate how Design Assessment can be used to write Mechanical
APDL commands to perform an explicit-to-implicit sequential analysis. Relevant data is obtained from
the Explicit Dynamics analysis, and Design Assessment then writes Mechanical APDL commands to
a file for execution in the implicit analysis within Workbench.

Note:

This method is currently limited to cases where there is no change in mesh topology
between the start of both the explicit and implicit analyses.

Creating the XML Definition File

An XML file is needed to specify the script that will read the explicit results, initialize the implicit
model using those results, then view the implicit results using the Mechanical APDL post processor.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<DARoot ObjId ="1" Type="CAERep" Ver="2">
<Attributes ObjId="2" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAAttribute ObjId="11" Type="DAAttribute" Ver="2">
<AttributeName PropType="string">Expression</AttributeName>
<AttributeType PropType="string">Text</AttributeType>
<Application PropType="string">All</Application>
<Validation PropType="vector&lt;string>">20</Validation>
<Default PropType="string">SX</Default>
<DisplayUnits PropType="string">No Units</DisplayUnits>
</DAAttribute>
</Attributes>
<DAScripts ObjId="4" Type="DAScripts" Ver="2">
<Solve PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\Solve.py</Solve>
<Evaluate PropType="string">%DAUSERFILES%\Evaluate.py</Evaluate>
<DAData PropType="int">1</DAData>
<CombResults PropType="int">1</CombResults>
</DAScripts>
<Results ObjId="5" Type="CAERepBase" Ver="2">
<DAResult ObjId="120002" Type="DAResult" Ver="2">
<GroupType PropType="string">Explicit</GroupType>
<GroupSubtype PropType="string">Explicit</GroupSubtype>
<AttributeIDs PropType="vector&lt;unsigned int>">11</AttributeIDs>
</DAResult>
</Results>
</DARoot>

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

Creating the Solve Script

The main stages involved in the process for Solids are:

1. Enter the pre-processor /prep7

2. Initialize model with deformations from end of the explicit analysis

3. Specify reduced element integration

4. Enter solution processor

5. Initialize implicit model with stresses from end of the explicit analysis

6. Initialize implicit model with plastic strains from end of the explicit analysis

The first thing to consider is the deformation at the end of the explicit analysis. Deformation is a
nodal result and thus deformation components are obtained at every node.
UpstreamSolution = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1)
UpstreamResult1 = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","UVECTORS","Distance")

#write "Text" to solver output file"

DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)
for Node in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Nodes():
NodeID = Node.Id

#set variables to components of deformation vector result

U1 = UpstreamResult1.NodalValues(NodeID)[0]
U2 = UpstreamResult1.NodalValues(NodeID)[1]
U3 = UpstreamResult1.NodalValues(NodeID)[2]
print str(NodeID) + ": " +str(U3)

#write commands to redefine node locations

Text = "*GET, X_CO, NODE, " + str(NodeID) +", LOC, X,\n\
*GET, Y_CO, NODE, " + str(NodeID) + ", LOC, Y,\n\
*GET, Z_CO, NODE, " + str(NodeID) + ", LOC, Z,\n\
N, "+str(NodeID) + ", X_CO + ("+ str(U1) +"), Y_CO + (" + str(U2) + "), Z_CO + (" + str(U3)+")\n"

DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)

DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text) writes whatever is stored in the variable

Text to the Solver Output File of the Design Assessment system.

The Mechanical APDL commands then are written in the following format:
*GET, X_CO, NODE, 1, LOC, X,
*GET, Y_CO, NODE, 1, LOC, Y,
*GET, Z_CO, NODE, 1, LOC, Z,
N, 1, X_CO + (0.0159664358944), Y_CO + (-0.478581756353), Z_CO + (4.01744182454e-05)

*GET, X_CO, NODE, 2, LOC, X,

*GET, Y_CO, NODE, 2, LOC, Y,
*GET, Z_CO, NODE, 2, LOC, Z,
N, 2, X_CO + (0.0159850046039), Y_CO + (-0.478512704372), Z_CO + (2.13666535274e-05)

*GET, X_CO, NODE, 3, LOC, X,

*GET, Y_CO, NODE, 3, LOC, Y,
*GET, Z_CO, NODE, 3, LOC, Z,
N, 3, X_CO + (0.0159850046039), Y_CO + (-0.478512704372), Z_CO + (-2.13666735362e-05)

These commands obtain the original location of the nodes from the mesh of the implicit analysis,
add the deformation of those nodes from the end of the explicit analysis, and redefine the position

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Using Design Assessment

of the nodes to the new location. Refer to the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more in-
formation on the specific Mechanical APDL commands.

It is now necessary to write Mechanical APDL commands to initialize the model with the stresses
and plastic strains from the end of the explicit analysis. The Mechanical APDL command used for
this is INISTATE.

Solution results are created for each of the results that are of interest. The integration method is
set to unaveraged because the result for the element is required, as opposed to the result at the
node. Using an unaveraged integration method means that all of the nodes on one element have
the same value. It is therefore only necessary to get the value at one of the nodes. Ele-
ment.Nodes()[0].Id gets the Node ID of the first node in the array of nodes for the current element.
The results are then obtained for this node.
#stress components
SX = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SX","No Units")
SY = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SY","No Units")
SZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SZ","No Units")
SXY = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SXY","No Units")
SYZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SYZ","No Units")
SXZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SXZ","No Units")

#specify unaveraged integration method

SX.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SY.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SXY.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SYZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SXZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")

for Element in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():

#get ID of first node in element

FirstNodeId = Element.Nodes()[0].Id

#write commands to initialize stress

Text = "INISTATE, SET, DTYP, STRESS\nINISTATE, DEFINE, " + str(Element.Id) + \
", all,all,all, "
+ str(SX.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SXY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(SYZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(SXZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])
DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)

This generates Mechanical APDL commands as follows:

INISTATE, SET, DTYP, STRESS
INISTATE, DEFINE, 1, all,all,all,77669520.0,-108961984.0,8667132.0,-127329504.0,40947276.0,-21408484.0
INISTATE, SET, DTYP, STRESS
INISTATE, DEFINE, 2, all,all,all,73086624.0,-54661364.0, 2108868.5,-50930028.0,-2542906.5,-13913089.0
INISTATE, SET, DTYP, STRESS
INISTATE, DEFINE, 3, all,all,all, 57340700.0, -85816616.0, -16383176.0, -96323688.0, 0.0, 0.0

For shells, the layers and integration points within layers have to also be considered. These are also
defined as parameters of the INISTATE command. In the Design Assessment script, you must specify
which integration point within the layer to obtain results for. This is done as follows:
SX.ShellFaceResultDisplay = "Top"
SY.ShellFaceResultDisplay = "Top"
SZ.ShellFaceResultDisplay = "Top"
SXY.ShellFaceResultDisplay = "Top"
SYZ.ShellFaceResultDisplay = "Top"
SXZ.ShellFaceResultDisplay = "Top"

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 Examples of Design Assessment Usage

for Element in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():

FirstNodeId = Element.Nodes()[0].Id
Text = "INISTATE, SET, DTYP, STRESS\nINISTATE, DEFINE, " + str(Element.Id) + ", all,all,3, " \
+ str(SX.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SXY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(SYZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(SXZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])
DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)

This obtains results from the explicit analysis on the top surface of the layer. When writing the
Mechanical APDL commands, the layers are counted from the bottom, so here we specify layer 3
as we are defining the values for the top layer.

The same thing is done for plastic strain and accumulated equivalent plastic strain. The full Solve
script for Solids is included as a reference below:
def RunDA():

UpstreamSolution = DesignAssessment.SolutionSelections()[0].SolutionByRow(1)
UpstreamResult1 = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","UVECTORS","Distance")

#enter pre-processor
Text = "/prep7\n"

#write "Text" to solver output file"

DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)
for Node in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Nodes():
NodeID = Node.Id

#set variables to components of deformation vector result

U1 = UpstreamResult1.NodalValues(NodeID)[0]
U2 = UpstreamResult1.NodalValues(NodeID)[1]
U3 = UpstreamResult1.NodalValues(NodeID)[2]
print str(NodeID) + ": " +str(U3)

#write commands to redefine node locations

Text = "*GET, X_CO, NODE, " + str(NodeID) +", LOC, X,\n\
*GET, Y_CO, NODE, " + str(NodeID) + ", LOC, Y,\n\
*GET, Z_CO, NODE, " + str(NodeID) + ", LOC, Z,\n\
N, "+str(NodeID) + ", X_CO + ("+ str(U1) +"), Y_CO + (" + str(U2) + "), Z_CO + (" + str(U3)+")\n"

DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)

#stress components
SX = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SX","No Units")
SY = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SY","No Units")
SZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SZ","No Units")
SXY = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SXY","No Units")
SYZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SYZ","No Units")
SXZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","SXZ","No Units")

#specify unaveraged integration method

SX.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SY.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SXY.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SYZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
SXZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")

#plastic strain components

EPPLX = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLX","No Units")
EPPLY = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLY","No Units")
EPPLZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLZ","No Units")
EPPLXY = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLXY","No Units")
EPPLYZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLYZ","No Units")

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Using Design Assessment

EPPLXZ = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EPPLXZ","No Units")

EPPLX.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
EPPLY.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
EPPLZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
EPPLXY.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
EPPLYZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")
EPPLXZ.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")

#accumulated equivalent plastic strain

EFF_PL_STNALL = UpstreamSolution.CreateSolutionResult("","EFF_PL_STNALL","No Units")

EFF_PL_STNALL.IntegrationMethod = ("unaveraged")

#specify reduced integration formulation for SOLID185

Text = " \n\n\net,1,185,,1\n/solu"
DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)

for Element in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():

#get ID of first node in element

FirstNodeId = Element.Nodes()[0].Id

#write commands to initialise stress

Text = "INISTATE, SET, DTYP, STRESS\nINISTATE, DEFINE, " + str(Element.Id) + ", all,all,all, " \
+ str(SX.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(SXY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(SYZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(SXZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])
DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text)

for Element in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():

FirstNodeId = Element.Nodes()[0].Id

#write commands to initialize plastic strain

Text2 = "INISTATE, SET, DTYP, EPPL\nINISTATE, DEFINE, "+ str(Element.Id) + ", all,all,all, "\
+ str(EPPLX.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(EPPLY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(EPPLZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0]) + ", " \
+ str(EPPLXY.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(EPPLYZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])+ ", " \
+ str(EPPLXZ.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])
DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text2)

for Element in DesignAssessment.MeshData.Elements():

FirstNodeId = Element.Nodes()[0].Id

#write commands to initialize accumulated equivalent plastic strain

Text2 = "INISTATE, SET, DTYP, PLEQ\nINISTATE, DEFINE, "+ str(Element.Id) + ", all,all,all, "\
+ str(EFF_PL_STNALL.ElementNodalValues(Element.Id, FirstNodeId)[0])

DesignAssessment.Helper.AppendToSolverOutputFile(Text2)

Text = "solve"

RunDA()

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1930 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Productivity Tools
The Mechanical application includes several features designed to help you create, navigate, and manage
data in complex databases where a large number of objects are present. These features include tags,
tree filtering, and the object generator.

This section examines the following topics:

• Generating Multiple Objects from a Template Object (p. 1931)

• Tagging Objects (p. 1936)

• Filtering the Tree (p. 63)

Generating Multiple Objects from a Template Object

You can use the Object Generator to make one or more copies of a template object, scoping each to
a different piece of geometry. Almost any tree object that supports the “Duplicate” function can be
used as a template.

To use the Object Generator, you define a tree object to be copied, select the geometry to which it
should be copied, and generate from the Object Generator. The original tree object is copied to all of
the selected geometry, with all details from the original object maintained. You have the option of
adding a common prefix and/or tag to the name of all generated objects.

• If your object must be scoped to more than one geometry set, you have a choice for how that scoping
is handled.

• For objects with locations, such as remote points, you can choose to move the location to the centroid
of the new geometry, or leave the location unchanged.

• If the geometry from the template object is part of the target geometry selection set, you can choose
to ignore or include it.

• For any connections requiring two sets of geometry, you specify one named selection for each side of
the connection. The Object Generator will then generate a connection between any geometry on each
side which falls within a specified distance.

• Since end releases require a vertex and an edge, you can specify named selections for the vertices and
edges. The Object Generator will then generate an end release for every specified vertex with an edge
in the specified set of edges.

• Parameterized properties do not retain their parameterization in the generated objects.

Example 10: Generating Clamping Bolts

For example, you have two retaining collars with one clamping bolt defined.

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Productivity Tools

You can use the object generator to generate the other bolt connections.

Generating an Object
To use the Object Generator:

1. In the standard toolbar, click the View Object Generator button to view the Object Generator window.

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 Generating Multiple Objects from a Template Object

2. In the Tree Outline, select the tree object to be copied. Define any details you want included in the
generated objects.

3. In the Geometry window, select the geometry to which the tree object should be copied in the Object
Generator window.

4. In the Object Generator window, select any required options.

The options vary, depending on the selected object. Possible options are:

Option Name Shown for Object Description

Type
Scope to • General When multiple geometry items are selected,
objects you have several options for scoping the new
supporting object.
one geometry
selection • Each Entity: Scope one new object to
each geometric entity selected.
• Connection
objects • Adjacent Entities: Scope one object to
all groups of adjacent selected entities.
This is the default.

• All Entities by Part: Scope one new

object to all selected geometric entities
on each part.

Note:

If none of the selected

topologies are adjacent, then
both options will work in a
similar manner.

Ignore Original All If the geometry for the original object is part
of the target selection set, this option directs
the Object Generator to ignore the original and
scope new objects only onto geometry not
scoped to the original object. This option is
selected by default.

If you clear this option, the Object

Generator copies new objects to all
specified geometry, including that of the
original, if selected. Note that this may
result in duplicate objects.
Name Prefix All If you want all generated objects to have a
common name prefix, enter the desired prefix
in the Name Prefix field.
Apply Tag All If you want to apply a label to all generated
objects, enter a tag name in the Apply Tag

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Productivity Tools

Option Name Shown for Object Description

Type
field. Tags can be used to filter your tree. For
more information on tags, see Tagging
Objects (p. 1936).
Relocate When relocation For objects with locations, such as remote
is possible, points, you have an option for how to handle
applies to: the location of the generated objects.

• General objects • Yes: For generated objects, the remote point

supporting one will be the centroid of the new geometry.
geometry selection This is the default.

• Connection objects • No: Leave the location of the remote point

as is when generating the new objects.

Generate from If named Select whether to use the geometric entities

selections are selected in the Geometry window (Current
defined, applies Selection) or a named selection.
to general
objects
supporting one
geometry
selection
Reference Springs Select the named selection to use as the
Reference side of the connection. You specify
the other side using the Mobile option, then
specify the lower and upper boundaries of the
distance between sides to generate
connections.
Mobile Springs Select the named selection to use as the
Mobile side of the connection. You specify the
other side using the Reference option, then
specify the lower and upper boundaries of the
distance between sides to generate
connections.
Master Mesh connections Select the named selection to use as the Master
side of the connection. You specify the other
side using the Slave option, then specify the
lower and upper boundaries of the distance
between sides to generate connections.
Slave Mesh connections Select the named selection to use as the Slave
side of the connection. You specify the other
side using the Master option, then specify the
lower and upper boundaries of the distance
between sides to generate connections.
Contact Contacts Select the named selection to use as the
contact side of the connection. You specify the
other side using the Target option, then
specify the lower and upper boundaries of the

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 Generating Multiple Objects from a Template Object

Option Name Shown for Object Description

Type
distance between sides to generate
connections.
Target Contacts Select the named selection to use as the target
side of the connection. You specify the other
side using the Contact option, then specify
the lower and upper boundaries of the distance
between sides to generate connections.
Minimum Connection objects For connections, specify the lower boundary.
The Object Generator will generate a
connection between any geometry on each
side which falls within the specified distance.
The distance is defined as the distance
between the centroid of one geometric
selection and the centroid of another
geometric selection.
Maximum Connection objects For connections, specify the upper boundary.
The Object Generator will generate a
connection between any geometry on each
side which falls within the specified distance.
The distance is defined as the distance
between the centroid of one geometric
selection and the centroid of another
geometric selection.
Edges End releases For end releases, select a named selection that
encompasses edges for which you want to
generate objects. The Object Generator will
generate an end release for every specified
vertex specified in Vertices if it has an edge
in the specified set of edges.
Vertices End releases For end releases, select a named selection that
encompasses vertices for which you want to
generate objects. The Object Generator will
generate an end release for every specified
vertex if it has an edge in the specified set of
edges specified in Edges.
Source Mesh method control Select the named selection to use as the
Source. Source appears in the Object Generator
window for the Sweep and MultiZone mesh
methods only. Specifying a Source is optional.
You specify the target using the Target option.
Target Mesh method control Select the named selection to use as the
Target. Target appears in the Object Generator
window for the Sweep mesh method only.
Specifying a Target is optional. You specify the
source using the Source option.
High Mesh match control Select the named selection to use as the high
side of the match control. You specify the other

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Productivity Tools

Option Name Shown for Object Description

Type
side using the Low option. The Object
Generator will not assign a coordinate system.
You must assign a coordinate system manually.

Note:

The software does not match

the high and low sides on a
part-by-part basis. Depending
on the geometry and specified
criteria, the high face and low
face for a generated match
control may not belong to the
same part.

Low Mesh match control Select the named selection to use as the low
side of the match control. You specify the other
side using the High option. The Object
Generator will not assign a coordinate system.
You must assign a coordinate system manually.

Note:

The software does not match

the high and low sides on a
part-by-part basis. Depending
on the geometry and specified
criteria, the high face and low
face for a generated match
control may not belong to the
same part.

Boundary Mesh inflation control Select the named selection to use as the
inflation boundary.

5. Click Generate to copy the selected tree object to the selected geometry.

Tagging Objects
For complex models, it may be difficult to keep track of all of the objects in your tree. With tags, you
can mark objects in the tree with meaningful labels, which can then be used to filter the tree. For more
information on filtering, see Filtering the Tree (p. 63).

Tags are managed through the Tags window. To view this window, click the Tags button in the
Graphics toolbar.

This section covers the following:

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 Tagging Objects

Creating Tags
Applying Tags to Objects
Deleting a Tag
Renaming a Tag
Highlighting Tagged Tree Objects

Creating Tags
To create a tag and apply it to the currently-selected tree object:

1. In the Tree Outline, select an object.

2. In the Tags window, click the Add a Tag icon.

The Add New Tag window appears.

3. Enter a name for the tag and click OK.

The tag is listed in the Tags window. The check box is selected to indicate that it applies to the
selected object in the tree.

Applying Tags to Objects

Once you have created tags, you can apply those tags to other objects in the tree.

To apply a tag to a tree object:

1. In the Tree Outline, select an object.

2. In the Tags window, select the check box for all tags you want to add to that object.

You can now use these tags to filter the tree. For more information on filtering the tree, see Filtering
the Tree (p. 63).

Deleting a Tag
To remove a tag:

1. In the Tags window, select one or more tags.

2. Click the Delete Tag(s) icon, or right-click the Tags window and select Delete Tag(s).

Renaming a Tag
To rename a tag:

1. In the Tags window, select a tag.

2. Click the Rename Tag icon.

The Rename Tag window appears.

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Productivity Tools

3. Enter a name for the tag and click OK.

The new tag name is listed in the Tags window.

Highlighting Tagged Tree Objects

Once a tag is applied to objects in the Tree Outline, you can highlight all of the objects with a selected
tag.

You can search for objects that apply to one or more tags. When you select multiple tags, you have
several options. You can search for objects that contain any of the selected tags, or you can search
for objects that contain all of the selected tags.

To highlight objects:

1. In the Tags window, select one or more tags

2. Right-click the Tags window and select one of the following options:

• Find items with selected tag: Available when only one tag is selected, this option highlights all tree
objects with the selected tag.

• Find items with all selected tags: Available when multiple tags are selected, this option highlights
all items that contain every one of the selected tags.

• Find items with any selected tags: Available when multiple tags are selected, this option highlights
all items that contain one of the selected tags.

Tree objects matching the selected number of tags are highlighted.

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Mechanical Objects Reference
Welcome to the Mechanical Objects Reference. This reference provides a specification for every Mech-
anical object in the tree. Each object is represented in either its own reference page, or is combined
with similar objects and represented on one group reference page. For example, the Joint object is
represented on its own Joint object reference page (p. 2104), whereas the Acceleration object is repres-
ented on the Loads and Supports (Group) object reference page (p. 2107). All pages representing groups
of objects include "(Group)” as part of the page's title.

Note:

Certain types of objects do not appear in the tree but are still represented on their own
pages in this reference. These include Virtual Cell (p. 2246) objects, Virtual Hard Vertex (p. 2247)
objects, Virtual Split Edge (p. 2247) objects, and Virtual Split Face (p. 2248) objects. When
these types of objects are created, they are saved in the database and have editable properties
similar to other objects. For details, refer to the individual reference pages for these objects.

A complete alphabetical listing of Mechanical objects reference pages (p. 1940) is included below. To
determine the reference page for an object in a group, consult the group page whose title matches
the object, and check the entry: “Applies to the following objects”.

The following is a description of each component of a Mechanical object reference page:

• Title: For individual object reference pages, the title is the default name of the object as it appears in the
tree. For group reference pages, the title is a name given to the collection of objects represented.

• Object definition: A brief description of the individual object or group of objects.

• Applies to the following objects : Appears only on group reference pages and includes the default name
of all objects represented on the group reference page.

• Tree dependencies: The valid location of the object or group of objects in the tree (Valid Parent Tree
Object), as well as other possible objects that you can insert beneath the object or group of objects (Valid
Child Tree Objects).

• Insertion options: Procedure for inserting the object (individual or one in the group) in the tree. Typically
this procedure includes inserting the object from a Context tab (p. 13) option or through a context menu
option when you right-click the mouse on the object.

• Additional related information: a listing of topics related to the object or object group that are in the help.
Included are links to those topics.

• Tree location graphic: an indication of where the object or group of objects appears in the tree.

• Object Properties: a listing of every setting or indication available in the Details view (located directly beneath
the object tree) for the object. Included are links to more detailed information on an item within the help.

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Objects Reference

• Relevant right-click context menu options: a listing of options directly relevant to the objects that are
available in the context menu by right-clicking the object. Included are links to more detailed information
on an item within the help. The options listed are in addition to options that are common to most of the
objects (such as Solve, Copy, Cut, Duplicate, and Delete).

The objects reference is not intended to be your primary source of procedural information for performing
simulations -- see the Steps for Using the Mechanical Application (p. 217) section for introductory and
procedural guidelines concerning when and where to use Mechanical objects.

Page Listings
The following is an alphabetical listing of object reference pages:
Alert
AM Overhang Constraint
AM Process
Analysis Ply
Analysis Settings
Angular Velocity
Arbitrary Crack
Beam
Beam Tool (Group)
Bearing
Body
Body Interactions
Body Interaction
Bolt Tool (Group)
Build Settings
Chart
Commands (APDL)
Comment
Composite Failure Criteria Definitions
Composite Failure Tool (Group)
Composite Sampling Point Tool (Group)
Composite Sampling Point
Condensed Geometry
Condensed Part
Connections
Connection Group
Construction Geometry
Contact Debonding
Contact Region
Contact Tool (Group)

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Convergence
Coordinate System
Coordinate Systems (Group)
Cross Sections
Cross Section Objects
Distributed Mass
Direct FE (Group)
Drop Height
Element Orientation
End Release
Environment (Group)
Expansion Settings
Fatigue Combination
Fatigue Tool (Group)
Figure
Fluid Surface
Fracture
Fracture Tool (Group)
Fracture Probes
Gasket Mesh Control
Gasket
General Axisymmetric
Generated Support
Geometry
Global Coordinate System
Image
Import Summary
Imported: Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions
Imported: Boundary Conditions
Imported: Composite Plies
Imported: Constraint Equations or Coupling
Imported: Contacts
Imported: Coordinate Systems
Imported: Element Orientations
Imported: Flexible Remote Connectors
Imported: Nodal Orientations
Imported: Point Masses
Imported: Rigid Remote Connectors
Imported: Shell Thicknesses

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Objects Reference

Imported: Spring Connectors

Imported Plies
Imported Load (Group)
Imported Material Fields (Group)
Imported Material Field
Imported Remote Loads
Imported Thickness
Imported Thickness (Group)
Imported Trace (Group)
Imported Trace
Initial Conditions
Initial Physics Options
Initial Temperature
Interface Delamination
Joint
Layered Section
Loads, Supports, and Conditions (Group)
Manufacturing Constraint
Material
Material Assignment
Material Combination
Material Plot
Materials (Group)
Mesh
Mesh Connection Group/Contact Match Group
Mesh Connection/Contact Match
Mesh Control Tools (Group)
Mesh Edit
Mesh Group (Group)
Mesh Grouping
Mesh Numbering
Modal
Model
Named Selections
Node Merge Group
Node Merge
Node Move
Numbering Control
Objective

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Optimization Region
Part
Part Transform
Path
Periodic/Cyclic Region/Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region
Physics Region
Point Mass
Predefined Support
Pre-Meshed Crack
Pre-Stress
Probe
Project
Remote Point
Remote Points
Response Constraint
Response PSD Tool (Group)
Result Tracker
Result Plot Trackers
Results and Result Tools (Group)
Semi-Elliptical Crack
SMART Crack Growth
Smoothing
Solid
Solution
Solution Combination
Solution Information
Spot Weld
Spring
STL
STL Support
Stress Tool (Group)
Support Group
Surface
Surface Coating
Symmetry
Symmetry Region
Thermal Point Mass
Thickness
Transforms

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Objects Reference

Validation
Velocity
Virtual Body
Virtual Body Group
Virtual Cell
Virtual Hard Vertex
Virtual Split Edge
Virtual Split Face
Virtual Topology

Alert
Sets pass or fail thresholds for individual results. When a threshold is exceeded, the status symbol (p. 58)
changes in front of the associated result object (p. 2191). The status is also displayed in the Details view
of the Alert object. Alerts facilitate the presentation of comparisons in automatic reports (p. 105).

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: All result

objects (p. 2191) (independent, or under result tools),
except Damage Matrix (p. 1650), Fatigue Sensitiv-
ity (p. 1651), Hysteresis (p. 1652), Phase Re-
sponse (p. 266), Probe (p. 1462), Rainflow Mat-
rix (p. 1650), Reactions (p. 1591), Status (p. 1535), Vector
Principal Elastic Strain (p. 1523), Vector Principal
Stress (p. 1523).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974)

Insertion Options: Right-click on a result

object (p. 2191), or in the Geometry window
when a result is selected, and select Insert >
Alert.

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Duplicate

• Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Grouping/Ungrouping/Removing From Group (p. 133) options

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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 AM Overhang Constraint

Category Properties/Options
Defini- Fails If - Set failure threshold as Minimum Below Value or Maximum Above
tion Value, where you set the value in the next field.
Value - Threshold value in the units of the associated result.
Results Status - Read-only indication of the pass/fail status; also includes criterion (for
example: “Passed: Minimum Above Value”).

AM Overhang Constraint
You use the AM Overhang Constraint object to specify Overhang Angle and Build Direction for ad-
ditive printing without the need to use supports. See the AM Overhang Constraint (p. 477) section for
additional information.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Topology

Optimization Environment (p. 2017).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: No supported

child objects.

Insertion Options : To add an AM

Overhang Constraint object, highlight
the Topology Optimization
environment and either:

• Select the AM Overhang Constraint

from the Environment Context
tab (p. 23).

• Right-click and select Insert>AM

Overhang Constraint.

• Right-click in the Geometry window

and select Insert>AM Overhang
Constraint.

• Right-click on any associated Topology

Optimization object (Optimization
Region, Objective, Response Con-
straint, etc.) and select Insert>AM
Overhang Constraint.

Additional Related Information :

• AM Overhang Constraint
Application (p. 477)

• Topology Optimization (p. 447)

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Objects Reference

• Using Topology Optimization for

Additive Manufacturing

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Objective (p. 2151)

• Insert > Mass Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert > Volume Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert>Criterion Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Member Size (p. 2109)

• Insert > Pull out Direction (p. 2109)

• Insert > Extrusion (p. 2109)

• Insert > Cyclic (p. 2109)

• Insert > Symmetry (p. 2109)

• Insert > AM Overhang Constraint (p. 2109)

• Suppress

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Grouping/Ungrouping (p. 133) options

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object are examined in the AM Overhang Constraint (p. 477)
section.

AM Process
The AM Process object is inserted under the Model object in the Outline. By default, it is inserted
along with the child object Build Settings.

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 AM Process

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Model (p. 2139).

• Valid Child Tree Object: Build Settings.

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Model (p. 2139)
object:

• Select the AM Process option on the Model

Context tab (p. 14).

• Right-click on the Model (p. 2139) object or in

the Geometry window and select Insert>AM
Process.

Additional Related Information:

• Workbench Additive Manufacturing Analysis

Guide

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Support Group

• Insert > Predefined Support

• Insert > Generated Support

• Insert > STL Support

• Insert > Cartesian Mesh

• Create Build To Base Contact: This option creates a Contact Region between the Build Geometry
and the Base Plate Geometry. The Contact Side is defined as the element faces of the bottom of the
Build or Support. The Target Side is defined as the element faces of the top of the Base Plate Geometry.
Both contact and target scopes are defined by Named Selection. This option is visible once you have
generated a mesh.

• Rename

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Build Geometry Scoping Method: The options for this property include Geometry
Selection (default) and Named Selections.

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Objects Reference

Geometry: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set

to Geometry Selection. In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to
pick geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection: This property displays when the Scoping Method

is set to Named Selection. Select a desired Named Selection from
the drop-down menu.
Base Geometry Scoping Method: The options for this property include Geometry
Selection (default) and Named Selections.

Geometry: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set

to Geometry Selection. In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to
pick geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection: This property displays when the Scoping Method

is set to Named Selection. Select a desired Named Selection from
the drop-down menu.

Z Location at the Top of Base

Analysis Ply
The analysis ply object provides ply data that has been made available from an external system upstream
of the analysis system.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Imported Plies

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment

(p. 1974), Image (p. 2046), and Figure (p. 2027)

Insertion Method:

• Appears automatically when importing

ply data from an external system.

Additional Related Information:

• Specifying Surface Body Layered

Sections (p. 645)

• Composite Analysis (p. 611)

• Composite Analysis Result Scoping (p. 1504)

• Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560)

• Imported Plies (p. 2078)

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 Analysis Settings

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert for Environment (p. 1504)

• Create Ply Named Selection: this option creates a Worksheet-based Named Selection (p. 764) for the
selected ply object.

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Name in Source: the name of the ply as defined in the upstream
ACP analysis.

Thickness: the thickness of the selected ply.

Angle: the design angle between the reference direction and the
ply fiber direction.

Material: the specified material of the fabric.

Number of Elements: the number of elements contained within the

ply.
Transfer Properties Source: the source ACP system.

Analysis Settings
Allows you to define various solution settings that are customized to specific analysis types.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Any environment (p. 2017) object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Appears by default when you create an analysis

system (p. 217).

Additional Related Information:

• Establish Analysis Settings (p. 230)

• Configuring Analysis Settings (p. 1109)

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Objects Reference

Object Properties
For more information on this object's properties, see the Analysis Settings for Most Analysis Types (p. 1109)
section.

Angular Velocity
Applies angular velocity as an initial condition for use in an explicit dynamics analysis.

Note:

• For explicit dynamics analyses, the center of rotation for an angular velocity is defined by the
origin of the coordinate system associated with the angular velocity.

• Angular Velocity initial conditions are not supported for 2D axisymmetric Explicit Dynamics
analyses.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Initial Conditions (p. 2098)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Fig-

ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Initial Condi-
tions (p. 2098) object:

• Click Angular Velocity option on the Initial Condi-

tions Context tab.

• Right-click on Initial Conditions (p. 2098) object or in

the Geometry window>Insert>Angular Velocity.

Additional Related Information:

• Define Initial Conditions (p. 233)

• Explicit Dynamics Analysis

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Options
Scope Scoping Method

Geometry– appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection. In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick

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 Arbitrary Crack

Category Properties/Options
geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry field, then click
Apply.

Named Selection – appears if Scoping Method is set to

Named Selection.
Definition Input Type - choose Angular Velocity, Drop Height, or
Velocity.

Define By

Total - magnitude; appears if Define By is set to Vector.

Direction (p. 193)- appears if Define By is set to Vector.

Coordinate System – available list; appears if Define By is

set to Components.

X, Y, Z Component – values; appears if Define By is set to

Components.

Suppressed (p. 63)

Arbitrary Crack
Defines a crack to analyze planar or non-planar cracks of any arbitrary shape, which already exist on
the geometry model.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Fracture (p. 2029)

Insertion Options:

• Select the Fracture (p. 2029) object and select

the Arbitrary Crack option from the Crack
group on the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18).

• Right-click (context) menus for the Arbitrary

Crack, Semi-Elliptical Crack and Pre-
Meshed Crack (p. 2171) objects include an
Insert menu option for Arbitrary Crack.

Additional Related Information:

• Defining an Arbitrary Crack (p. 1088)

• Fracture Analysis (p. 1069)

• Fracture Meshing (p. 1075)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

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Objects Reference

• Insert>Arbitrary Crack

• Insert>Semi-Elliptical Crack

• Insert>Pre-Meshed Crack

• Generate All Crack Meshes

• Suppress

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Source: Read-only property set to Arbitrary Crack

Scoping Method: Read-only property set to Geometry Selection.

Geometry: Use the Body selection filter to pick a solid body, click in the
Geometry field, then click Apply.
Definition Coordinate System: Specifies the user-defined coordinate system that
defines the orientation of the crack. For this user-defined coordinate system,
the Y axis must be directed towards the normal of the crack's top face and
the X axis helps to determine the crack extension direction.

Crack Shape: Read-only property set to Arbitrary.

Crack Surface: This property is used to scope the surface body to be used
as the crack surface. It can be scoped to a single surface body only.

Note:

The surface body specified as the Crack Surface is treated

as a Construction Body (see the Treatment property
description in the Body (p. 1960) object reference section).

Mesh Method: Read-only property set to Tetrahedrons.

Largest Contour Radius: Specifies the largest contour radius for the crack
shape. Enter a value greater than 0.

Growth Rate: Specifies the factor with which the mesh layers will grow
along the radius of the crack. Specify a value greater than 1. The default
value is 1.2. The recommended value is equal to or greater than 1.1.

Front Element Size: Specifies the element size for the crack front. The
default value is computed from Largest Contour Radius property and the
Growth Rate property. A value of 0 specifies the default. You can specify
an entry greater than 0.

Mesh Contours: Specifies the number of mesh contours for the crack
shape. The value must be equal to or greater than 1. The default value is

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 Beam

Category Properties
6. The Geometry window can display only a maximum of 100 mesh
contours, but you can specify a higher value and fracture meshing will
respect it.

Solution Contours: Specifies the number of mesh contours for which you
want to compute the fracture result parameters. The value must be less
than or equal to the value of the Mesh Contours property and cannot
exceed 99. By default, the value equals the Match Mesh Contours property.
This indicates the number of Solution Contours is equal to the number
of Mesh Contours. Entering 0 resets the value to equal the Match Mesh
Contours value.

Suppressed: Toggles suppression of the Arbitrary Crack object. The default

is No. The Arbitrary Crack object is suppressed automatically if both the
scoped body and scoped crack surface are suppressed.
Buffer Zone Scale The Buffer Zone Scale Factors category controls the size of the buffer
Factors zone in the X, Y, and Z directions, relative to the crack surface geometry
dimensions. For each scaling parameter, use the slider to set a value from
2 to 50. The default value is 2. The maximum dimension among the three
dimensions of the crack surface geometry is multiplied by the corresponding
scale factors to create a buffer zone:

• X Scale Factor

• Y Scale Factor

• Z Scale Factor

Named Selections Named Selections are created automatically when the fracture mesh is
Creation generated. These Named Selections are a special type of Named Selection.
For details, refer to the Performing a Fracture Analysis (p. 1069) and the
Special Handling of Named Selections for Crack Objects (p. 1093) sections
for more information. For information about Named Selections in general,
refer to Specifying Named Selections (p. 761).

Beam
A beam is a structural element that carries a load primarily in bending.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Connections (p. 1988)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Commands (p. 1972), Comment (p. 1974), Fig-
ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods after highlighting

Connections (p. 1988) object:

• Select Beam > Body-Ground or Beam > Body-Body, as applicable on

Connections Context tab (p. 16).

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• Right-click on the Connections (p. 1988) object or in the Geometry window

Insert > Beam.

Additional Related Information:

• Connections Context (p. 16)

• Beam Connections (p. 1045)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Enable/Disable Transparency (p. 936) - similar behavior to feature in Contact Region.

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 1692) - similar behavior to feature in Results.

• Promote Remote Point (p. 789) (when the Applied By property is set to Remote Attachment).

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Options
Graphics Visible – toggles visibility of the beam.
Proper-
ties
Defini- Material: Material property defined in the Engineering Data Workspace.
tion
Cross Section: Read-only indication.

Radius

Suppressed (p. 63)

Beam Length: This read-only property displays the actual length of the beam that
is calculated using the end points from the scoping of the Reference and Mobile
categories.

Element APDL Name: This optional property enables you to manually define an
APDL parameter (in the input file) and assign its value to the element of the Beam.
This facilitates easy programmatic identification of the Beam's element for later
use/reference in a Commands (p. 1823) object.
Scope Scope: Includes the options Body-Body or Body-Ground.
(p. 1042) -
information
on
springs
also
applies to
beams.

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 Beam

Refer- The following properties are available when the Scope property is set to Body-
ence Body:
(p. 1042) -
information Scoping Method: Specify as Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote
on Point.
springs
Applied By: Specify as Remote Attachment (default) or Direct Attachment.
also
The default for this property can differ if you first select geometry or a mesh
applies to
node.
beams.
Scope: Displays when the Scoping Method property is set to Geometry Selec-
tion. Once a geometry is selected, click in the Scope field and then click Apply.
Reference Component: Displays when the Scoping Method property is set to
Named Selection. This property provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.
Remote Points: Displays when the Scoping Method property is set to Remote
Point. This property provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Remote
Points.
Body: A read-only indication of scoped geometry. Displays
for Body-Body scoping.

The following properties display for either Body-Body or Body-Ground scoping

when the Applied By property is set to Remote Attachment.

Coordinate System
Reference X Coordinate
Reference Y Coordinate
Reference Z Coordinate
Reference Location
Material: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Select a material to define material properties for the beams used in the
connection. Density is excluded from the material definition.
Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Specify a radius to define the cross section dimension of the circular beam used
for the connection.
Mobile The following properties are available when the Scope property is set to Body-
(p. 1042) - Body:
information
on Scoping Method: Specify as Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote
springs Point.
also
Applied By: Specify as Remote Attachment (default) or Direct Attachment.
applies to
The default for this property can differ if you first select geometry or a mesh
beams.
node.
Scope: Displays when the Scoping Method property is set to Geometry Selec-
tion. Once a geometry is selected, click in the Scope field and then click Apply.
Reference Component: Displays when the Scoping Method property is set to
Named Selection. This property provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.

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Remote Points: Displays when the Scoping Method property is set to Remote
Point. This property provides a drop-down list of available user–defined Remote
Points.
Body: A read-only indication of scoped geometry. Displays for Body-Body
scoping.
Behavior (p. 795): Specify the scoped geometry as either Rigid, Deformable,
or Beam.
Material: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Select a material to define material properties for the beams used in the
connection. Density is excluded from the material definition.
Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Specify a radius to define the cross section dimension of the circular beam used
for the connection.
Pinball Region (p. 923)

The following properties display for either Body-Body or Body-Ground scoping

when the Applied By property is set to Remote Attachment.

Coordinate System
Mobile X Coordinate
Mobile Y Coordinate
Mobile Z Coordinate
Mobile Location

Beam Tool (Group)

The Beam Tool enables you to examine linearized stresses on beam (line) bodies.

The Beam Tool applies to the following objects: Direct Stress, Minimum Bending Stress, Maximum
Bending Stress, Minimum Combined Stress, Maximum Combined Stress as well as Total Deformation
and Directional Deformation.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects:

– The Solution (p. 2211) object is the only valid parent object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects The Beam Tool supports the following child
objects:

– Direct Stress

– Minimum Bending Stress

– Maximum Bending Stress

– Minimum Combined Stress

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 Bearing

– Maximum Combined Stress

– Total Deformation

– Directional Deformation

– User Defined Results (p. 1656)

Note:

For all of the above objects, except User Defined Res-

ults, the Alert (p. 1944) object is the only valid child object.

Insertion Options:

• Select the Solution object and either:

– Open the Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context

tab (p. 24) and select the Beam Tool.

– Right-click the Solution object or in the Geometry window and select

Insert>Beam Tool>Beam Tool.

Additional Related Information:

• Beam Tool (p. 1573)

• Line Bodies (p. 650)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Evaluate All Results (p. 1501): available for Beam Tool and all child objects when the Beam Tool is inserted
under a Solution (p. 2211) object.

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
For more information on this object's properties, see the Beam Tool (p. 1573) section.

Bearing
A bearing is a two-dimensional elastic element used to confine relative motion and rotation of a rotating
part.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Connections (p. 1988)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Commands (p. 1972), Comment (p. 1974), Fig-
ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods after highlighting

Connections (p. 1988) object:

• Select Bearing > Body-Ground or Body-Body on the Connections Context

tab (p. 16).

• Right-click on the Connections (p. 1988) object or in the Geometry window

and select Insert>Bearing.

Additional Related Information:

• Bearings (p. 1051)

• Connections Context (p. 16)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Enable/Disable Transparency (p. 936) - similar behavior to feature in Contact Region.

• Promote to Remote Point (p. 789) (Remote Attachment Only)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938) - similar behavior to feature in Contact Region.

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Connection Type: read-only field that describes the bearing - Body-Ground

Stiffness K11, K22 , K12, K21: entry fields.

Damping C11, C22 , C12, C21: entry fields.

Suppressed (p. 63)

Reference Rotation Plane: specify the desired place of rotation. Options include:

• None (default)

• X-Y Plane

• Y-Z Plane

• X-Z Plane

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 Bearing

Mobile Scoping Method: specify as Geometry Selection, Named Selection, or Remote

Point.

Based on the selection made for the Scoping Method property of this category,
the next property is:

• Scope: appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection. Select a geometry

entity and then click Apply.

• Mobile Component: appears if Scoping Method is set to Named Selection. This

property provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

• Remote Points: appears if the Scoping Method is set to Remote Point. This property
provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Remote Points.

Body: read-only indication of scoped geometry.

Coordinate System: Drop-down list of available coordinate systems. Global Co-

ordinate System is the default.

The following read-only properties display the coordinates of the centroid location
for the scoped geometric entities from the origin of the coordinate system selected
in the Coordinate System property.

• Mobile X Coordinate

• Mobile Y Coordinate

• Mobile Z Coordinate

Behavior (p. 1042): Rigid (default), Deformable, or Beam. If the Scope Method
property is set to Remote Point, the Bearing will then assume the Behavior defined
in the referenced Remote Point as well as other related properties.

Material: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Select a material to define material properties for the beams used in the connection.
Density is excluded from the material definition.

Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property is set to Beam.
Specify a radius to define the cross section dimension of the circular beam used
for the connection.

Pinball Region: the Pinball Region is a radius value (length unit) that defines a
region for selecting elements to be used by the solver for the Bearing's Mobile
scoping.

Note:

The Pinball Region and Behavior settings are:

• Applicable to underlying bodies that are flexible.

• Not applicable to a bearing scoped to the vertex of line body.

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Body
Defines a component of the attached geometry included under the Geometry (p. 2040) object, or under
a Part object if considered a multibody part (p. 627) (shown in the figure below).

Also see the description of the Virtual Body (p. 2243) object (applicable to assembly meshing algorithms
only).

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Geometry (p. 2040) or

Part (p. 2154) (if under a multibody part)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Commands (p. 1972),

Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Gasket Mesh
Control (p. 2033), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Appears by default when

geometry is attached (p. 220).

Additional Related Information:

• Define Part Behavior (p. 224)

• Specifying Geometry (p. 627)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• The Insert option provides a menu of the following options.

– Element Orientation (p. 739)

– Point Mass (p. 658)

– Distributed Mass (p. 660)

– Commands (p. 1823)

• Update

• Generate Mesh

• Preview > Surface Mesh

• Preview > Inflation

• Export (p. 159)>Geometry

• Show/Hide Body

• Show/Hide All Other Bodies

• Hide or Show > Solid Bodies/Surface Bodies/Line Bodies (option availability based on body type)

• Suppress Body

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 Body

• Suppress All Other Bodies

• Unsuppress All Bodies

• Invert Suppressed Body Set

• Search Faces with Multiple Thicknesses (p. 649)

• Update Selected Parts>Update: Use Geometry Parameter Values (p. 223)

• Create Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Create Material Plot (p. 2116)

• Create Part Transform (p. 857)

• Create Named Selection (p. 761)

• Clear Generated Data

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Options
Graph- The following properties enable you to change the graphical display of a body.
ics
Proper- • Visible: toggles the display of the part on (Yes) or off (No) in the Geometry
ties window.

• Transparency: varies the body between being completely transparent (0) to

completely opaque (1).

• Color: sets the color of the body.

Defini- Suppressed (p. 63)

tion
Dimension (Shell Bodies Only): Specify the selected shell body as either
three-dimensional or two-dimensional. Options include 3D (default) and 2D. For
multi-body parts, you can specify each body independently as either 3D or 2D.
When you set this property to 2D, the application automatically displays the 2D
Behavior (p. 655) property. Supported settings for the 2D Behavior property
include Axisymmetric, Plane Stress, Plane Strain, and General Axisymmetric.

Stiffness Behavior (p. 224)

Brick Integration Scheme (p. 636): appears only if Element Control is set to
Manual in the Details view of the Geometry (p. 2040) object; not available if
Stiffness Behavior is set to Rigid.

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Objects Reference

Coordinate System (p. 225): assign a local coordinate system to specify the
alignment of the elements of the body if previously defined using one or more
Coordinate System (p. 2002) objects; not available if Stiffness Behavior is set to
Rigid.

Reference Temperature (p. 225).

Reference Temperature Value (p. 225): available only when you select By Body
as the Reference Temperature.

Reference Frame (p. 226): only appears when an Explicit Dynamics system is
part of the solution.

Thickness (p. 640): appears only for a surface body.

Thickness Mode (p. 640): appears only for a surface body; read-only indication.

Cross Section: appears for line bodies only. Provides a drop-down menu of
selectable cross section options/objects (p. 2008).

Offset Mode (p. 650): appears only for a line body.

Offset Type (p. 650): appears only for a line body.

Model Type (p. 650): appears only for a line body.

2D Behavior (p. 655): This property is available for this object when:

• The 2D Behavior property of the Geometry object is set to By Body. For this
Geometry object setting, you first must specify your analysis as two-dimensional
on the Workbench project page (Analysis Type property for the Geometry cell
set to 2D.

Or...

• The Dimension property is set to 2D (during three-dimensional analyses).

Treatment: Generally used to scope a surface body to an Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951)
(via the Crack Surface property) or a line body to a Spot Weld (p. 2217), this
property includes the options None (default) and Construction Body. When
you set the Treatment property to Construction Body, the associated Body is
not recognized during the mesh or solution process. In addition, you cannot
scope the Body to any other features (loads, results, etc.).

Important:

• When you scope a surface body to define the Crack Surface property
of an Arbitrary Crack object, this property is automatically set to
Construction Body. Only surface bodies are supported for Arbitrary
Crack specification.

• When you specify a Body as a Construction Body, it is excluded

from the All Bodies scoping for results. In addition, you cannot scope
the Body to any other features (loads, results, etc.).

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 Body

• You can use a Body defined as a Construction Body for Coordinate

System scoping.

Materi- Assignment (p. 226)

al
Nonlinear Effects (p. 227): Not available if Stiffness Behavior is set to Rigid.

Thermal Strain Effects (p. 227)

Gasket Initial Gap: This property only displays when a valid Gasket Material is
assigned and enables you to specify an initial gap for a gasket. The default value
is 0. Valid entries must be greater than or equal to 0.

Fluid/Solid : Available only in the Meshing application (i.e., not available if you
are using the meshing capabilities from within the Mechanical application). Useful
in assembly meshing. Allows you to control the physics that occur on a model.
Valid options are Fluid, Solid, and Defined By Geometry. When set to Defined
By Geometry, the value is based on the Fluid/Solid material property that was
assigned to the body in the DesignModeler application.
Bound- Length X
ing Box
(p. 227) Length Y

Length Z
Proper- Volume
ties -
Indications Mass
of the
properties Length: appears only for line bodies.
originally
assigned Note:
to the
body. • If the material density is temperature dependent, the Mass will be
computed at the body temperature, or at 22°C (default temperature
for an environment).

• For a Surface Body, the Volume, Mass, and Moment of Inertia

information for the Body selection are based on the Thickness value
specified above. This does not account for any Thickness (p. 2236)
object specifications. Thickness object specifications overwrite the
body thickness values when the application calculates thickness for
any faces and/or surface bodies. Refer to the PRECISE MASS
SUMMARY section from the Solution Information (p. 2216) worksheet
for solver calculated Mass values.

The following appear for all bodies except line bodies:

Centroid X
Centroid Y

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Objects Reference

Centroid Z
Moment of Inertia Ip1
Moment of Inertia Ip2
Moment of Inertia Ip3
Surface Area (approx.) - appears only for a surface body

Note:

Surface bodies are dependent upon the 2D Behavior setting of the

Geometry object. Any setting other than the Plane Stress setting
causes the above properties, except Surface Area, to display with
the content "N/A" (Not Applicable) in their field. However, when the
2D Behavior property is set to By Body, you can change the setting
of the 2D Behavior property for each surface body individually. These
individual settings affect what is displayed by a property’s field.

Based on the setting of the Model Type property, the following may appear for
line bodies (p. 650):

Cross Section Area

Cross Section IYY
Cross Section IZZ
Pipe Internal Diameter
Pipe External Diameter
Pipe Thickness

The following appear for surface bodies only:

Offset Type (p. 641)

Membrane Offset: appears for surface bodies when Offset Type = User
Defined
Statistics: - Nodes
Read-only
indication of Elements
the entities
that Mesh Metric
comprise
the body.

Body Interactions
Sets global options for all Body Interaction (p. 1966) objects in an Explicit Dynamics Analysis.

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 Body Interactions

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Connections (p. 1988)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Body Interaction

(p. 1966), Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Im-
age (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Automatically inserted in

the tree if contact is detected when model is
attached. Also, use any of the following
methods after highlighting Connec-
tions (p. 1988) object:

• Click Body Interaction option on Connections

Context tab (p. 16).

• Right-click on Connections (p. 1988) object or in

the Geometry window>Insert>Body Interaction.

Additional Related Information:

• Body Interaction (p. 1966)

• Body Interactions in Explicit Dynamics Analyses

• Explicit Dynamics Analysis Guide

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Advanced Contact Detection
Formulation - appears if Contact Detection = Trajectory.
Shell Thickness Factor - appears if the geometry includes one or more surface bodies
and if Contact Detection = Trajectory.
Pinball Factor - appears if Contact Detection = Proximity Based.
Timestep Safety Factor - appears if Contact Detection = Proximity Based.
Limiting Timestep Velocity - appears if Contact Detection = Proximity Based.
Edge on Edge Contact - appears if Contact Detection = Proximity Based.
Manual Contact Treatment
Body Self Contact
Element Self Contact
Tolerance - appears if Contact Detection = Trajectory and Element Self Contact
= Yes.

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Objects Reference

Body Interaction
Creates contact between bodies in an Explicit Dynamics Analysis.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Body Interactions

(p. 1964)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Fig-

ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

• Automatically inserted in the tree if model includes

a Body Interactions object.

• For manual insertion, use any of the following

methods after highlighting Connections (p. 1988)
object.

– Choose Body Interaction on Connections

Context (p. 16).

– Right-click on Connections (p. 1988) object, or in

the Geometry window>Insert>Body
Interaction.

Additional Related Information:

• Body Interactions (object reference) (p. 1964)

• Body Interactions

• Explicit Dynamics Analysis

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method
Geometry – appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Se-
lection. In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick
geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.
Named Selection – appears if Scoping Method = Named Selection.
Definition Type
Maximum Offset – appears if Type = Bonded.
Breakable – appears if Type = Bonded.

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 Bolt Tool (Group)

Category Property/Description
Normal Stress Limit – appears if Type = Bonded and Breakable =
Stress Criteria.
Normal Stress Exponent – appears if Type = Bonded and Breakable
= Stress Criteria.
Shear Stress Limit – appears if Type = Bonded and Breakable =
Stress Criteria.
Shear Stress Exponent – appears if Type = Bonded and Breakable
= Stress Criteria.
Friction Coefficient – appears if Type = Frictional.
Dynamic Coefficient – appears if Type = Frictional.
Decay Constant – appears if Type = Frictional.
Suppressed (p. 63)

Bolt Tool (Group)

This object provides bolt-specific results for loads that are defined using the Bolt Pretension (p. 1226)
boundary condition.

The Bolt Tool applies to the following objects: Adjustment (p. 1572) and Working Load (p. 1572).

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects:

– The Solution (p. 2211) object is the only valid parent object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

– The Adjustment or Working Load objects are the only valid child objects.

– For the Adjustment or Working Load objects, the Alert (p. 1944) object
is the only valid child object.

Insertion Options:

• Select the Solution object and either:

– Select the Bolt Tool option from the Toolbox drop-down menu on the
Solution Context tab (p. 24).

– Right-click the Solution object or in the Geometry window and select

Insert>Bolt Tool>Bolt Tool.

Additional Related Information:

• Bolt Tool (p. 1572)

• Bolt Pretension (p. 1226)

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Objects Reference

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Evaluate All Results (p. 1501): available for Bolt Tool and all child objects when the Bolt Tool is inserted
under a Solution (p. 2211) object.

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object's child objects, Adjustment and Working Load, are shown
below. For more information on this object's properties, see the Bolt Tool (p. 1572) section.

Category Properties
Definition Type: read-only display of the bolt tool object name - Adjustment or Working
Load.

By: the options are listed below.

• Time

• Result Set

• Maximum Over Time

• Time of Maximum

Display Time: visible when the By property is set to Time.

Set Number: visible when the By property is set to Result Set.

Calculate Time History: options include Yes or No.

Identifier

Suppressed
Results : Minimum
read-only
properties. Maximum
Information : Time
read-only
properties. Load Step

Substep

Iteration Number

Build Settings
This object is automatically inserted as a child object of the AM Process object (p. 1946).

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 Build Settings

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: AM Process (p. 1946).

• Valid Child Tree Object: This object supports no child

objects.

Insertion Method: : Inserted automatically.

Additional Related Information:

• Workbench Additive Manufacturing Analysis Guide

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Save Build Settings: This option enables you to save the configuration of your build settings as an
XML file. The property values are always saved in Consistent MKS Unit System.

• Load Build Settings: This option enables you to import build setting XML files. Once loaded, the settings
properly populate the properties of the Details view. You can examine example XML files at: [ANSYS
Installation Directory]\aisol\DesignSpace\DSPages\SampleData\AdditiveManufacturing.

• Reset to Default

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Description
Machine Settings Additive Process: Read-only field that describes the Additive Process
Type - Powder Bed Fusion. The Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) process
uses thermal energy from a laser or electron beam to selectively fuse
powder in a powder bed.

Inherent Strain: Yes or No. The Inherent Strain method is an

alternative method for AM Process Simulation in which strains are

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Objects Reference

calculated not from material properties and thermal loads but from
the use of an experimentally calibrated Strain Scaling Factor.

Strain Scaling Factor: A calibration factor used to account for

differences in additive machines that you may use to improve the
accuracy of your simulations. The SSF scales the thermal strains in
the analysis by the given value.

Deposition Thickness: Deposition-layer thickness of the print

machine.

Hatch Spacing: Appears if Inherent Strain = No. The average hatch

spacing of the print machine.

Scan Speed: Appears if Inherent Strain = No. The average travel

speed of the laser or beam of the print machine.

Dwell Time: Appears if Inherent Strain = No. The span of time from
the end of the deposition of a layer to the start of the deposition of
the next layer. It includes the time required for recoater-blade
repositioning and powder-layer spreading.

Dwell Time Multiple: Appears if Inherent Strain = No. The

dwell-time multiplier accounts for more than one part in the build.
If they are the same part arranged in the same orientation on the
build plate, the multiplier is the number of parts. If different parts
exist on the plate, the multiplier is an estimate of the time required
to build the other parts relative to the part being simulated.

Number of Heat Sources: Appears if Inherent Strain = No. For

multiple-beam printers, specifies the number of beams.
Build Conditions Preheat Temperature: In a thermal analysis, this property sets the
value of the starting temperature of the build plate.
(Inherent Strain =
No option only) Gas/Powder Temperature: Options include Use Preheat
Temperature (default) and Specified.

Gas Convection Coefficient: Convection coefficient from the part

to the enclosure gas. The convection is applied only to the top of a
newly laid layer.

Gas Temperature: Temperature of the gas in the build enclosure.

Powder Convection Coefficient: Effective convection coefficient

from the part to the powder bed. To estimate, divide the conduction
property of the powder by a characteristic conduction length into
the powder (for example, a quarter of the distance from the part
boundary to the build-chamber wall).

Powder Temperature: Temperature of the newly added powder.

Powder Property Factor: The application uses this factor to estimate

the powder properties. The application applies the factor to the solid
material properties to estimate the properties of the material in its

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 Chart

powder state. The powder-state properties are used during the

heating of the new layer (before its subsequent solidification and
cooldown) prior to the next layer being applied.
Cooldown Condi- Room Temperature
tions
Gas/Powder Temperature: Options include Use Room Temperature
(Inherent Strain = (default) and Specified.
No option only)
Gas Convection Coefficient: Convection coefficient from the part
to the enclosure gas. The convection is applied only to the top of a
newly laid layer.

Gas Temperature: Temperature of the gas in the build enclosure.

Powder Convection Coefficient: Effective convection coefficient

from the part to the powder bed. To estimate, divide the conduction
property of the powder by a characteristic conduction length into
the powder (for example, a quarter of the distance from the part
boundary to the build-chamber wall).

Powder Temperature: Temperature of the newly added powder.

Discretization Set- Layer Height: This property sets the element layer height for the
tings mesh, which must conform to uniform layer sizes in the global Z
direction. Options include Program Controlled (default) and Manual.
For Program Controlled, the application finds the first Layered
Tetrahedrons mesh method that is scoped to the AM build body and
sets the Layer Height to the value specified in the Details view of
the Layered Tetrahedrons mesh method. If there are no layered
tetrahedrons meshes present/scoped to the build, then no Layer
Height value is used. When set to Manual, the user specified Layer
Height is used, regardless of whether a layered tetrahedrons mesh
is present.

Chart
This object enables you to chart loads and/or results against time, or result quantities against a load or
another result quantity.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Method: Select the Chart option from the Insert (p. 10)
group on the Home tab.

Additional Related Information:

• Chart and Table (p. 1449) Chart and Table (p. 1449)

• Home tab (p. 9)

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Objects Reference

Object Properties
For more information on this object's properties, see the Chart and Table (p. 1449) section.

Commands (APDL)
The Commands (APDL) object enables you to enter and execute Mechanical APDL application commands
or Mechanical APDL programming.

Note:

Python is used for Transient Structural (Rigid Dynamics) systems.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Body (p. 1960), Contact Re-

gion (p. 1994) (shown in figure), Environment objects (p. 2017),
Joint (p. 2104), Pre-Stress (p. 2172), Solution (p. 2211),
Spring (p. 2218)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options :

• Right-click on a desired parent object (see above) or in

the Geometry window and then select Insert >
Commands.

• Highlight the desired parent object (see above) and

select Commands from the Home tab.

Additional Related Information :

• Commands Objects (p. 1823)

• Specifying Options dialog (p. 138) > Commands (p. 157)

Tree Dependencies for the Transient Structural (Rigid dynamics) System

Valid Parent Tree Objects include the Connections Folder, Joint, Spring, Environment, and Joint
Condition.

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object. The file modification options
are also present on the Commands tab.

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 Commands (APDL)

• Export: Exports the text contained in the Worksheet to an ASCII text file.

Note:

You must right-mouse click the selected object in the tree to use this Export fea-
ture. On Windows platforms, if you have the Microsoft Office 2002 (or later) in-
stalled, you may see an Export to Excel option if you right-mouse click in the
Worksheet. This is not the Mechanical application Export feature but rather an
option generated by Microsoft Internet Explorer.

• Import: Imports an ASCII text file into the Worksheet.

• Refresh: Synchronize the text in the Worksheet to that of the currently used ASCII text file. Refresh
can be used to discard changes made to commands text and revert to a previously imported or exported
version.

• Suppress (p. 63): Suppressed commands will not propagate to the Mechanical APDL application input
file.

• Search Parameters (p. 1832): Appears only if the Commands (APDL) object is under a Solution (p. 2211)
object. This option scans the text output and updates the list of detected parameters. Matched the
Mechanical APDL application parameters can be parameterized just as other values in Workbench can
be parameterized. Refer to the next section for details.

• Rename Based on Definition: You can rename the Commands (APDL) object to the name of an im-
ported or exported file by choosing Rename Based on Definition. The Commands (APDL) object is
renamed to the name appearing in the File Name property under the Details view.

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Descriptions
File File Name: Read-only indication of imported text file name (including path) if
used.

File Status: Read-only indication of the status of an imported text file if used.
Defini- Suppressed (p. 63)
tion
Target: Displays a list of solvers.

Issue Solve Command: This property is only available for a Commands (APDL)
object inserted under the Environment (p. 2017) object for analyses that include
load steps (Static or Transient). This property enables you to instruct the
application to issue the SOLVE command for a load step (or steps). Property
options include Yes (default) and No.

Invalidate Solution (p. 1827): Applicable for the Solution (p. 2211) object only.

Output Search Prefix (p. 1832): Applicable for the Solution (p. 2211) object only.

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Step Selection Mode (p. 1831): Applicable only when inserting a Commands
object under an environment object for stepped analyses or MSUP Harmonic
Response analyses (standalone or linked).

Step Number (p. 1831): This property displays when you select the By Number
option for the Step Selection Mode property.
Input Entry fields for ARG1 through ARG9.
Argu-
ments
(p. 1826)
Results Applicable only when inserting under a Solution (p. 2211) object.
(p. 1832)

Comment
Inserts a comment for a Mechanical parent object. The comment editor creates a fragment of HTML,
and the object itself consists of that HTML fragment, a string denoting the author's name, and a color.
Report (p. 105) adds the resulting HTML fragment directly in line, in the specified color and notes the
author. The Comment window provides a number of formatting features, such as inserting an image
or applying various text formats.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: All objects.

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None.

Insertion Method: Select the Comment option from the Insert (p. 10)
group on the Home (p. 9) tab. The Insert group is available from a
number of Context tabs.

Additional Related Information:

• Figures (p. 210)

• Reporting (p. 105)

Note:

When inserting images into a Comment, use the Insert

Image option provided on the Comment's format
toolbar. If you attempt to paste an Image (p. 2046) into
a Comment, the application will display an error
message that may require you to close and reopen the
Mechanical application.

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) for the Comment object contains only one category (Author) and one text
entry field (Name).

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 Composite Failure Criteria Definitions

Composite Failure Criteria Definitions

The Composite Failure Criteria Definitions object is a model-level object that is inserted into the tree
when you promote a Composite Failure Tool (p. 1976) object. A child object is automatically created
and is a copy of the promoted Composite Failure Tool that you can then modify using the Worksheet.
In addition, when promoted, the Defined By property of the Composite Failure Tool's Reference category
automatically changes to the setting Composite Failure Criteria Definitions. These actions also cause
the application to display the Composite Failure Criteria property in the Composite Failure Tool Reference
category. The Composite Failure Criteria property provides a drop-down list of available child objects
of the Composite Failure Criteria Definitions object, if available.

Additional child objects can be added for additional Composite Failure Tool objects. The original Com-
posite Failure Tool objects become read-only but may be changed by changing the Defined By property
to Direct Input. The goal of this feature is to enable you to configure your own combinations of failure
criteria.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Composite Failure

Criteria objects

Insertion Options:

• Right-click the Composite Failure Tool object

and select Promote to Composite Failure Criter-
ia.

Additional Related Information :

• Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560)

• Composite Failure Tool (Group) Object

Reference (p. 1976)

The following right-click context menu options are available for the Composite Failure Criteria
Definitions object.

• Insert>Composite Failure Criteria

• Rename

The following right-click context menu options are available for the criteria child objects.

• Insert>Composite Failure Criteria

• Export Text File: export result data to a text file.

• Duplicate

• Copy

• Rename

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Objects Reference

• Group (p. 133)

Details View Properties

The Details view properties for the Composite Failure Criteria Definitions object as well as its child
objects are described below.

Composite Failure Criteria Definitions Object

Type is the only Details view property for this object.

Composite Failure Tool Criteria Objects

The Details view properties for the failure criteria objects include the same properties as the Composite
Failure Tool (p. 1976) as used to create the object except for the Define By property.

Composite Failure Tool (Group)

The Composite Failure Tool is a post-processing tool for composite parts modeled with ANSYS Com-
posite PrepPost (ACP). Refer to the ANSYS Composite PrepPost User's Guide for the complete workflow
associated with composite analyses as well as the Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560) section of the ANSYS
Mechanical Help for a description of the use of this tool.

Important:

• Currently, this feature is not supported on the Linux platform.

• For a Static Structural system linked to a ACP-Pre system, created prior to 2020 R1, Mechanical
does not support the Composite Failure Tool. You can resolve this issue by cleaning and updating
the ACP-Pre system and then refreshing the inputs of the Static Structural system.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Solution (p. 2211)

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

– Inverse Reserve Factor (p. 1561)

– Safety Margin (p. 1561)

– Safety Factor (p. 1561)

– User Defined Results (p. 1656)

See the Composite Failure Tool Result

Objects (p. 1978) topic below for additional
information.

Insertion Options:

• Open the Toolbox drop-down menu on the

Solution Context tab (p. 24) and select the Com-
posite Failure Tool.

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 Composite Failure Tool (Group)

• Right-click the Solution object or in the Geometry

window, and then select Insert > Composites >
Composite Failure Tool.

Additional Related Information :

• Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560)

• Composite Failure Criteria Definitions (p. 1975)

• Composite Analysis (p. 611)

• Composite Analysis Result Scoping (p. 1504)

• Analysis Ply (p. 1948)

• Imported Plies (p. 2078)

• Specifying Surface Body Layered

Sections (p. 645)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• The Insert menu provides the following options:

– Composite Failure Tool

– Inverse Reserve Factor

– Safety Margin

– Safety Factor

– User Defined Results (p. 1656)

– Commands (p. 1972)

• Solve (p. 1711)

• Promote to Composite Failure Criteria

• Export Text File: export result data to a text file.

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Group (p. 133)

Note:

You can use promoted composite failure criteria (p. 1562) over several load cases to ensure
that your failure analysis for composites is based on the same definition.

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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Objects Reference

Category Properties
Definition Type: read-only field that displays the tool type - Composite Failure Tool.
Reference Defined By: options include:

• Direct Input: define ply criteria properties.

• Composite Failure Criteria Definitions: this option is available as a function of a

Composite Failure Tool being promoted (p. 1562).

Composite Failure Criteria: this property displays when you select Composite Failure
Criteria Definitions for the Defined By property. This property provides a drop-down
list of available Composite Failure Tools that have been promoted.
Reinforced Maximum Strain
Ply
Criteria Maximum Stress

Tsai-Wu

Tsai-Hill

Hoffman

Hashin

Puck

LaCR

Cuntze
Sandwich Face Sheet Wrinkling
Criteria
Core Failure

Shear Crimping
Isotropic Von Mises
Material
Criteria

Composite Failure Tool Result Objects

The result objects Inverse Reserve Factor, Safety Factor, and Safety Margin are only used with the
Composite Failure Tool. The Details view properties for these objects include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Geometry Selection and Named Selection.

Geometry: appears if Scoping Method = Geometry. Use selection filters (p. 172)
to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection: appears if Scoping Method = Named Selection. Specify named

selection.

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 Composite Failure Tool (Group)

Sub Scope By: options include:

• Entire Section (default)

• Ply: If selected, a Ply property also displays that requires you to select a target ply
from the Modeling Ply object in the tree. The result calculation uses the intersection
of the specified Ply and the Geometry property scoping.

Definition Type: result type indication, can be changed within the same result category.
Options include:

• Inverse Reserve Factor (p. 1561)

• Safety Margin (p. 1561)

• Safety Factor (p. 1561)

Show Critical Failure Mode

Show Critical Layer

Threshold for Text Visualization: Value property.

By: options include Time and Result Set. These options enable you to visualize
the intermediate results by a time value or a result set.

Display Time: appears if By is set to Time.

Set Number: appears if By is set to Result Set.

Calculate Time History: currently, time history is not supported.

Suppressed: suppresses the object if set to Yes.

Integration Display Option: this property is a read-only indication of either Ply Maximum or
Point Results Elemental Maximum.
Results - Minimum
Read-only
status Maximum
indication of
result object. Minimum Occurs On

Maximum Occurs On
Information - Time
Read-only
status of Load Step
available
results. Substep

Iteration Number

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Objects Reference

Composite Sampling Point Tool (Group)

The Composite Sampling Point Tool is a post-processing tool for composite parts modeled with ANSYS
Composite PrepPost (ACP).

Refer to the ANSYS Composite PrepPost User's Guide for the complete workflow associated with com-
posite analyses as well as the Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560) section of the ANSYS Mechanical Help for
a description of the use of this tool.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Solution (p. 2211)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Composite Sampling

Point (p. 1981) object.

Insertion Options:

• Open the Toolbox drop-down menu on the

Solution Context tab (p. 24) and select the Com-
posite Sampling Point Tool.

• Right-click the Solution object or in the Geometry

window, select Insert > Composites, and then
select Composite Sampling Point Tool.

• This object can also be added using the right-click

Insert > Composites options when either the
Composite Failure Tool, Composite Sampling
Point Tool, or Composite Sampling Point objects
are selected.

Additional Related Information :

• Composite Sampling Point Tool

Application (p. 1564)

• Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560)

• Composite Failure Criteria Definitions (p. 1975)

• Imported Plies (p. 2078)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• The Insert menu provides the following options:

– Composites > Composite Sampling Point Tool

– Composites > Composite Failure Tool

– Composite Sampling Point

– User Defined Results (p. 1656)

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 Composite Sampling Point

– Commands (p. 1972)

• Evaluate All Results

• Export Text File: export result data to a text file.

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Type: Read-only field that displays the tool type - Composite Sampling Point Tool.
Reference Defined By: Read-only field that displays the how the object is defined - using Composite
Failure Criteria Definitions. This option is available as a function of a Composite Failure
Tool being promoted (p. 1562).

Composite Failure Criteria: This property provides a drop-down list of available Composite
Failure Criteria that have been promoted.

Composite Sampling Point

The Composite Sampling Point object enables you to plot composite part result data. The composite
parts are modeled with ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP). The result data for this object is obtained
from the results of a promoted Composite Failure Tool (p. 1980). When you promote a Composite
Failure Tool, the application automatically place a Composite Failure Criteria Definitions (p. 1975) object
in the tree that you then use to specify your desired result criteria.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Composite Sampling

Point Tool (p. 1980)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: This object does not

support child objects.

Insertion Options:

• Select the Composite Sampling Point Results

option on the Composite Sampling Point Context
tab.

• Right-click the Composite Sampling Point Tool

object and select Insert > Composite Sampling
Point.

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Objects Reference

• Right-click in the Geometry window and select

Insert > Composite Sampling Point.

• Right-click an existing Composite Sampling Point

object and select Insert > Composite Sampling
Point.

Additional Related Information :

• Composite Sampling Point Tool (p. 1564)

• Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Composite Sampling Point.

• Evaluate All Results

• Suppress

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Type: result type indication, can be changed within the same result category.
Options include:

By: options include Time and Result Set. These options enable you to visualize
the intermediate results by a time value or a result set.

Display Time: appears if By is set to Time.

Set Number: appears if By is set to Result Set.

Suppressed: suppresses the object if set to Yes.

Scope Geometry

X/Y/Z Coordinate

X/Y/Z Direction

Invert Direction
Information - Time
Read-only

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 Condensed Geometry

status of Load Step

available
results. Substep

Iteration Number

Condensed Geometry
This object contains all of the Condensed Part objects that you create.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Condensed Part

(p. 1984) and Solution Information (p. 2216)

Insertion Options: use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Model object:

• Select Condensed Geometry on the Model

Context tab (p. 14).

• Right-click the Model object and select

Insert>Condensed Geometry.

• Right-click in the Geometry window and then

select Insert>Condensed Geometry.

Additional Related Information:

• Working with Substructures (p. 1057)

• Condensed Part (p. 1057)

• Expansion Tool (p. 1063)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Condensed Part: Insert a new Condensed Part object.

• Insert > Solution Information: Insert a Solution Information object.

• Generate Condensed Parts: Automatically generate the interfaces for a Condensed Part object.

Note:

– When you generate condensed parts, the application uses the settings of the Distribute
Solution and the Max number of utilized cores options defined in the Advanced Settings
of the Solve Process Settings (p. 1716) dialog. You should use the same setting for the number
of cores for the generation process for all condensed parts as well as your solution.

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Objects Reference

– The generation process for condensed parts does not currently support the use of the Remote
Solve Manager (RSM).

• Create Automatic Condensed Parts: Automatically generate a Condensed Part object as well as the inter-
faces of the parts.

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete Children

• Rename

• Open Solver Files Directory

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) for the Condensed Geometry object contains only one category Transparency
and one property, Enabled. The default setting for the Enabled property is Yes. As desired you can
changes the setting to No. This property enables you to display the interior of the parts of your model.

Condensed Part
The Condensed Part object defines a set of bodies as a single superelement with the overall inertial
and flexibility behavior summarized on a reduced set of degrees of freedom. This allows flexible bodies
to participate in Rigid Dynamics solver, by exposing only the master nodes necessary to define applicable
joints, springs and other connections in the model. It also enables the synthesis of vibration behavior
of more complex structures by assembling Condensed Parts with other parts in Modal (p. 283), Rigid
Dynamics (p. 340), and Harmonic Response (p. 266) (MSUP) analyses.

Important:

Once you have scoped and generated Condensed Parts, any mesh modifications made to
the parts (p. 2154) of the model that do not belong to the generated Condensed Parts, do not
require you to regenerate the Condensed Parts. That is, Condensed Parts maintain an up-to-
date status following mesh changes to other model parts. However, there are mesh update
exceptions. If you subsequently apply one or more of the features listed below, your Con-
densed Parts become obsolete and need to be regenerated.

• Mesh Edit

• Element Orientation

• Mesh Numbering

And, Condensed Parts require regeneration if you make any geometry modifications in the
CAD application. This applies even if you have the Smart CAD Update option (SpaceClaim
only) of the Advanced Geometry Options in Geometry cell properties of the Project
Schematic. See the Geometry Preferences section in the CAD Integration documentation for
more information.

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 Condensed Part

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Condensed Geometry

(p. 1983).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Commands (p. 1972)

Insertion Options: use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Condensed
Geometry object:

• Select Condensed Part on the Condensed Geo-

metry Context tab.

• Select Create Automatic Condensed Parts via

the Condensed Geometry object.

• Right-click the Condensed Geometry object and

select Insert>Condensed Part.

• Right-click in the Geometry window and then

select Insert>Condensed Part.

Additional Related Information:

• Working with Substructures (p. 1057)

• Condensed Geometry (p. 1983)

• Expansion Tool (p. 1063)

• Expansion Settings on the Worksheet: see the

Expansion (p. 1063) section.

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• The Insert option provides the following selections:

– Condensed Part: insert a new Condensed Part object.

– Solution Information: insert a new Solution Information object (p. 1735).

– Commands: insert a new Commands object (p. 1823).

• Generate Condensed Parts: Perform a generation pass on the selected Condensed Part object(s).

Important:

– Once you have scoped and generated Condensed Parts, any mesh modifications made to the
parts (p. 2154) of the model that do not belong to the generated Condensed Parts, do not require
you to regenerate the Condensed Parts. That is, Condensed Parts maintain an up-to-date status
following mesh changes to other model parts. However, there are a few exceptions. If you
have imported your model using external systems, External Model and/or Mechanical Model
systems, any geometry modifications to geometries not specified as a Condensed Part, do

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Objects Reference

cause the Condensed Parts to become obsolete and require regeneration. In addition, the use
of features such as Mesh Edit, Element Orientation, or Mesh Numbering objects cause up-
to-date Condensed Parts to become obsolete and require regeneration.

– The generation of Condensed Parts is performed using the Distribute Solution and the Max
number of utilized cores options defined in the Advanced Settings of the Solve Process
Settings (p. 1716) dialog. It is recommended that you use the same number of cores for generating
all condensed parts and solving the analysis.

– Solution processing using the Remote Solve Manager (RSM) is currently not supported.

• Detect Condensed Part Interface: Automatically generate the interfaces for a Condensed Part object.

Note:

– Imported loads and connections are not automatically detected as interfaces. You need
to add the corresponding master nodes via a Named Selection on the Condensed Part
Worksheet.

– Loads that can be scoped to bodies, such as Acceleration, are not detected automatically
as interfaces if the loads are scoped to condensed part(s).

• Suppress

• Duplicate

• Copy

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

• Open Solver Files Directory

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method: Geometry (default) or Named Selection.

Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry. Displays the type
of geometry (Body only) and the number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body)
for your selections.

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 Condensed Part

Category Properties
Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection. This
field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.
Defini- Scope Mode: Read-only property indicating the scoping mode (Manual).
tion
Suppressed

Environment Temperature: The default setting is 22°C. Used for the evaluation of
temperature-dependent material properties. In addition, this value is used as the
material reference temperature for the condensed part bodies.

Physics Type: Read-only property indicating the physics type (Structural).

Matrix Reduction Method: Read-only property indicating the Component Mode

Synthesis (CMS) method - the only available method.

Number of Modes to Use: This property displays the number of modes to be used
for the generation pass solve.

Interface Method: Options include Fixed (default) or Free.

Limit Search to Range: Options include Yes or No (default). If set to Yes, the Range
Minimum, and Range Maximum properties display.

Range Minimum: Defines the minimum frequency for the specified CMS modes.

Range Maximum: Defines the maximum frequency for the specified CMS modes.

Added Mass Treatment: This property specifies how the added masses (from Point
Masses (p. 658) and Distributed Masses (p. 660)) are treated by the Condensed Part.
Options include Internal and On Interface (default).
Inter- Number of Interfaces: Read-only display of the number of interface entries detected
faces by the application.

Number of Master Nodes: Read-only display of the number of superelement master

nodes resulting from interfaces.
Analys- These properties mimic Analysis Settings (p. 1109) for Analysis Data Management.
is Data See the Analysis Data Management (p. 1160) section of the Help for additional
Man- information.
age-
ment Solver Files Directory: Read-only property indicating the location of the solution
files for this analysis.

Future Analysis: Options include ANSYS Rigid Dynamics or None (default).

Solver Units: Options include Active System (default) or Manual.

Solver Unit System: This property is based on the setting of the Solver Units property.
It is read-only if Active System is selected, otherwise you can select the system when
the property is set to Manual.

Generate Damping Matrix: Options include Program Controlled (default), Yes, and
No. Selecting Program Controlled or Yes generates stiffness, mass, and damping

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Objects Reference

Category Properties
matrices. When you select No, the application generates only stiffness and mass
matrices and does not generate damping matrices. Refer to the SEOPT command in
the Mechanical APDL Command Reference for more details.
Statist- Number of Master Nodes: This read-only property becomes available (only) when
ics you generate (generation pass) the Condensed Part object. It displays the number
of master nodes generated for the part. The value of this property gets updated only
when you execute the Generate Condensed Part operation again.

Connections
Defines connections between two or more parts or bodies. Includes global settings in Details view that
apply to all Contact Region (p. 1994), Spot Weld (p. 2217), Body Interaction (p. 1966) (for explicit dynamics
analyses), Joint (p. 2104), Spring (p. 2218), and Beam (p. 1953) child objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Beam (p. 1953), Body

Interactions (p. 1964), Comment (p. 1974), Connec-
tion Group (p. 1990) (including those named Con-
tacts, and Joints; Contact Tool (p. 1565), Fig-
ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046), Joint (p. 2104), Solution
Information (p. 2216), Spot Weld (p. 2217),
Spring (p. 2218),

Insertion Options:

• Automatically inserted in the tree if connection

is detected when model is attached.

• For setting connections manually, use any of the

following methods after highlighting Mod-
el (p. 2139) object:

– Click Connections option on Model Context

tab (p. 14).

– Right-click on Model (p. 2139) object or in the

Geometry window> Insert> Connections.

Note:

These options are not available

if a Connections object already
exists in the tree.

Additional Related Information:

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 Connections

• Beams (p. 1045)

• Body Interactions

• Connections Overview (p. 885)

• Automatically Generated Connections (p. 895)

• Contact Region Settings (p. 902)

• Resolving Overlapping Contact Regions

• Contact Ease of Use Features (p. 935)

• Contact Tool and Results (p. 1565)

• Contact Options Preferences (p. 138)

• Joints (p. 958)

• Spot Welds (p. 1047)

• Springs (p. 1037)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Create Automatic Connections (p. 895) - available only if at least one Connection Group folder is present.

• Check Overlapping Contact Regions

• Redundancy Analysis (p. 1035) - available if at least one Joint object is present.

• Enable/Disable Transparency (p. 936)

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs (p. 895)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 1692)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Auto Detec- Generate Automatic Connection On Refresh (p. 886)
tion (p. 895)
Transpar- Enabled
ency
(p. 936)

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Objects Reference

Connection Group
This object defines connections among selected bodies. Includes global settings in Details view that
apply to all Contact Region or Joint (p. 2104) child objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Connections (p. 1988)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Contact Region (p. 1994), Figure (p. 2027), Im-
age (p. 2046), Joint (p. 2104)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Connec-
tions (p. 1988) object:

• Click Connection Group on the Connections

Context tab (p. 16).

• Right-click on Connections (p. 1988) object (or on

another Connection Group object), or in the
Geometry window; then Insert> Connection
Group.

• Insert a Contact Region (p. 1994), or Joint (p. 2104)

object. A separate parent Connection Group
object is created automatically for each of these
two types of objects, and is renamed Contacts
or Joints accordingly.

Additional Related Information:

• Automatically Generated Connections (p. 895)

• Resolving Overlapping Contact Regions

• Contact Region Settings (p. 902)

• Joints (p. 958)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Check Overlapping Contact Regions

• Create Automatic Connections (p. 895)

• Enable/Disable Transparency (p. 936)

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs (p. 895)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 1692)

• Delete Children

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 Connection Group

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Connection Type (p. 895)
Scope Scoping Method

Geometry: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the
Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection.

Source Assembly: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Source Assembly
(Only applicable for Assembled External and Mechanical Models (p. 721)).
Auto Detec- Tolerance Type (p. 891)
tion (p. 895)
Tolerance Slider (p. 891)

Tolerance Value (p. 891)

Use Range (p. 891)

Min Distance Percentage (p. 891)

Min Distance Value (p. 891)

Face/Face (p. 892)

Face/Face Angle Tolerance: This property is visible when the Face/Face property
is set to Yes. When working with Face/Face automatic contact detection, this
property enables you to define the minimum angle between two face normals.
This minimum angle is the threshold below which the application will ignore the
faces from proximity detection. The default value is 75°, the minimum value is 0°,
and the maximum value is 90°
(perpendicular).

Face Overlap Tolerance (p. 892): Appears only for contact groups when Face/Face
is set to Yes.

Cylindrical Faces (3D Only): This property is only visible when the Connection
Type property is set to Contact and the Face/Face property is set to Yes. Options
include:

• Include (default). Includes contacts that involve cylindrical faces in the detection.

• Exclude. Excludes contacts that involve cylindrical faces from the detection

• Only. Detects only contacts that involve cylindrical faces

Face/Edge (p. 892): Only displays for contact groups.

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Category Property/Description
Edge Overlap Tolerance (p. 892): Only displays for contact groups when Face/Edge
is set to Yes, Only Solid Body Edges, or Only Surface Body Edges.

Edge/Edge (p. 892): Only displays for contact groups.

Priority (p. 894): Only displays for contact groups.

Group By (p. 894)

Search Across (p. 895)

Revolute Joints (p. 1028): Only displays for joint groups.

Fixed Joints (p. 1028): Only displays for joint groups.

Statistics Connections: displays the number of connections associated with this parent
object.

Active Connections: displays the number of connections that are currently active
for this parent object (i.e., not Suppressed).

Construction Geometry
Houses one or more Path (p. 2158), Surface (p. 2228), Solid (p. 2210), and/or STL (p. 2221) objects. You can
apply results to paths and surfaces that you define.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Fig-

ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046), Path (p. 2158), Sur-
face (p. 2228), or Solid (p. 2210), and STL (p. 2221).

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Model (p. 2139) object:

• Open the Construction Geometry drop-down

menu on the Model Context tab (p. 14) and select
Path, Surface, Solid, or STL.

• Right-click on the Model (p. 2139) object or in the

Geometry window and select
Insert>Construction Geometry>
Path/Surface/Solid/STL.

Note:

The Model folder can contain only one

Construction Geometry object.

Additional Related Information:

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 Contact Debonding

• Specifying Construction Geometry (p. 867)

• Path Object Reference (p. 2158)

• Surface Object Reference (p. 2228)

• Solid Object Reference (p. 2210)

• STL Object Reference (p. 2221)

Contact Debonding
The Contact Debonding object defines contact regions along a contact interface that will separate.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Fracture (p. 2029)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Fracture object:

• Click the Contact Debonding option on the

Fracture Context tab (p. 18).

• Right-click on the Fracture (p. 2029) object, Inter-

face Delamination (p. 2102) object, or Contact
Debonding object and select Insert>Contact
Debonding.

Additional Related Information:

• Interface Delamination and Contact

Debonding (p. 1101)

• Fracture Analysis (p. 1069)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Interface Delamination (p. 1102)

• Insert>Contact Debonding (p. 1105)

• Insert > SMART Crack Growth (p. 1095)

• Suppress

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
Definition Type - Read-only field that describes the object - Contact Debonding.
Method - Read-only field that describes the formulation used to
introduce the fracture mechanism - Cohesive Zone Material (CZM)
model.
Material - Fly-out menu for Material selection or specification. Materials
are specified in Engineering Data.
Suppressed - Includes or excludes the object in the analysis.
Scope Contact Region - Specify the Contact Region of the contact interface
that is associated with the Contact Debonding object. The properties
for the contact elements require that the contact Type (p. 907) be
Bonded or No Separation contact and that the Formulation (p. 913)
is specified as the Augmented Lagrange method or the Pure Penalty
method.

Contact Region
Defines conditions for individual contact and target pairs. Several Contact Regions can appear as child
objects under a Connection Group (p. 1990) object. The Connection Group object name automatically
changes to Contacts.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Connection Group (p. 1990)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Commands (p. 1972), Comment (p. 1974), Fig-
ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods after highlighting

Connections (p. 1988) or Connection Group (p. 1990) object:

• Inserted automatically if you choose Create Automatic Connections through

a right mouse click Connections (or Contacts) object.

• Click Contact on Connections Context tab (p. 16) and choose a contact type.

• Right-click on Connections (p. 1988) (or Connection Group (p. 1990)) object or
in the Geometry window; then Insert> Manual Contact Region.

Additional Related Information:

• Contact Region Settings (p. 902)

• Automatically Generated Connections (p. 895)

• Global Connection Settings (p. 885) - See the Connections Folder (p. 885) and
Connection Group Folder (p. 889) sections.

• Connections Context (p. 16)

• Setting Contact Conditions Manually (p. 934)

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 Contact Region

• Contact Ease of Use Features (p. 935)

• Contact Tool and Results (p. 1565)

• Contact Options Preferences (p. 138)

• Interface Delamination using ANSYS Composite PrepPost (ACP) (p. 1105)

• Mesh Connections

• Contact Matches

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Create: When you select a Contact Region object (or multiple Contact Region objects), the Create context
menu option provides the following additional options:

Contact Sizing
This option enables you to create a Contact Sizing control under the Mesh folder.

Contact Tool
This option enables you to create a Contact Tool under the Connections folder. The application auto-
matically scopes the tool to the selected Contact Region(s) only.

Mesh Contact(s) or Connection(s)

This option enables you to create Mesh Connection and Contact Match objects from Contact Regions.
The application scopes the new Mesh Connection or Contact Match objects to the geometries of the
Contact Region(s) and sets the tolerance to be equal to the trim tolerance of the contact region. The
Mesh Connections and Contact Matches are added into new Mesh Connection Group and Contact
Match Group folders.

Environment Submenu
The Create option provides a submenu of options to create specific result objects for environments
that include the options shown below. The application inserts the corresponding object under the
Solution folder for the selected environment and automatically scopes the object to the Contact Region
(or Contact Regions).

– Force Reaction

– Moment Reaction

– Contact Tracker

– Contact Tool

• Enable/Disable Transparency (p. 936)

• Hide All Other Bodies (p. 938)

• Flip Contact/Target (p. 939)

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs (p. 895)

• Go To Connections for Duplicate Pairs (p. 895): available if connection object shares the same geometries
with other connection objects.

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Objects Reference

• Save Contact Region Settings (p. 940)

• Load Contact Region Settings (p. 940)

• Reset to Default (p. 941)

• Promote to Named Selection (p. 776)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938)

Object Properties
Choose the object properties below that apply to your analysis type.
Object Properties - Most Structural Analyses
Object Properties - Explicit Dynamics Analyses
Object Properties - Thermal and Electromagnetic Analyses
Object Properties - Rigid Body Dynamics Analyses

Object Properties - Most Structural Analyses

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope (p. 903) Scoping Method (p. 903)

Interface: displays when the Scoping Method is set to Pre-Generated

Interface.

Contact (p. 903)

Target (p. 904)

Contact Bodies (p. 904)

Target Bodies (p. 904)

Beam-Beam Detection (p. ?)

Protected (p. 905)

Contact Shell Face (p. 904): appears for surface bodies.

Target Shell Face (p. 904): appears for surface bodies.

Definition (p. 903) Type (p. 907)

Friction Coefficient (p. 908) - if Type = Frictional

Scope Mode (p. 908)

Behavior (p. 909)

Trim Contact (p. 910)

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 Contact Region

Category Property/Description
Trim Tolerance - if Trim Contact is set to On.

Suppressed (p. 63)

Advanced (p. 903) Formulation (p. 913)

Detection Method (p. 915)

Penetration Tolerance (p. 916)

Elastic Slip Tolerance (p. 917)

Normal Stiffness (p. 919)

Normal Stiffness Factor (p. 919) - if Normal Stiffness = Manual

Constraint Type (p. 918) - if Formulation = MPC and scoping of Contact

Bodies or Target Bodies is to a surface body.

Update Stiffness (p. 920) - if Formulation = Augmented Lagrange or

Pure Penalty

Stabilization Damping Factor (p. 922) - Helps reduce the risk of rigid
body motion. Available for Frictionless, Rough, and Frictional contact
types.

Thermal Conductance (p. 922)

Pinball Region (p. 923)

Pinball Radius (p. 924) - if Pinball Region = Radius

Electric Conductance (p. 924)

Electric Conductance Value - if Electric Conductance = Manual

Time Step Controls (p. 924) - if Type = Frictionless, Rough, or Frictional

Restitution Factor (p. 925) - Rigid Body Dynamics Solver Only

Material - if Formulation (p. 913) = Beam

Radius - if Formulation (p. 913) = Beam

Geometric Modi- Interface Treatment (p. 926)
fication (p. 926)
Offset (p. 927) - if Interface Treatment = Add Offset

Contact Geometry Correction (p. 928). Supporting properties include:

• Orientation

• Mean Pitch Diameter

• Pitch Distance

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
• Thread Angle

• Thread Type

• Handedness

Basics of Contact Region object (p. 1994)

Object Properties - Explicit Dynamics Analyses

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope (p. 903) Scoping Method (p. 903)
Contact (p. 903)
Target (p. 904)
Contact Bodies (p. 904)
Target Bodies (p. 904)
Definition Type
Friction Coefficient - if Type = Frictional
Dynamic Coefficient - if Type = Frictional
Decay Constant - if Type = Frictional
Scope Mode (p. 908)
Behavior (p. 909)
Maximum Offset - if Type = Bonded
Breakable - if Type = Bonded
Normal Stress Limit - if Type = Bonded and Breakable = Stress
Criteria
Normal Stress Exponent - if Type = Bonded and Breakable = Stress
Criteria
Shear Stress Limit - if Type = Bonded and Breakable = Stress Cri-
teria
Shear Stress Exponent - if Type = Bonded and Breakable = Stress
Criteria
Suppressed (p. 63)

Basics of Contact Region object (p. 1994)

Object Properties - Thermal and Electromagnetic Analyses

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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 Contact Region

Category Property/Description
Scope (p. 903) Scoping Method (p. 903)
Contact (p. 903)
Target (p. 904)
Contact Bodies (p. 904)
Target Bodies (p. 904)
Contact Shell Face (p. 904) - appears for surface bodies.
Target Shell Face (p. 904) - appears for surface bodies.
Definition (p. 903) Type (p. 907)
Friction Coefficient (p. 908) - if Type = Frictional
Scope Mode (p. 908)
Behavior (p. 909)
Suppressed (p. 63)
Advanced (p. 903) Formulation (p. 913)
Constraint Type (p. 918) - if Formulation = MPC and scoping of
Contact Bodies or Target Bodies is to a surface body.
Interface Treatment (p. 926)
Offset (p. 927) - if Interface Treatment = Add Offset.
Normal Stiffness (p. 919) (Magnetostatic analyses and all thermal
analyses) - if Formulation = Augmented Lagrange, Pure Penalty,
or MPC.
Normal Stiffness Factor (p. 919) (Magnetostatic analyses and all
thermal analyses) - if Normal Stiffness = Manual
Update Stiffness (p. 920) (Magnetostatic analyses and all thermal
analyses) - if Formulation = Augmented Lagrange, Pure Penalty,
or MPC.
Thermal Conductance (p. 922) (Magnetostatic analyses and all
thermal analyses)
Thermal Conductance Value (p. 923) (Magnetostatic analyses and
all thermal analyses) - if Thermal Conductance = Manual.
Electrical Conductance (p. 924) (Electric and Magnetostatic analyses)
Electrical Conductance Value (p. 924) (Electric and Magnetostatic
analyses) - if Electric Conductance = Manual.
Pinball Region (p. 923)
Pinball Radius (p. 924) - if Pinball Region = Radius.
Time Step Controls (p. 924) - if Type = Frictionless, Rough, or
Frictional.

Basics of Contact Region object (p. 1994)

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Objects Reference

Object Properties - Rigid Body Dynamics Analyses

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Fields/Conditions
Scope (p. 903) Scoping Method (p. 903)
Contact (p. 903)
Target (p. 904)
Contact Bodies (p. 904)
Target Bodies (p. 904)
Contact Shell Face (p. 904) - appears for surface bodies.
Target Shell Face (p. 904) - appears for surface bodies.
Definition (p. 903) Type (p. 907)
Advanced (p. 903) Restitution Factor (p. 925)
Statistics Connections: displays the number of connections associated with this
parent object.

Active Connections: displays the number of connections that are currently

active for this parent object (i.e., not Suppressed).

Basics of Contact Region object (p. 1994)

Contact Tool (Group)

Determines contact conditions on an assembly both before loading and as part of the final solution.

Applies to the following objects: Contact Tool (p. 1565), Frictional Stress (p. 1535), Gap (p. 1535), Initial
Information (p. 1570), Penetration (p. 1535), Pressure (p. 1535), Sliding Distance (p. 1535), Status (p. 1535)

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects:

– For Contact Tool: Connections (p. 1988), Solution (p. 2211)

– For Frictional Stress, Pressure, Sliding Distance, and Fluid Pressure:

Contact Tool under Solution (p. 2211) object

– For Gap, Penetration, and Status: Contact Tool under Connections (p. 1988)
object or Solution (p. 2211) object

– For Initial Information: Contact Tool under Connections (p. 1988) object
only

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

– For Contact Tool under Connections (p. 1988) object: Comment (p. 1974), Gap,
Image (p. 2046), Initial Information, Penetration, Status

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 Contact Tool (Group)

– For Contact Tool under Solution (p. 2211) object: Comment (p. 1974), Gap,
Frictional Stress, Image (p. 2046), Penetration, Pressure, Sliding Distance,
Fluid Pressure, Status

– For Frictional Stress, Gap, Penetration, Pressure, Sliding Distance, and

Fluid Pressure: Alert (p. 1944), Comment (p. 1974), Convergence (p. 2002), Fig-
ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

– For Initial Information: Comment (p. 1974), Image (p. 2046)

– For Status: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

• To insert a Contact Tool under Connections (p. 1988) object, use any of the
following once you have selected the Connections object:

– Select the Contact Tool option from the Contact group of the Connections
Context Tab (p. 16).

– Right-click and select Insert > Contact Tool.

– Right-click in the Geometry window and select Insert > Contact Tool.

• To insert a Contact Tool under Solution (p. 2211) object, use any of the following
methods once you have selected the Solution object:

– Select the Contact Tool option from the Toolbox drop-down menu of the
Solution Context Tab (p. 24).

– Right-click and select Insert > Contact Tool > Contact Tool.

– Right-click in the Geometry window and select Insert > Contact Tool >
Contact Tool.

Additional Related Information:

• Connections Context (p. 16)

• Contact Overview (p. 898)

• Contact Settings (p. 902)

• Setting Contact Conditions Manually (p. 934)

• Contact Ease of Use Features (p. 935)

• Contact Tool and Results (p. 1565)

• Contact Options Preferences (p. 138)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Generate Initial Contact Results (p. 1565) - available for Contact Tool and all child objects when the Contact
Tool is inserted under a Connections (p. 1988) object.

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Objects Reference

• Evaluate All Results (p. 1501) - available for Contact Tool and all child objects when the Contact Tool is
inserted under a Solution (p. 2211) object.

Object Properties
For more information on this object's properties, see the Contact Tool (p. 1565) section.

Convergence
This object controls the relative accuracy of a solution by refining solution results on a particular area
of a model. The Convergence object is applicable to Static Structural, Modal, Eigenvalue Buckling,
Steady-State Thermal, and Magnetostatic analyses.

The Convergence object has a number of requirements (p. 1756) associated with it's use. See the Adaptive
Convergence (p. 1752) section for a listing of all usage requirements.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Several result objects (p. 2191).

Insertion Options: Right-click on a result object (p. 2191) and select Insert
> Convergence. When a result object is active, you can also right-click in
the Geometry window and select Insert > Convergence.

Additional Related Information:

• Adaptive Convergence (p. 1752)

• Error (Structural) (p. 1523)

• Error (Thermal) (p. 1624)

• Mechanical Options - Convergence (p. 143)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Type (p. 1752)

Allowable Change (p. 1752)

Results Last Change: Read-only indication of the most recent change in convergence.

Converged: Read-only indication of the convergence state (Yes or No).

Coordinate System
Represents a local coordinate system that you can add under a Coordinate Systems (p. 2006) object.

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 Coordinate System

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Coordinate Systems (p. 2006)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods after you select
either the Coordinate Systems (p. 2006) folder object, the Global Coordin-
ate System (p. 2045) object, or any another child Coordinate System object:

• Select the Coordinate System option from the Insert group of the Coordinate
System tab.

• Right-click and select Insert > Coordinate System.

• Select the Coordinate System option from the Insert group of the Home
tab.

Additional Related Information:

• Setting Up Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

• Creating Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Coordinate System

• Create Section Plane (p. 198)

• Create Construction Surface (p. 872)

• Suppress

• Duplicate

• Cut/Copy

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Type
Cartesian or Cylindrical.

Coordinate System
Program Controlled or Manual.

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Objects Reference

These options assign the coordinate system reference number

automatically or manually. If you specify Manual, the Coordinate
System ID property displays. Enter a value greater than or equal to
12. Coordinate systems must have a unique ID.

APDL Name
When using the Mechanical APDL solver, this text-based field enables you
to create an APDL parameter (in the input file) and assign its value to the
reference number of the coordinate system. This facilitates easy
programmatic identification of the coordinate system for later use/reference
in a Command object (p. 1823).

Suppressed
Yes or No (default). Suppressing a coordinate system removes the object
from further treatment, and writes no data to the input deck, and causes
any objects scoped to the coordinate system to become underdefined
(therefore invalidating solutions).

Origin Define By
Geometry Selection, Named Selection or Global Coordinates.

• Geometry Selection - Default setting, indicating that the coordinate

system is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
a graphical selection tools.

When the Define By is set to Geometry Selection, the Geometry

property displays. This property displays the type of geometry
(Body, Face, etc.) and the number of geometric entities (for
example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary has been applied
using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: when this property is selected, the geometry selection

is defined by a Named Selection.

When the Define By is set to Named Selection, another Named

Selection property displays. This field provides a drop-down list
of available user-defined Named Selections.

• Global Coordinates

This selection allows you to specify the coordinate system origin

using the Location property in tandem with the Hit Point
Coordinate feature on the Graphics Toolbar (p. 49) or by entering
Origin X, Origin Y, and Origin Z coordinate values directly to
define the origin of the coordinate system.

Origin X
X location on the coordinate axis from the (0, 0, 0) location.

Origin Y
Y location on the coordinate axis from the (0, 0, 0) location.

Origin Z
Z location on the coordinate axis from the (0, 0, 0) location.

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 Coordinate System

Location
This property is visible when the Define By is set to Global Coordinates.
It enables you to change the location of the coordinate system based on
a geometry selection (vertex, edge, or face).

Principal Axis (p. 880) Axis: X, Y, or Z

Define the Principal Axis vector with respect to one of these planes.

Define By
Property options include:

Geometry Selection
Fixed Vector
Global X Axis
Global Y Axis
Global Z Axis
Hit Point Normal

Orientation About Axis

Principal Axis (p. 880) Based on the Principal Axis, define the Orientation About Principal Axis
vector with respect to the X, Y, or Z plane.

Define By
Property options include:

Default
Geometry Selection
Global X
Global Y
Global Z
Fixed Vector

Directional Vectors X Axis Data

A read-only mathematical representation, in matrix form, showing of the
X vector orientation in space.

Y Axis Data
A read-only mathematical representation, in matrix form, showing of the
Y vector orientation in space.

Z Axis Data
A read-only mathematical representation, in matrix form, showing of the
Z vector orientation in space.

Transformations (p. 880) Base Configuration

Read-only property - Absolute.

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Objects Reference

Transformation Features
The following properties can be added to the active coordinate system
object from the Coordinate System Context (p. 21). They enable you to
change the location and rotation of the original definition of the coordinate
system. These properties are order-dependent and that order may be
modified using the Move Up and Move Down features of the Coordinate
System Context (p. 21).

Offset X
Offset Y
Offset Z
Rotate X
Rotate Y
Rotate Z
Flip X
Flip Y
Flip Z

Transformation Configuration
Read-only property that displays the transformed coordinate point locations
from the origin.

Coordinate Systems (Group)

Houses any new coordinate systems that can include a Global Coordinate System (p. 2045) object and
local Coordinate System (p. 2002) objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Coordinate System (p. 2002),
Figure (p. 2027), Global Coordinate System (p. 2045), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: The Coordinate Systems object is automatically inserted

into the tree.

Note:

Only one Coordinate Systems (Parent) object is valid per

Model (p. 2139).

Additional Related Information:

• Setting Up Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

• Creating Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

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 Cross Sections

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Coordinate System

• Rename

Cross Sections
The Cross Sections folder holds Cross Section objects (p. 2008). Typically, when you import line bodies,
Mechanical reads whether each body has an associated cross section. Cross section data is presented
as a Cross Section object following import. Imported line bodies can include data for multiple cross
sections. In addition, you can use the options of the Cross Section Context tab (p. 20) to manually
define cross sections. or modify the values of your imported cross section(s).

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: The Cross Sections

object automatically includes one or more child
objects (Cross Section Objects (p. 2008)) that include
the associated cross section data defined in the
upstream system.

Insertion Options: The application

automatically inserts this object as well as its
associated child objects.

Additional Related Information:

• Line Bodies (p. 650)

• Cross Section Objects (p. 2008)

The following context (right-click) menu options are available for this object:

• Insert > [available types of cross sections]

• Delete

• Rename

Object Properties
This object's Details includes only the Statistics category with the property Cross Sections that displays
the number of objects contained in the folder.

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Objects Reference

Cross Section Objects

The application automatically generates cross section objects when you import a line body that includes
cross sectional data. For each imported cross section, there is an associated cross section object that
displays the cross section type specified in a CAD application as well as via External Model. These objects
are contained in the Cross Sections folder (p. 2007) and provide data for the associated CAD cross section
specifications of your imported line body. You can modify cross section Dimension values in the Details
of the object(s).

And as illustrated below, you can use the options of the Cross Section Context menu (p. 20) to manually
define cross sections. Included with the context tab options is a Profile option. This option displays a
window that enables you to view the cross section dimensions as you make entries and upon completion.

Note:

You may wish to review the SECTYPE and SECDATA commands. These commands send
cross section data to the MAPDL solver.

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 Cross Section Objects

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Cross Sections

(p. 2007).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Not applicable.

Insertion Options: The application

automatically inserts available imported cross
sections. You can also manually insert and
define cross section objects.

Additional Related Information:

• Line Bodies (p. 650)

• Cross Section (ANSYS DesignModeler User's

Guide)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Insert > [available types of cross sections]

• Duplicate

• Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Type: This property displays the Element type used by the cross section.

Import Type: This property displays whether the cross section was imported or defined manual
Dimensions The various Dimensions properties (R, B, H, etc.) are based on your selected cross section type. S
Cross Section Types section as well as the individual cross section type sections of the ANSYS
DesignModeler User's Guide for more information about dimensions. Also refer to the SpaceClaim
Modeler documentation for additional cross section information.

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
Rectangular I Section Hat
Section
Circular Z
Section Rectangular
Circular Tube
Tube L
Section User
Channel Integrated
Section T
Section User
Defined

Physical Prop- The Physical Properties category provides the following read-only properties that display the a
erties cross section information provided by the upstream system (i.e., CAD application/External Mode

• A: This property displays the Area of the cross section.

• Iyy: This property displays moment of inertia about the Y axis.

• Izz: This property displays moment of inertia about the Z axis.

Note:

DesignModeler uses a different cross section coordinate system than Mechanical (MAPDL
solver). Mechanical displays Izz whereas DesignModeler displays Ixx. In DesignModeler,
the cross section lies in the XYPlane and the Z direction corresponds to the edge tangent.
In the Mechanical environment, the cross section lies in the YZ plane and uses the X
direction as the edge tangent. This difference in orientation has no bearing on the
analysis.

External Model Line Body

For line body meshes imported through External Model, the following additional properties
included in the source file:

• Transverse Shear Stiffness XY

• Transverse Shear Stiffness XZ

See the Cross Section Types section of the ANSYS DesignModeler User's Guide for additional infor
about these properties. You can also refer to the SpaceClaim Direct Modeler documentation for
cross section information.

Distributed Mass
3D analyses only. This feature enables you to distribute additional mass across faces or edges on your
model. It can be scoped to flexible parts only (Stiffness Behavior = Flexible).

It is supported for the following Mechanical systems: Eigenvalue Buckling, Modal (including pre-stress
effects), Harmonic Response (Full, linked MSUP, pre-stressed, and standalone), Random Vibration, Response
Spectrum, Static Structural, and Transient Structural (standalone and linked MSUP).

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 Distributed Mass

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Geometry (p. 2040)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Geometry (p. 2040)
object or Part (p. 2154) object:

• Select Distributed Mass option from the Mass

group on the Geometry Context tab (p. 19).

• Right-click the Geometry (p. 2040) object, Part

object, Body object, or in the Geometry window>
Insert> Distributed Mass.

Additional Related Information: Distributed

Mass (p. 660) application.

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Element Orientation

• Insert > Point Mass

• Insert > Distributed Mass

• Insert > Surface Coating

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method: specify as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.

Geometry: Displayed when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection

(default). Displays the type of geometry (Face or Edge only) and the number
of faces to which the Distributed Mass has been applied using the selection

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Objects Reference

Category Properties
tools. Use the Face or Edge selection filter to pick geometry, click in the
Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available face- or edge-based
user-defined Named Selections.
Definition Mass Type: The options for this property are Total Mass and Mass per Unit
Area. Once selected addition entry properties are required, including:

• Total Mass (default): Specify the total mass applied to the scoped geometric
entities. This property can be designated as a parameter.

• Mass per Unit Area: Specify the mass per unit area. This property can be
designated as a parameter.

Suppressed

Direct FE (Group)
Defines the node-based boundary conditions that are used in the Environment object of a model.

Applies to the following objects : Nodal Orientation (p. 1403), Nodal Force (p. 1404), Nodal Pres-
sure (p. 1406), Nodal Displacement (p. 1409), and Nodal Rotation (p. 1411).

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Environment

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

– Nodal Orientation

– Nodal Force

– Nodal Pressure

– Nodal Displacement

– Nodal Rotation

– EM Transducer

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Environ-
ment (p. 2017) object:

• Click Direct FE on the Environment Context

tab (p. 23).

• Right-click on Environment object or in the Geo-

metry window; then Insert> {load type}.

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 Drop Height

Object Properties
See the Direct FE (p. 1402) section for more information about the load options as well as Details View
properties.

Drop Height
This object applies a velocity as an initial condition by calculating the velocity at which an object would
be traveling if dropped from rest from a specified height.

Available for use in an Explicit Dynamics analysis.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Initial Conditions

(p. 2098)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Initial Condi-
tions (p. 2040) object:

• Click Drop Height on the Initial Conditions

Context tab.

• Right-click the Initial Conditions (p. 2098) tree

object or in the Geometry window Insert > Drop
Height.

Additional Related Information:

• Define Initial Conditions

• Using the Drop Test Wizard

• Explicit Dynamics Analysis Guide Overview

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that you apply the

feature to one or more bodies, which are chosen using graphical
selection tools.

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Objects Reference

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping property is set to Geometry

Selection. In this case, use selection filters to pick geometry, click the
Geometry field, then click Apply.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by

a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping property is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of the available Named
Selections.

Definition Input Type: choose either Angular Velocity, Drop Height, or Velocity.

Define By: this property defines how the drop height is specified.

• Drop Height:

– Drop Height: Visible when the Define by property is set to Drop

Height. Height from which object will be dropped from rest prior to
start of the analysis.

• Impact Velocity:

– Impact Velocity: Visible when the Define by property is set to Impact

Velocity. Magnitude of initial velocity.

Coordinate System: Use this property to specify the desired coordinate

system.

Direction: Direction in which initial velocity is applied.

Element Orientation
This object is used to modify the coordinate system of individual solid and shell elements.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Geometry (p. 2040)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Geo-
metry (p. 2040) object:

• Click Element Orientation option on the Geo-

metry Context tab (p. 19).

• Right-click on the Geometry (p. 2040) object or in

the Geometry window and select Insert>Element
Orientation.

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 Element Orientation

Additional Related Information:

• Element Orientation (p. 739)

• Setting Up Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

• Geometry Context (p. 19)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Element Orientation

• Generate Orientations

• Suppress

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Clear Generated Data

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that you apply the

feature to one or more bodies, which are chosen using graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping property is set to Geometry

Selection. Geometry scoping supports Body selection and direct
element selection (p. 186) (mesh required). Displays the type of
geometry (Body or Element) and the number of geometric entities
(for example: 1 Body, 2 Elements) to which you have scoped the
geometry.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by

a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping property is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of the available
geometry-based or element-based (p. 186) Named Selections.

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Objects Reference

Definition Defined By: this property defines how the orientation is specified.
Options include Surface and Edge Guide (default) and Coordinate
System.

Suppressed (p. 63)

Coordinate System: this option becomes available when you set the
Defined By property to Coordinate System. Use this property to specify
the desired coordinate system.
Surface Guide Scoping – Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

(Surface and Edge Geometry: face selection, either geometry or named selection.
Guide option only)
Axis: specify the axis (+/- X, +/- Y, or +/- Z) that aligns with the Surface
Guide normal.
Edge Guide Scoping – Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

(Surface and Edge Geometry: edge selection, either geometry or named selection.
Guide option only)
Axis: specify the axis (+/- X, +/- Y, or +/- Z) that aligns tangentially with
the Edge Guide.

End Release
Allows chosen DOFs to be released on a vertex between line bodies.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Connections (p. 1988)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods after highlighting

Connections (p. 1988) object:

• Click End Release on the Connections Context tab (p. 16).

• Right-click on Connections (p. 1988) object or in the Geometry window; then

Insert> End Release.

Additional Related Information:

• End Releases (p. 1048)

• Connections Context (p. 16)

The following right-click context menu option is available for this object.

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938) (1)

(1) - Description for Contact Region object also applies to Mesh Connection object.

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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 Environment (Group)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Conditions
Scope (p. 1048) Scoping Method – Geometry Selection or Named Selection.
Edge Geometry
Vertex Geometry
Definition (p. 1048) Coordinate System
Translation X
Translation Y
Translation Z
Rotation X
Rotation Y
Rotation Z
Behavior
Suppressed (p. 63)

Environment (Group)
An environment object holds all analysis related objects in a given Model (p. 2139) object. The default
name of the environment object is the same as the name of the analysis type (p. 243). All result objects
of an analysis are grouped under the Solution (p. 2211) object.

Note:

The application creates reference files that contain analysis information that is read back into
the application during solution processing. Certain textual characters can create issues during
this reading process. Avoid the use of the following characters when renaming your environ-
ment:

• Quote character (“)

• Ampersand (&)

• Apostrophe (‘)

• Greater than and less than characters (< >)

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Objects Reference

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Analysis Settings (p. 1949), Comment (p. 1974), Fig-
ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046), Initial Condition (for some analysis types), all load
and support objects (p. 2107), Solution (p. 2211)

Insertion Options: Appears by default based on the analysis type chosen

in the Project Schematic.

Additional Related Information:

• Analysis Types (p. 243)

• Environment Context Tab (p. 23)

• Types of Loads (p. 1191)

• Types of Supports (p. 1346)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Import Load > [this menu lists available analyses]

• Transfer Data From/Unlink Data From: These options are available for Topology Optimization (p. 447) en-
vironments only and enable you to link to or unlink from supported upstream analysis systems. Multiple
system can be selected. You can check the Environment Selection List property of the Solution object (p. 2211)
to see the upstream analysis systems being used for the solution in your Topology Optimization analysis.

• Insert > [options for this menu item vary based on the analysis type]

• Solve (p. 1711)

• Create Automatic > FSI (Acoustics analyses only)

• Create Automatic > Far-field Radiation Surface (Acoustics analyses only)

• Create Automatic > FSI and Far-field Radiation Surface (Acoustics analyses only)

• Duplicate

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Rename

• Delete

• Group All Similar Children (p. 133)

• Group Children by Physics: Available during Acoustics analyses (p. 655).

• Export NASTRAN File (p. 1812) (Static Structural or Modal environments only)

• Open Solver Files Directory (p. 1161)

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 Expansion Settings

• Write System Coupling Files: This option is available when your analysis includes one or more Fluid Solid
Interface (p. 1290) boundary conditions. For supported analysis types, this option creates an input (.dat)
file as well as a System Coupling (.scp) file for you to use when you are running a command-line System
Coupling analysis (p. 590) using one of System Coupling's interfaces.

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Phys- Structural: Read-only property with the setting Yes.
ics
Defini- Acoustics: Read-only property with the setting Yes.
tion
Defini- Physics Type
tion
(read-only Analysis Type
indications)
Solver Target
Op- Environment Temperature: the temperature of the body unless this temperature is
tions specified by a particular load such as a thermal condition or an imported temperature.
This will also be the material reference temperature unless overridden by the Body
(see Reference Temperature (p. 225) under Define Part Behavior (p. 224) for more
information). Environment Temperature is not valid for any type of thermal analysis.

Generate Input Only: This read-only property identifies if a system is only capable
of generating an input file. The options include Yes or No based on the status of the
system. This property is typically set to No. However, if you delete the Solution cell
from your Mechanical system on the Workbench Project Schematic (RBM Solution
> Delete), the Mechanical Outline tree for the system will not contain a Solution
object and the application automatically sets this property to Yes. In this scenario, if
you update the project, the system does not solve, but it does generate an input file.
Addit- AM Process Simulation: This category displays when you insert an AM Process
ive object (p. 1946). This property controls whether this analysis simulates an additive
Manu- manufacturing process. Options include Program Controlled (default), No, and Yes.
factur- See the Workbench Additive Manufacturing Analysis Guide for more information.
ing

Expansion Settings
This object is automatically inserted beneath the Solution object when a Condensed Geometry object
is created.

Once you have solved your analysis, selecting this object displays the Expansion Settings Worksheet,
as illustrated below. You can make changes to the worksheet and then select the right-click option.

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Objects Reference

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Solution (p. 2211).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None.

Insertion Options: Automatic upon insertion of a Condensed Geo-

metry object. However, in the event you delete an existing Expansion
Settings object, you can reinsert the object from the Solution object
context (right-click) menu (Insert > Expansion Settings) or from the
Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context Tab (p. 24).

Additional Related Information:

• Working with Substructures (p. 1057)

• Condensed Geometry (p. 1983)

• Condensed Part (p. 1057)

• Expansion Settings on the Worksheet: see the Expansion (p. 1063) section.

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert: this option provides a menu to add additional result objects.

• Solve

• Run Expansions Only

• Evaluate All Results

• Clear Generated Data

• Delete

• Rename

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Category
Analys- Delete Unneeded Files: Yes (default) or No.
is Data
Man- Condensed Part Expansion: Program Controlled (default), On Demand, Mechanical
age- APDL.

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 Fatigue Combination

Category Category
ment
(p. 1160)
Output Stress: Yes (default) or No.
Con-
trols Strain: Yes (default) or No.
(p. 1151)
Nodal Forces: Yes or No (default).

General Miscellaneous: Yes or No (default).

Fatigue Combination
The Fatigue Combination object enables you to sum (i.e., generate a sum total of ) the Damage results
of multiple systems that each include a Fatigue Tool object (p. 2022). This option only supports analyses
that support the use of the Fatigue Tool and Damage results.

Important:

If you have imported a legacy database (.wbpj or .wbpz), you must first clear the data of any
existing Fatigue Tools, and re-evaluate the results, in order to then use the Fatigue Com-
bination feature.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects:: Damage result.

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods

after highlighting Model (p. 2139) object:

• Choose Fatigue Combination on the Model Context

tab (p. 14).

• Right-click on Model (p. 2139) object or in the Geometry

window Insert > Fatigue Combination.

Additional Related Information:

• Fatigue Combination application (p. 1652)

• Fatigue Tool object (p. 2022)

• Fatigue Results (p. 1633)

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Objects Reference

Object Properties
As illustrated below, when you select the Fatigue Combination object, the Worksheet displays. The
Worksheet enables you to specify the Environment and Fatigue Tool of the Damage results that you
wish to sum. No Details view categories or properties exist for this object. See the Fatigue Tool object
reference (p. 2022) page for the Details associated with Damage results.

Fatigue Tool (Group)

Determines life, damage, and factor of safety information using a stress-life or strain-life approach. The
Fatigue Tool is available for Static Structural (p. 434), Transient Structural (p. 507), Harmonic Re-
sponse (p. 266), and Random Vibration (p. 291) (spectral fatigue) analyses only.

Applies to the following objects: Biaxiality Indication (p. 1649), Damage (p. 1649), Damage Matrix (p. 1650),
Equivalent Alternating Stress (p. 1649), Fatigue Sensitivity (p. 1651), Fatigue Tool (p. 1648), Hyster-
esis (p. 1652), Life (p. 1648), Rainflow Matrix (p. 1650), Safety Factor (p. 1649)

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object:

– For Fatigue Tool: Solution (p. 2211)

– For Biaxiality Indication, Damage, Damage Matrix, Equivalent Al-

ternating Stress, Fatigue Sensitivity, Hysteresis, Life, Rainflow
Matrix, Safety Factor: Fatigue Tool

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

– For Fatigue Tool: Biaxiality Indication, Comment (p. 1974), Damage,

Damage Matrix, Equivalent Alternating Stress, Fatigue Sensitivity,
Hysteresis, Image (p. 2046), Life, Rainflow Matrix, Safety Factor

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 Fatigue Tool (Group)

– For Biaxiality Indication, Damage, Equivalent Alternating Stress,

Life, Safety Factor: Alert (p. 1944), Comment (p. 1974), Conver-
gence (p. 2002), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

– For Damage Matrix, Fatigue Sensitivity, Hysteresis, Rainflow Matrix:

Comment (p. 1974), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

• For Fatigue Tool, use any of the following methods after highlighting
Solution (p. 2211) object:

– Open the Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context tab (p. 24)
and select the Fatigue Tool.

– Click-right on the Solution (p. 2211) object or in the Geometry window

and select Insert>Fatigue>Fatigue Tool.

• For all results of the Fatigue Tool, use any of the following methods after
highlighting Fatigue Tool object:

– Choose Contour Results or Graph Results drop-down menu and the

[specific fatigue result] on Fatigue Tool Context tab.

– Click-right on the Fatigue Tool object or in the Geometry window and

select Insert>[specific fatigue result].

Additional Related Information:

• Fatigue Overview (p. 1633)

• Fatigue Material Properties (p. 1634)

• Fatigue Stress Life Versus Strain Life (p. 1635)

• Fatigue Analysis Application (p. 1643)

• Fatigue Results (p. 1648)

• Fatigue Combination (p. 2021)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert: this option provides a menu to add additional result-based objects.

• Solve

• Evaluate All Results (p. 1501): available for the Fatigue Tool and all tool child objects.

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

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Objects Reference

• Clear Generated Data

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Fatigue Tool
The Details view categories and properties differ based on the analysis type. For Static Structural,
Transient Structural, and Harmonic Response analyses, the Details of the Fatigue Tool include:

Category Properties/Description
Domain Domain Type: this read-only property displays the following content based on
the analysis type:

• Time: Static or Transient Structural

• Time - Harmonic: Harmonic Response

• Frequency: Random Vibration

Materials Fatigue Strength Factor (Kf) (p. 1644)

Loading Type (p. 1644)

Loading Ratio (p. 1644): only appears if the Type property is set to Ratio.

History Data Location (p. 1644): only appears if the Type property is set to History
Data.

Scale Factor (p. 1645)

Definition Display Time: enter a time value (within the analysis time limit) to display results
at that moment of the analysis.
Options Analysis Type (p. 1645)

Mean Stress Theory (p. 1645)

Stress Component (p. 1646)

Bin Size (p. 1647): only appears if the Type property is set to History Data.

Use Quick Rainflow Counting (p. 1647): only appears if the Type property is set
to History Data.

Infinite Life (p. 1648): only appears if the Analysis Type property is set to Strain
Life; or if the Analysis Type property is set to Stress Lifeand the Type property
is set to History Data.

Maximum Data Points To Plot (p. 1648): only appears if the Type property is set
to History Data.
Life Units Units Name (p. 1647)

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 Fatigue Tool (Group)

1 cycle is equal to (p. 1647)

For a Random Vibration analysis, the Details of the Fatigue Tool include:

Category Properties/Description
Domain Domain Type: this read-only property displays the following content based on
the analysis type.

• Time: Static or Transient Structural

• Time - Harmonic: Harmonic Response

• Frequency: Random Vibration

Options Method Selection: This setting specifies the method to calculate the Probability
Density Function (PDF) from the available PSD stress response.

Stress Component (p. 1646)

Exposure Duration: This setting specifies the time duration for which the loading
is applied. The resulting damage is for this entire duration. By default, this is set
to 1 second This means that the calculated damage is damage per second.

Properties for the Contour Results Menu Options

The properties for the Contour Results menu options (Life, Damage, Safety Factor, Biaxiality Indica-
tion, and Equivalent Alternating Stress) include:

Category Properties/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Specify as Geometry Selection (default), Named Selection,
Path, or Surface. Based on your selection, related properties display.

Geometry: Displayed when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry

Selection (default). Displays the type of geometry and the number of
bodies to which the object has been applied using the selection tools.
Use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry
field, then click Apply.
Named Selection: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Named
Selection. Select a user-defined Named Selection from the drop-down
list.
Path: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Path. Select a defined
path (p. 867) from the drop-down list.
Surface: Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Surface. Select a
defined surface (p. 872) from the drop-down list.

Geometry: When you specify Path or Surface as the Scoping Method, this
additional property displays in the Scope category. Use selection filters (p. 172)
to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.
Definition Design Life: this property is only available for the Damage and Safety Factor
objects.

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Objects Reference

Type: this property is a read-only indication of fatigue object name.

Identifier

Suppressed: Suppress the object as desired.

Integration Average Across Bodies: This property enables you to average results across
Point Res- separate bodies. The default setting is No.
ults
Results Minimum: available for Life, Safety Factor, Biaxiality Indication, Equivalent
(read-only Alternating Stress.
indications
of min/max) Minimum Occurs On: available for Life, Safety Factor, Biaxiality Indication,
Equivalent Alternating Stress.

Maximum: available for Damage, Biaxiality Indication, Equivalent Alternating

Stress.

Maximum Occurs On: available for Damage, Biaxiality Indication, Equivalent

Alternating Stress.
Information - Reported Frequency
only available for
Harmonic
Response
analyses.

Properties for the Graph Results Menu Options

The properties for the Graph Results menu options (Rainflow Matrix, Damage Matrix, Fatigue
Sensitivity, and Hysteresis) include:

Category Properties/Description
Scope Geometry: Use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the
Geometry field, then click Apply.
Definition Sensitivity For: only available for the Fatigue Sensitivity object.

Design Life: only available for the Damage Matrix object and the Fatigue
Sensitivity object if the Sensitivity For property is set to Damage or Safety
Factor.

Suppressed
General Stress Strain Type: if this property is set to Shear Stress, the General, Options,
and Results categories are replaced by a Definition category that includes a
Type setting.
Options Lower Variation: available only for Fatigue Sensitivity.

Upper Variation: available only for Fatigue Sensitivity.

Number of Fill Points: available only for Fatigue Sensitivity.

Chart Viewing Style: available only for Damage Matrix, Fatigue Sensitivity,
and Rainflow Matrix.

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 Figure

Category Properties/Description
Points per Segment: available only for Hysteresis.
Results - The following are only available for Damage Matrix and Rainflow Matrix options:
available only for
Damage Matrix, • Minimum Range
Hysteresis, and
Rainflow Matrix. • Maximum Range
Read-only
• Minimum Mean
indication of the
following • Maximum Mean
quantities.
The following are only available for the Hysteresis option:

• Minimum Strain

• Maximum Strain

• Minimum Stress

• Maximum Stress

Figure
Captures any graphic displayed for a particular object in the Geometry window. A Figure object can
be further manipulated (rotated for example), unlike an Image (p. 2046) object, which is a static screen
shot of the current model view or an imported static figure. Popular uses of a Figure object are for
presenting specific views and settings for later inclusion in a report (p. 105).

Note:

The Figure feature supports the Use Geometry Setting option only for the Display Style
property when capturing figures on the Mesh (p. 2120) object.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: All objects except Alert (p. 1944), Com-
mands (p. 1972), Comment (p. 1974), Convergence (p. 2002), Image (p. 2046),
Project (p. 2175), Result Tracker (p. 2183), Solution Combination (p. 2215),
Solution Information (p. 2216)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None

Insertion Method: Open the Images drop-down menu from the In-
sert (p. 10) group on the Home (p. 9) tab and select Figure. Note that
the Insert group is available from a number of Context tabs.

Additional Related Information:

• Inserting Comments, Images, and Figures (p. 210)

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Objects Reference

• Viewports (p. 194)

• Reports (p. 105)

• Home tab (p. 9)

Object Properties
Caption (p. 210) is the only property available for the Figure object. It provides an editable text field.

Fluid Surface
Fluid Surface objects allow you to identify faces that should be grouped together in support of a vir-
tual body for assembly meshing.

Note:

Virtual Body and Fluid Surface objects are fluids concepts, and as such they are not sup-
ported by Mechanical solvers.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Virtual Body (p. 2243)

Insertion Options: Use any of these methods:

Highlight the Virtual Body (p. 2243) object, and then:

• In the Details view for the Virtual Body, set Used By

Fluid Surface to Yes.

• Click the right-click and select Insert> Fluid Surface

from the context menu.

Additional Related Information:

• Meshing Capabilities in Workbench

• Mesh Context (p. 21)

• Assembly Meshing

• Defining Virtual Bodies

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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 Fracture

Category Properties
Scope Faces To Group - Set of faces that should be members of
the group.
Master Virtual Body - Read-only name of the master Virtual
Body.
Priority - Determines which group will claim cells in cases
where groups overlap. The priority is initially based on the
rule: the smaller the volume, the higher the priority.
Definition Suppressed - Read-only setting inherited from the Virtual
Body.

Fracture
Represents all definitions of cracks within a model. Each definition is represented in a Semi-Elliptical
Crack (p. 2203), Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951), or Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 2171) object, where a Semi-Elliptical
Crack or an Arbitrary Crack is generated internally within the Mechanical application or Meshing ap-
plication, while a Pre-Meshed Crack comes from an external source. May contain any number of Semi-
Elliptical Crack (p. 2203), Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951), or Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 2171) objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Semi-Elliptical Crack

(p. 2203), Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951), Pre-Meshed
Crack (p. 2171), Interface Delamination (p. 2102),
Contact Debonding (p. 1993), and SMART Crack
Growth (p. 1095).

Insertion Options :

• Select the Model object and select Fracture

from the Define group on the Model
Context tab (p. 14).

• Right-click on the Model (p. 2139) object and

select Insert > Fracture.

Note:

• Only one Fracture object is valid

per Model (p. 2139).

• You need to regenerate the base

mesh for all bodies if you delete
a Fracture object that includes
cracks (Semi-Elliptical Crack or
an Arbitrary Crack) for which the

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Objects Reference

application internally generates

crack meshes.

Additional Related Information:

• Fracture Analysis (p. 1069)

• Interface Delamination and Contact

Debonding (p. 1101)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Arbitrary Crack (p. 1951)

• Insert>Semi-Elliptical Crack (p. 2203)

• Insert>Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 2171)

• Insert>Interface Delamination (p. 2102)

• Insert>Contact Debonding (p. 1993)

• Insert > SMART Crack Growth (p. 1095)

• Generate All Crack Meshes

• Delete

• Rename

Fracture Tool (Group)

The Fracture Tool enables you to examine fracture results in Mechanical.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects:

– The Solution (p. 2211) object is the only valid parent object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

– There are a number of fracture-specific result objects associated with this

tool. See the Defining a Fracture Result (p. 1558) section of the Help for
information about these result objects.

– Commands (p. 1972)

Insertion Options:

• Select the Solution object and either:

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 Fracture Probes

– Open the Toolbox drop-down menu on the Solution Context tab (p. 24)
and select the Fracture Tool.

– Right-click the Solution object or in the Geometry window and select In-
sert>Fracture Tool.

Additional Related Information:

• Fracture Results (p. 1554)

• Adding a Fracture Tool (p. 1557)

• Defining a Fracture Result (p. 1558)

• Fracture Probes (p. 2031)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Fracture results (p. 1554)

• Evaluate All Results (p. 1501): available for Fracture Tool and all child objects when the tool is inserted under
a Solution (p. 2211) object.

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Duplicate

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
For information specific to this object's properties, see the Fracture Results (p. 1554) section of the Help.

Fracture Probes
Fracture probes enable you to view the time history of a fracture parameter (i.e., SIFS, Crack Extension,
etc.) for a specific crack front node along the crack front (tip) only.

Important:

When you specify the Fracture Tool, if you set the Crack Selection Mode property to the
All Cracks option, the use of Fracture Probes is not supported.

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Objects Reference

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: The Fracture Tool (p. 2030) object is the only valid
parent object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects: No child objects are supported for Fracture Probes.

Insertion Options:

• Select the Fracture Tool object and either:

– Select a desired probe (p. 1606) from the Probes group on the Fracture
Tool Context tab.

– Right-click the Fracture Tool object or in the Geometry window and

select Insert>Probe > [select desired probe].

Additional Related Information:

• Fracture Probes (Fracture Tool) (p. 1606)

• Fracture Results (p. 1554)

• Adding a Fracture Tool (p. 1557)

• Defining a Fracture Result (p. 1558)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Fracture results (p. 1554) and Probes (p. 1606)

• Evaluate All Results (p. 1501): available for Fracture Tool and all child objects when the tool is inserted under
a Solution (p. 2211) object.

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Duplicate

• Duplicate Without Results

• Copy/Cut

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 1692)

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

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 Gasket Mesh Control

Category Properties
Defin- Type: Read-only property set to fracture probe result type.
i-
tion Subtype: SIFS probes only. Specify SIFS subtype, K1, K2, or K3.

Active Contour: Appears for SIFS and J-Integral (JINT) probes only. Specify the contour
for which you want to extract the time history. The default is the maximum solution
contour of the crack.

Location Method: Read-only property set to Crack Length Percentage.

Crack Length Percentage: The default value is 0. Use this percentage entry to select a
node along the crack front tip you wish to examine. By changing the Crack Length Per-
centage, you should receive time history plot of the crack front node located along the
crack front.

Suppressed: Suppress or unsuppress the object. The default is No.

Op- Display Time: The default setting is End Time. Specify a time at which you want to extract
tions the results.
Res- This category provides read-only extracted values of the probe you select:
ults
Result (Display Name depends on probe type)

Minimum Value Over Time

Maximum Value Over Time

In- Based on the selections made above, the following read-only result-based properties are
form- shown when probe is extracted:
a-
tion Time

Load Step

Substep

Iteration Number

Gasket Mesh Control

Available when Body (p. 1960) object's Stiffness Behavior is set to Gasket. The control applies a sweep
mesh in a chosen direction and drops midside nodes on gasket elements that are parallel to the sweep
direction.

Tree Dependencies:

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Objects Reference

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Body (p. 1960)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None.

Insertion Options: Appears automatically

when a Body (p. 1960) object's Stiffness Behavi-
or is set to Gasket.

Additional Related Information:

• Gasket Bodies (p. 632)

• Gasket Meshing (p. 633)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Free Face Mesh Type
(p. 633)
Mesh Method
Element Order
Scope Src/Trg Selection
(p. 633)
Source
Target

Gasket
Defines the gasket mesh control beneath the Mesh object when the Body (p. 1960) object's Stiffness
Behavior is set to Flexible. This can be applied to multiple bodies, so it may be a more convenient
approach to setting up the gaskets if there are many gasket bodies. The MultiZone mesh method is
used for this approach.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh (p. 2120)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None.

Insertion Options: Use after highlighting the

Mesh object. Can be set when a Body (p. 1960)
object's Stiffness Behavior is set to Flexible.

Additional Related Information:

• Gasket Bodies (p. 632)

• Gasket Meshing (p. 633)

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 General Axisymmetric

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method:
(p. 633)
The options are Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selections.

Geometry: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry
Selection. Using the Body selection filter on the graphics toolbar (p. 49), select
the desired gasket bodies. Click the Apply button to specify the scoping.

Named Selection: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set to
Named Selection. It provides a drop-down menu of Named Selections.
Definition Element Order:
(p. 633)
The options are Use Global Setting (default), Linear, and Quadratic.

Source Scoping Method:

The options are Geometry Selection (default) and Named Selections.

Geometry: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry
Selection. Using the Face selection filter on the graphics toolbar (p. 49), select
the source faces. Click the Apply button to specify the scoping.

Named Selection: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set to
Named Selection. It provides a drop-down menu of Named Selections.

Free Face Mesh Type:

The options are Quad/Tri (default), All Quad, and All Tri.

General Axisymmetric
For three-dimensional (3D) Static Structural analysis only, the General Axisymmetric feature enables
you to create a three-dimensional mesh, in the circumferential direction, on a surface body model that
is based on specified nodal planes and an axis. This feature supports edge and vertex scoping only.
From these surface model edges and vertices, you can generate three-dimensional node-based Named
Selections that you can then use as scoping items for other simulation options such as loading conditions
and/or results.

This feature uses the Mechanical APDL elements SOLID272 and SOLID273. See the General Axisymmetric
Elements section in the Mechanical APDL Element Reference or review the pertinent sections of the
Mechanical APDL Theory Reference for additional information.

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Objects Reference

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Symmetry (p. 2232)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

• Select the Symmetry (p. 2232) object and select

the General Axisymmetric option on the
Symmetry Context tab (p. 16).

• Right-click on the Symmetry (p. 2232) object

and select Insert > General Axisymmetric.

Additional Related Information:

• Defining Symmetry (p. 801)

• General Axisymmetric Workflow in

Mechanical (p. 850)

• General Axisymmetric Overview (p. 832)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > General Axisymmetric

• Suppress

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Read-only field. Geometry Selection is the only supported
option.

Geometry: Specify the geometry using geometry selections (p. 49). You can specify
any planar surface body. Only Body scoping is supported.
Definition Nodal Planes: Specify the desired number of nodal planes. Your entry defines the
number of planes around the axis and on which nodes should be generated. The
entry for this property can be either 1 or 3 through 12. A Nodal Planes entry of
2 is not supported.

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 Generated Support

Coordinate System: As needed, specify a coordinate system. The default setting

is the Global Coordinate System.

Axis: Specify the axis about which the axisymmetric mesh is generated. Options
include X Axis, Y Axis, and Z Axis. This setting must lie along the body, it cannot
intersect the body, and it must be specified on the same plane as the selected
surface body.

Suppressed (p. 63)

Generated Support
This object is used during Additive Manufacturing simulations to create an internal Finite Element body.
Supports are modelled as elements between the Build Geometry and the Base Plate Geometry. You
use it to define these elements between the element faces you select using this object and the base
pate of your simulation. When scoping this object, you can only select element faces. The gap between
your selected element faces and your base plate fills with elements.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Support

Group (p. 2227).

• Valid Child Tree Object: This object does not

support any child objects.

Insertion Method: :

• Select the AM Process object and then

select the Generated Support option from
the AM Support Context tab (p. 18).

• Right-click on the AM Process object and

then select the Insert > Generated
Support.

• Select the Support Group object and then

select the Generated Support option from
the AM Support Context tab (p. 18).

• Right-click on the Support Group object

and then select the Insert > Generated
Support.

Additional Related Information:

• Workbench Additive Manufacturing

Analysis Guide

• Identify and/or Generate Supports

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

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Objects Reference

• Insert > Predefined Support

• Insert > Generated Support

• Insert > STL Support

• Insert > Commands

• Create Named Selection of Generated Elements

• Hide Support

• Hide All Other Bodies

• Generate Support Bodies

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method: The options for this property include Geometry
Selection (default) and Named Selections.

Geometry: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set

to Geometry Selection. Using the Element Face selection filter on
the graphics toolbar (p. 49), select the desired element faces. Click
the Apply button to specify the scoping.

Named Selection: This property displays when the Scoping Method

is set to Named Selection. It provides a drop-down menu. Only
element face-based Named Selections are displayed in the drop-down
menu.
Definition Nonlinear Material Effects (p. 227): The options for this property
include Yes (default) and No. This property applies nonlinear material
effects to the finite element body.

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 Generated Support

Mode: This property indicates whether you manually specified the

Geometry Selection or whether it was detected using the options
of the Support Group object.

Important:

Only automatically generated supports are affected

by the Generate on Remesh property of the Support
Group object

Visible: Show or hide the generated finite element body wherever

the mesh is displayed (using the Show Mesh option or when the
mesh object is selected).
Support Material Support Type: The options for this property include User Defined
Settings (default) and Block. When you select the Block option, the following
properties become the only visible properties.

• Wall Thickness: Enter a thickness value (illustrated by T length

below).

• Wall Spacing: Enter a spacing value (illustrated by L length below).

Multiplier Entry: The options for this property include All (default)
and Manual.

Material Multiplier

All Setting
When the Multiplier Entry property is set to All, the Material
Multiplier property displays. The Material Multiplier property
applies the same value to all of the material multipliers listed
below. The multiplication factors are homogenization factors and,
in each direction, reflect the ratio of the support area projected
onto the area of a fully solid support.

Manual Setting
When the Multiplier Entry property is set to Manual, the following
multiplier properties display:

• Elastic Modulus Multiple in X/Y/Z

• Shear Modulus Multiple in XY/YZ/XZ

• Density Multiple

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Objects Reference

• Thermal Conductivity Multiple in X/Y/Z

Statistics Nodes: Read-only property that displays the nodes added

finite-element body.

Elements: Read-only property that displays the elements the added

finite-element body.

Volume: Read-only property that displays the volume of the added

finite-element body.

Geometry
This object contains the imported geometry in the form of an assembly or multibody part (p. 627) (objects)
from a CAD system or from SpaceClaim/DesignModeler. Assembly parameters, if available, are viewable
under the Geometry object. When you select a child object of the Geometry folder, the part (multi-
body or otherwise) or body highlights in a unique color. You can change the default color setting using
the Graphics (p. 146) preference Geometry Highlight Color in the Options (p. 138) dialog.

The Geometry Context tab (p. 19) provides the options Attach Geometry and Replace Geometry.
The Attach Geometry option is available when you open an analysis system without a geometry. Once
you import a geometry into the application, the option is replaced with Replace Geometry. These se-
lections provide a drop-down menu with the options From File and Recent Geometry (available when
once you have used the option) to select the newly desired geometry.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

Comment Distributed
(p. 1974) Mass (p. 2010)

Figure (p. 2027) Surface Coating

(p. 661)
Image (p. 2046)
Thickness
Layered Section (p. 2236)
(p. 2105)
Element
Part (p. 2154) Orientation
(p. 2014)
Point Mass
(p. 2166) Virtual Body

Insertion Options: Appears by default with a

Model (p. 2139) object.

Additional Related Information:

• Specifying Geometry (p. 627)

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 Geometry

• Attach Geometry (p. 220)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Element Orientation (p. 739)

• Insert > Point Mass (p. 658)

• Insert > Distributed Mass (p. 660)

• Insert > Surface Coating (p. 661)

• Insert > Virtual Body

Note:

Virtual Body (p. 2243) and Fluid Surface objects (p. 2028) are fluids concepts, and as such
they are not supported by Mechanical solvers.

• Search Faces with Multiple Thicknesses (p. 649)

• Export (p. 159) - Options include:

– Geometry: exports the CAD geometry to a binary Part Manager Database (.pmdb) file. This option enables
you to export your entire geometry, individual parts, and/or multiple parts. This option does not support
export at the body level of the geometry - only the part that includes the body. This export option facilitates
future geometry import into SpaceClaim, DesignModeler, as well as re-importing the file back into
Mechanical.

– ANSYS Viewer File (AVZ): export result data as a ANSYS Viewer File (.avz)

– STL File: exports object information in Standard Tessellation Language (STL) file format (ASCII only). This
option is only available when the Export Format property of the Export preferences (p. 143) is set to ASCII.

• Hide or Show > Solid Bodies/Surface Bodies/Line Bodies (option availability based on body type)

• Update Geometry from Source (p. 223)

• Reset Body Colors (p. 637)

• Show Missing Tessellations

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Source: read-only indication of the path and file name associated with the
geometry.

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Objects Reference

Category Properties
Type: read-only indication of how the original geometry was created (CAD
product name or DesignModeler).

Length Unit: This property displays the length unit assigned to the geometry.
For most imported geometries, the field is read-only because the unit is
defined by the CAD system during import. An exception includes ACIS
geometries when length units are not specified. For ACIS geometries without
specified length units, the application sets the length unit to the display
units and enables you to change the units from the given drop-down menu.

Element Control: Allows manual control of the underlying Mechanical APDL

element options (KEYOPTS) for individual Part or Body objects beneath the
Geometry object. To manually set Mechanical APDL element options, set
Element Control to Manual, then select the Part or Body object. Any
element options that are available for you to manually set appear in the
Details view of the Part or Body object. For example, the Brick Integration
Scheme (p. 636) setting for a Part or Body object becomes available only
when Element Control is set to Manual. When Element Control is set to
Program Controlled, all element options are automatically controlled and
no settings are displayed. The Mechanical APDL application equivalent to
this setting is the inclusion of the ETCON,SET command in the input file,
which automatically resets options for current-technology elements to
optimal settings. Refer to the Mechanical APDL Element Reference in the
Mechanical APDL Help for more information about Mechanical APDL
elements and element options.

Display Style (p. 637): The default is Body Color which assigns unique
colors to individual bodies in a part. Other choices include Body Type, Part
Color, Assembly Color (Model assembly only), Shell Thickness (surface
bodies only), Material, Nonlinear Material Effects, Stiffness Behavior, and
By Cross Section (line bodies only).

2D Behavior: Appears only for a designated 2D simulation (p. 655).

Bounding Length X
Box (p. 227)
Length Y

Length Z
Properties Volume: Read-only property.

Mass: Read-only property. Appears only in the Mechanical application.

Note:

• The Volume and Mass properties display with "N/A" (Not

Applicable) in their field when thickness objects (Thickness,
Layered Thickness, Imported Layered Thickness) are present.
In addition, if displayed as NA and the properties are
parameterized, the parameter value is set to zero. This includes
parameter values defined in Workbench.

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 Geometry

Category Properties

• 2D surface bodies are dependent upon the 2D Behavior setting

of the Geometry object. Any setting other than the Plane Stress
setting causes the above properties to display with the content
"N/A" in their field. However, when the 2D Behavior property
is set to By Body, you can change the setting of the Behavior
property for each surface body object individually. These
individual settings affect what is displayed in the fields of the
Volume and Mass properties.

• If the material density is temperature dependent, the Mass will

be computed at the body temperature, or at 22° C (default
temperature for an environment).

• Any suppressed (p. 63)Part or Body objects are not included

in the Volume and Mass property values that are displayed.

Surface Area (approx.): Read-only property. Displays the approximate

surface area of the geometry. This value changes when parts or bodies are
suppressed.

Scale Factor Value: The value applied to imported geometry for the purpose
of modifying the size of the model. The scale factor value of newly imported
geometry is 1.0. You can modify this value. Values changes are expected to
be preserved on updated models. Due to tolerances, models that are scaled
(especially larger) sometimes have problems meshing. The scale factor limit
is from 1e-3 to 1e3. Factors entered beyond that range are ignored.

Note:

• Beam sections and shell thicknesses are not affected by the

Scale Factor Value.

• Geometry scale factors should not be applied after virtual cells

have been added to the model. Doing so may result in mesh
failure.

Statistics: Bodies
Read-only
indication of Active Bodies
the entities
that Nodes
comprise
Elements
the
geometry. Mesh Metric
Active Bod-
ies are
those that
are

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Objects Reference

Category Properties
unsuppressed (p. 63)
compared to
the total
number of
Bodies.
Update Op- Assign Default Material: This property controls the preference for default
tions material assignment when geometry is updated in Mechanical. When you
first import your geometry into Mechanical, any bodies that do not have a
material assigned to it are assigned the application's default material. If you
subsequently update your geometry from the source application, and this
property is set to No (default), Mechanical does not assign the default
material to new bodies. If the geometry update includes a new body without
an assigned material, the body becomes underdefined and requires you to
specify a material.

Property options include No (default) and Yes. Setting this property to Yes
instructs the application to always assign a default material upon update.
You can change the default setting of the property by changing the setting
of the Assign Default Material to New Bodies Based on Update option
of the Geometry category (p. 145) of the Options preference (p. 138).
Basic Geo- Solid Bodies
metry Op-
tions Surface Bodies

Line Bodies

Parameters

Parameter Key

Attributes

Named Selections

Material Properties
Advanced Use Associativity
Geometry
Options Coordinate Systems

Reader Mode Saves Updated File

Use Instances

Smart CAD Update

Compare Parts on Update

Attach File Via Temp File

Temporary Directory

Analysis Type

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 Global Coordinate System

Category Properties
Mixed Import Resolution

Decompose Disjoint Geometry

Enclosure and Symmetry Processing

Global Coordinate System

Represents the default coordinate system. The origin is defined as 0,0,0 in the model coordinate system.
This location serves as the reference location for any local Coordinate System (p. 2002) objects inserted
under the Global Coordinate System object.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Coordinate Systems (p. 2006)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Im-
age (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Automatically inserted in the tree.

Additional Related Information:

• Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

• Creating Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Create Section Plane (p. 198)

• Create Construction Surface (p. 872)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

The following are all read-only status indications of the global coordinate system:

Category Properties
Definition Type
Mechanical APDL System Number - assigns the coordinate system
reference number (the first argument of the Mechanical APDL LOCAL
command).
Origin Origin X
Origin Y
Origin Z

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Category Properties
Directional Vec- X Axis Data
tors
Y Axis Data
Z Axis Data

Image
Inserts a screen shot of the model in its current view or imports any image in .bmp, .jpg, or png format
under a parent object. Its use is similar to inserting a Comment (p. 1974) object. Inserted images appear
in the Report (p. 105). Image is a static picture of the current model view. It differs from the Figure (p. 2027)
object, which is also a picture of the current model view that can be further manipulated (rotated for
example).

Note:

Duplicating an image in the tree will result in both the original object and the copied object
using the same image file on disk. Altering or deleting either the original or the copied object
will result in modification and/or deletion of the image file on disk. Both items in the tree
will be affected by the change to one of the objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects:

– For importing images: All objects

– For static image captures: Same parent tree objects as for Figure (p. 2027)

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974)

Insertion Method: Open the Images drop-down menu from the In-
sert (p. 10) group on the Home (p. 9) tab and select Image. Note that
the Insert group is available from a number of Context tabs.

To import an image, select the Image from File option of the drop-down
menu and then select your desired image file.

Additional Related Information:

• Inserting Comments, Images, and Figures (p. 210)

• Reporting (p. 105)

Import Summary
As illustrated below, the Import Summary object displays a listing of upstream source file data in the
Worksheet. This data is summarized in tabular form. It provides four specific tables:

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 Imported: Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions

• TABLE 1: This table displays the quantities for each imported entity. This includes all upstream data,
not only the data from the External Model system. You can scroll through this table if your model
contains a large number of bodies.

• TABLE 2: This table displays the number of nodes and elements associated with each body. It also
displays the geometry type. This includes all upstream data, not only the data from the External
Model system. Based on the number of data items imported, this table presents data items in a format
that includes navigational options. When the external file includes over 50 data items, only the first 50
are displayed. Use the display and navigational options to present the data items as desired.

• TABLE 3: This table displays the commands that the application processed, including how many times
the command was processed.

• TABLE 4: This table displays the commands that were not processed, including how many times the
command was not processed.

This object has no associated Details view properties.

Imported: Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions

For a source file that includes bolt pretension loads, the Bolt Pretensions object provides access to an
external system’s pretension data. The import process places this object under an Imported folder be-
neath the Connections parent folder.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Bolt Pretensions and Premeshed Bolt Pretensions (p. 684)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).

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 Imported: Boundary Conditions

Category Property/Description
Graphics Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All Pages.
Properties
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the imported source data listed below.

Property Description
ID This field displays the identifier associated with the bolt pretension load in the source
input file.
Preten- The Node Identifier (ID) value is read-in from the source file. This node location is
sion displayed using the red arrows in the Geometry window. The red arrows also indicate
Node the directions for how the application applies the bolt pretension load on the node.
ID You can modify the Node ID name in order to more easily perform post-processing
tasks as well as accessing the pretension node using the Node ID name in a
Commands (p. 1823) object. Also see the Reference Node Naming (p. 678) topic for
additional node naming information.
Scop- The Scoping column displays the associated Named Selection for the scoped element
ing faces (for Bolt Pretensions) or scoped node pairs (for Premeshed Bolt Pretensions) that
are read-in from the source file.

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Boundary Conditions

The Boundary Conditions object provides access to an external system’s data that includes constraint
and loading conditions. The import process places this object under the Model parent folder. This import
option only supports importing node-based Displacements and Forces from the source file. Once you
have imported these supported typed into Mechanical, additional options for imported Constraints include
rotational displacement, Temperature, and Voltage. For imported Loads additional options include node-
based Moments, Heat Flow, Current, and gravity (Acceleration). Examples are illustrated below as ribbon
options.

Constraints Example

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Nodal Loads Example

Surface Loads Example

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 Imported: Boundary Conditions

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Model (p. 2139).

• Valid Child Tree Object: Constraints, Nodal Loads, and Surface Loads.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 686)

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Promote > Scope

• Edit > [Varies Based on Load Type]

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Export Text File (p. 159)

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

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Context Options
The Context tab options listed below display when you select the Constraints, Nodal Loads, or the
Surface Loads objects. These Context tabs enable you to insert (or delete) additional DOFs to the ex-
isting Constraints/Nodal Loads/Surface Loads. Once added, the DOFs show up in the worksheet, where
you can then specify desired values.

The Context tab enables you to turn the display of any of the inserted options, Displacement, Rotation,
etc., on or off. In addition, the Context tab for Nodal Loads and Surface Load provides two options that
change the display of vectors from a Proportional display to a Uniform display.

Constraints Context Options

Nodal Loads Context Options

Surface Loads Context Options

Load Step Support

The imported Constraint/Nodal Load/Surface Load/Acceleration objects support step dependent
loading. Selecting a row in the worksheet activates the Tabular Data window that displays the con-
straint/load values for each step present in the analysis. You can edit the data in tabular view to apply
values varying across steps. In addition, user has the ability to activate/deactivate the constraint/load
components for each step through the context (right-click) menu on the Tabular Data window. See
the Activation/Deactivation of Loads (p. 1112) topic for additional information.

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 Imported: Boundary Conditions

Object Properties
The Boundary Conditions object does not have any associated Details view properties. The Details
view properties for the Constraints, Nodal Loads, and Surface Loads objects are identical and include
the following.

Category Property/Description
Defini- Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
tion
Graph- Each Constraint, Nodal Load, Surface Load object (Force, Displacement, Pressure, etc.
ics ) has a row that enables you to modify the color of the graphical representation of
Prop- the condition in the Geometry window.
erties
Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All
Pages.
Trans- Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
fer Read Only: Yes or No (default).
Prop-
erties

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data. As needed, review the
common interface options (p. 673) available using the right-click context menu for individual rows and/or
when you select multiple Worksheet rows.

Property Description
ID This field displays the load/constraint identifier from the source (like SID field
from Nastran). For sources which do not provide identifiers, it is just the index
of load in the worksheet.
Scope This field displays either the Named Selection associated with the nodes for the
imported displacement or a label of the node set and the count of the nodes
included in the node set.

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Objects Reference

Property Description
All Oth- All of the other Worksheet columns display load/constraint component values
er from the imported file as well as any values that you define.
Columns
(Dis-
place-
ment
X/Y/Z,
Rota-
tion
X/Y/Z,
Pres-
sure,
etc..)

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Composite Plies

The Imported Plies object provides ply/layer data from an upstream External Model system. The Im-
ported Plies object provides access to an external system’s data that includes composite ply data. This
object is just the Imported Plies (p. 2078) object created when you import ply/layer data from an external
upstream system. It contains a grouping of child objects as illustrated below.

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 Imported: Composite Plies

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the Imported Plies folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: the various ply group and ply objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Composite Plies (p. 691)

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Objects Reference

• External Model

• Imported Plies (p. 2078)

• Analysis Ply (p. 1948)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Insert for Environment (p. 1504)

• Reset to ACP Ply Grouping: restore the original ply structure provided by ACP.

• Create Ply Named Selection: this option creates Worksheet-based Named Selections (p. 764) for all of
the child objects of the ply group.

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
For imported plies, there are a number of associated object. The primary objects are the Imported Plies
object and then the individual ply objects. The remaining objects are used for grouping.

The Details view properties for the Imported Plies object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Type: appears as Imported Plies and is a read-only field.

Suppressed (p. 63): select Yes to suppress this object.

Note:

The Suppression option is only available when the external

system shares the model with the downstream analysis
system.

Material Nonlinear Effects (p. 227): select Yes to include the nonlinear effects
from the material properties. The reference temperature specified for
the body on which a ply is defined is used as the reference temperature
for the plies.

Thermal Strain Effects (p. 227): select Yes to send the coefficient of
thermal expansion to the solver.

Note:

These fields are not supported for an Explicit Dynamics

analysis.

Graphic Properties Layer to Display: defines which layer to display on the model. For
information on setting the Layer to Display see Viewing Individual
Layers (p. 647). Note that the layer number will correspond to the layer

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 Imported: Constraint Equations or Coupling

number used by the Mechanical APDL solver, which may not match the
layer number of the system providing the layered data.

Note:

This property is only available when the external system

shares the model with the downstream analysis system.

The Details view properties for the ply objects include the following.

Category Property/Description
Defin- Name in Source: Read-only display of the name for the ply that is contained in the
i- source file.
tion
ID in Source: Read-only display of the ID for the ply that is contained in the source file.

Material: This is the material assigned to the ply.

Thickness: Read-only display of the thickness of the ply.

Angle: Read-only display of the ply fiber angle.

Elements: Read-only display of the number of elements contained in the ply.

Graph- Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All
ics Pages.
Prop-
er-
ties
Trans- Source: Read-only display of the name of the source system file.
fer
Prop-
er-
ties

Imported: Constraint Equations or Coupling

The Constraint Equations object provides access to an external system’s data that includes constraint
equations and couplings. The import process places this object under an Imported folder beneath the
Connections parent folder.

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Objects Reference

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Constraint Equations (p. 693)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Edit Items > Coupling DOF

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Export Text File (p. 159)

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

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 Imported: Contacts

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Constraint Equation: This property enables you to pick the graphics display color of the
Properties associated data.
Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All Pages.
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
ID This field displays the element ID contained in the source input file.
Equation This field displays the associated constraint equation.
Coupling This field displays the coupled degrees of freedom.
DOF

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Contacts
For a source file that includes surface to surface contact, from either solid or shell bodies, the Contacts
object provides access to an external system’s data that includes contacts. The import process places
this object under an Imported folder beneath the Connections parent folder.

Tree Dependencies:

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• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Contacts (p. 695)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Edit Items > Type > [Type Options (p. 907)]

• Edit Items > Behavior > [Behavior Options (p. 909)]

• Edit Items > Formulation > [Formulation Options (p. 913)]

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All Pages.
Properties
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the imported source data listed below.

Note:

The Worksheet view for the Imported Contacts only provides the basic options for controlling
contact behavior, and all the advanced options are treated as Program Controlled. For ad-

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 Imported: Contacts

vanced control on Imported Contacts, use the Promote feature to create native Contact Region
objects (p. 1994) in the tree Outline and then edit the appropriate fields as desired.

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Property Description
ID This field displays the element ID contained in the source input file.
Source This field displays the element set associated with the contact side of the pair.
Target This field displays the element set associated with the target side of the pair.
Type This field displays the contact Type (p. 907) specified in the source file. You can change the
Type setting using the drop-down menu.
Behavi- This field displays the Behavior (p. 909) of the contact pair specified in the source file. You
or can change the Behavior setting using the drop-down menu.
Fric- This field displays the Friction Coefficient imported from the source file for frictional contact
tion applications. You can edit this field. It is displayed only for frictional contact applications.
Coeffi- It is applicable only for frictional contact applications. If multiple load steps are included
cient in the source file, only the Friction Coefficient from the first load step is imported.
Formu- This field displays the Formulation (p. 913) specified in the source file. You can change the
lation Formulation setting using the drop-down menu.
Thermal This field applies to thermal analyses or a structural analysis linked to a thermal analysis.
Con- You can edit this field and enter a positive (only) Thermal Conductance value. The Units
duct- for this value are based on the types of contact involved. For 3D element faces, the units
ance are HEAT/(TIME * TEMPERATURE* AREA).
Nor- This drop-down menu displays the normal stiffness type. Options for this property include
mal Program Controlled (default), Factor, and Absolute Value. Refer to the Normal
Stiff- Stiffness (p. 919) description in the Contact section for additional information.
ness
Nor- This field displays the Normal Stiffness Value. The setting is applicable when the Normal
mal Stiffness property is set to either Factor or Absolute Value. You can edit the value. There
Stiff- is no unit of measure for this value when Factor is specified. The unit of measure for this
ness value, when the Normal Stiffness property is set to Absolute Value, is specific weight
Value (Force per volume, F/L3 ) for a traction based model and stiffness (F/L) for or a force based
model. Refer to the Normal Stiffness (p. 919) description in the Contact section for additional
information.
Inter- This field defines how the contact pair is treated. It is not valid when the Type is set to Bonded
face or No Separation. Mechanical Interface Treatment (p. 926) properties are supported, as well as
Treat- the following ABAQUS keywords:
ment
• *CONTACT INTERFACE: Offset Only, Ramped Effects.

• *CONTACT INTERFACE, SHRINK: Add Offset, Ramped Effect.

• *CLEARANCE: Offset Only, No Ramping.

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Property Description
Offset The setting is applicable to the Interface Treatment setting. It is not valid when the Type is
set to Bonded or No Separation or if the Interface Treatment property is set to Adjust to
Touch.

Imported: Coordinate Systems

The Coordinate Systems object provides access to an external system’s data that includes coordinate
systems. The import process places this object under an Imported folder beneath the Connections (p. 1988)
parent folder.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Coordinate Systems (p. 696)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Promote > Coordinate System

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

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 Imported: Element Orientations

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Export Text File (p. 159)

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All
Properties Pages.
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
ID This field displays the element ID contained in the source input file.
Type This field displays the type of coordinate system (Cartesian or Cylindrical).
Origin This field displays the Location.
X Axis This field displays the position of the X coordinate.
Data
Y Axis This field displays the position of the Y coordinate.
Data
Z Axis This field displays the position of the Z coordinate.
Data

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Element Orientations

The Element Orientations object provides access to an external system’s data that includes element
orientations. The import process places this object under an Imported folder beneath the Geometry
parent folder.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Element Orientations (p. 699)

• External Model

• Element Orientations (p. 739)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Promote > Element Orientation

• Promote > Coordinate System

• Promote > Named Selection

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Export Text File (p. 159)

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

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 Imported: Flexible Remote Connectors

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All
Properties Pages.
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
ID This field displays the element ID contained in the source input file.
Element Set This field displays the number of elements within the set.
Coordinate This field displays the coordinate system of the element.
System

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Flexible Remote Connectors

Based on the stiffness of the external data provided, the Flexible Remote Connectors object provides
access to an external system’s data that includes flexible remote connections. The import process places
these objects under an Imported folder beneath the Connections parent folder.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Flexible Remote Connections (p. 702)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Promote > Remote Point

• Edit Items > Reference Node ID

• Edit Items > DOFs

• Edit Items > Weight Participating Factor

• Export Text File (p. 159)

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

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 Imported: Flexible Remote Connectors

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Color: Enables you to pick a graphics display color.
Proper- Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All Pages.
ties
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Proper- Read Only: Yes or No (default).
ties

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
Type This column indicates the type of connection from the imported file. For CDB files,
the column displays Remote Point. For ABAQUS files, the column displays Distributed
Coupling. For NASTRAN files, the column displays RBE3.
ID This column displays the element Identifier from the source file.
Refer- This value is the ID of the node that is attached to the participating nodes. You can
ence edit this property to assign a custom name to the Reference Node Id. The
Node corresponding node is identified by the specified name in the solver file and can be
ID accessed using command snippets. See the Reference Node Naming (p. 678) topic for
additional information.
DOFs Degrees of Freedom (DOFs) for the connectors.
Parti- This is a listing of the number of nodes (or Node ID for a single node) that are
cipat- connected to the Reference Node through force-distributed constraint.
ing
Nodes
Weight This entry determines the type of weight participation. This field provides a drop-down
Parti- list of options, however, based on the data contained in the source file, the application
cipat- makes a default selection. Options include:
ing
Factor • Uniform

• User Defined

• Program Controlled

The nodes can have Uniform participation or user-defined weights or Linear

participation (in case of Distributed Coupling). For example, Uniform weight

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Property Description
participation indicates that the force is distributed uniformly on to the participating
nodes.

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Nodal Orientations

The Nodal Orientations object provides access to an external system’s data that includes nodal orient-
ations. The import process places this object under an Imported folder beneath the Geometry parent
folder.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Nodal Orientations (p. 704)

• External Model

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 Imported: Point Masses

• Specifying Named Selections in the Mechanical Application (p. 761)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Export Text File (p. 159)

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All
Properties Pages.
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
ID This field displays the node ID contained in the source input file.
Location This field indicates the X, Y, Z coordinates of the source node relative to the Global
Coordinate system.
Orienta- This field indicates the Euler angles of the source node relative to the Global
tion Coordinate system.

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Point Masses

The Point Masses object provides access to an external system’s data that includes point masses. The
import process places this object under an Imported folder beneath the Geometry parent folder.

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Important:

If your Imported Point Mass is connected to a body through an imported connection, i.e.
Remote Connection, Constraint Equation, or Spring, Mechanical does not include the Imported
Point Mass in any Rotational Velocity or Rotational Acceleration scoping.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported: Point Mass (p. 705)

• External Model

• Point Mass (p. 658)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Edit Items > [Base on Worksheet Content]

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Export Text File (p. 159)

• Suppress

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 Imported: Point Masses

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Color: Enables you to pick a graphics display color.
Properties Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All Pages.
Transfer Source: Read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
ID This field displays the command identifier from the source input file.
Reference This field displays the node ID contained in the Nastran or Abaqus source file.
Node Id The corresponding node is identified by the specified name in the solver file and
can be accessed using command snippets. See the Reference Node Naming (p. 678)
topic for additional information.
Location This field displays the location of the point mass.
Mass Total mass of the point mass.
Mass Mo- This field displays the mass moment of inertia in the X/Y/Z direction measure
ment of In- with respect to the nodal coordinate system.
ertia X/Y/Z
Mass Mo- This field displays the mass moment of inertia with respect to the XY plane in
ment of In- the nodal coordinate system.
ertia XY
Mass Mo- This field displays the mass moment of inertia with respect to the XZ plane in
ment of In- the nodal coordinate system.
ertia XZ
Mass Mo- This field displays the mass moment of inertia with respect to the YZ plane in
ment of In- the nodal coordinate system.
ertia YZ
Offset The distance between the nodal location and the center of mass in the X/Y/Z
X/Y/Z direction. Any non-zero value is invalid. You can change the value in this field.

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

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Imported: Rigid Remote Connectors

Based on the stiffness of the external data provided, the Rigid Remote Connectors object provides
access to an external system’s data that includes rigid remote connections. The import process places
these objects under an Imported folder beneath the Connections parent folder.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Rigid Remote Connections (p. 707)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Promote > Remote Point

• Edit Items > Reference Node ID

• Edit Items > DOFs

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Underdefined

• Filter Worksheet Based on State > Suppressed

• Export Text File (p. 159)

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 Imported: Shell Thicknesses

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Color: Enables you to pick a graphics display color.
Properties Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All Pages.
Transfer Source: Read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
Type This column indicates the type of connection from the imported file. For CDB files,
the column displays Remote Point. For ABAQUS files, the column displays Kinematic
Coupling. For NASTRAN files, the column displays RBE2.
ID This column displays element identifier from the source file for NASTRAN or ABAQUS.
For CDB, it is the real constant ID.
Refer- This value is the ID of the node that is attached to the participating nodes. You can
ence edit this property to assign a custom name to the Reference Node Id. The
Node corresponding node is identified by the specified name in the solver file and can be
ID accessed using command snippets. See the Assigning Custom Names to Reference
Nodes and Accessing them in Solver File (p. 678) topic for additional information.
DOFs Degrees of Freedom (DOFs) for the connectors.
Parti- This is a listing of the number of nodes (or Node ID for a single node) that are
cipat- constrained to the Reference node for translation and rotation.
ing
Nodes

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Shell Thicknesses

The Shell Thicknesses object provides access to an external system’s data that includes shell thicknesses.
The import process places this object under an Imported folder beneath the Geometry parent folder.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Shell Thickness (p. 708)

• External Model

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All
Properties Pages.

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 Imported: Spring Connectors

Category Property/Description
Transfer Prop- Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
erties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
ID This column displays the element Identifier from the source input file.
Element The number of elements within the set.
Set
Sheet The thickness of the sheet specified in the source file.
Thick-
ness
Offset Drop-down menu of offset options (p. 641), including Top, Bottom, Middle, and
Type User Defined.
Sheet You use this property when the Offset Type property is set to User Defined.
Offset

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported: Spring Connectors

The Spring Connectors object provides access to an external system’s data that includes springs or
bushings. The import process places this object under an Imported folder beneath the Connections
parent folder.

Spring Example

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Bushing Example

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: the generic Imported folder is automatically generated during the import
process.

• Valid Child Tree Object: no supported child objects.

Insertion Method: this is an automatically generated object of the External Model feature.

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 Imported: Spring Connectors

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)

• Imported Springs (p. 2075)

• External Model

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Suppress

• Group (p. 133)

• Remove from Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Suppressed: Yes or No (default).
Graphics Color: enables you to pick graphics display color of grounded as well as non-grounded
Properties springs.
Show Rows: The options include None, From Current Page (default), and From All Pages.
Transfer Source: read-only display of the name of the source system file.
Properties Read Only: Yes or No (default).

Worksheet Properties
The columns of the Worksheet display the following imported source data:

Property Description
Type This column indicates the type of connection from the imported source file. Options
include:

• Single dof: This option indicates that the spring is being applied in the local nodal
coordinate system in a single degree of Freedom (DOF) direction (ux or uy or uz or
rotx or roty or rotz)

• Multi dof: This option indicates that the spring is being applied in more than one
DOF.

ID This column displays the node Identifier from the source input file.
Nodes This column indicates the nodes included with the spring. The nodes are contained
in braces ("{}") and the element ID associated with the displayed nodes precedes the
braces. For example, as shown in the image above, "nodes23{2, 104}" indicates element
ID 23 includes nodes 2 and 104. You can double-click this field and edit the application
assigned name.

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Property Description
Groun- If a field of this column indicates None, then the participating nodes are constrained.
ded If a field displays one of the node IDs, then that node ID is constrained in all DOFs.
node This column provides a drop-down list with the option None as well as a listing of
the node IDs.
Stiff- This column displays the stiffness constants in all DOFs or one DOF depending on
ness the Type of spring connector.
Damp- This column displays the structural damping coefficient applied in all DOFs or one
ing DOF depending on the Type of spring connector.
Co- This column displays the coordinate system of the elements. The Coordinate System
ordin- can be specified as a node or a vector.
ate
Sys-
tem
Loc- This column displays the location of the spring damper element and is displayed
a- based on either relative position or the coordinates with respect to the local/global
tion coordinate system.
Loc- This column displays the coordinate system for the coordinates of the spring damper
a- location.
tion
Co-
ordin-
ate
Sys-
tem

Note:

Review the User Interface Options topic in the Importing Mesh-Based Databases (p. 673)
section for all of the actions you can take when working with Worksheet data.

Imported Plies
The Imported Plies object provides ply/layer data that has been made available from an external system
upstream of the analysis system.

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 Imported Plies

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment

(p. 1974), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Method:

• Appears automatically when

importing ply/layer data from an
external system.

Additional Related Information:

• Specifying Surface Body Layered

Sections (p. 645)

• Composite Analysis (p. 611)

• Composite Analysis Result Scoping (p. 1504)

• Composite Failure Tool (p. 1560)

• Analysis Ply (p. 1948)

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for child objects of an Imported Plies
object.

• Insert for Environment (p. 1504)

• Reset to ACP Ply Grouping: restore the original ply structure provided by ACP.

• Create Ply Named Selection: this option creates Worksheet-based Named Selections (p. 764) for all of
the child objects of the ply group.

• Suppress

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Type: appears as Imported Plies and is a read-only field.

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Suppressed (p. 63): select Yes to suppress this object.

Note:

The Suppression option is only available when the external

system shares the model with the downstream analysis
system.

Material Nonlinear Effects (p. 227): select Yes to include the nonlinear effects
from the material properties. The reference temperature specified for
the body on which a ply is defined is used as the reference temperature
for the plies.

Thermal Strain Effects (p. 227): select Yes to send the coefficient of
thermal expansion to the solver.

Note:

These fields are not supported for an Explicit Dynamics

analysis.

Graphic Properties Layer to Display: defines which layer to display on the model. For
information on setting the Layer to Display see Viewing Individual
Layers (p. 647). Note that the layer number will correspond to the layer
number used by the Mechanical APDL solver, which may not match the
layer number of the system providing the layered data.

Note:

This property is only available when the external system

shares the model with the downstream analysis system.

Imported Load (Group)

The Imported Load folder object contains loads from an upstream source that you want to apply in
the current analysis.

In addition, the object provides context (right-click) menu options to add valid loads to the folder. The
content of this section pertains to the Imported Load folder object as well as the imported/inserted
load child objects.

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 Imported Load (Group)

Tree Dependencies: Import Load Object

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Environment (p. 2017) object.

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974), Im-

age (p. 2046), imported load objects

Insertion Methods: The application automatically

places the object beneath the analysis Environment
object.

Additional Related Information : Imported Boundary

Conditions (p. 1417)

Child Load Object

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>[Imported Load Type (p. 1419) based on analysis]

• Import Load

• Refresh Imported Load (Imported Load object only)

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

• Group Similar Objects (p. 133)

Child load objects include the above options as well as the option Export > Export Text File.

Import Load Object Properties

The Details view properties for the Imported Load folder object include the following.

Category Properties/Descriptions
Definition Type: Read-only indication.

Interpolation Type: Typically this property is a read-only indicator of the

application specified option for the property. Depending upon the analysis
configuration and mapping, this property may provide selectable options.

Suppressed (p. 63): Options include Yes and No (default).

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Category Properties/Descriptions
Source: Displays the name of the Source system.
Data Manage- Delete Mapped Data Files: This property enables you to delete the files
ment generated by the application during the mapping process. The default setting
is Yes except for Imported Thicknesses. For Imported Thickness
(Group) (p. 2092) objects, you can set this option to No if you do not plan to
run an Explicit Dynamics analysis.

Note:

This property does not display for Explicit Dynamics analyses

because the files generated during the mapping process are
required for the solution process.

Additive Manu- Transfer Temperatures During Solve: This category and property display
facturing when you insert an AM Process object. The property controls the transfer
of temperatures from the Transient Thermal analysis during the solution
process. Options include Yes (default) and No. See the Workbench Additive
Manufacturing Analysis Guide for more information.

Transfer Step: The step in the AM process during which the transfer of
temperatures will occur. Options include Build Step (default) and Heat
Treatment Step.

Imported Load Child Object Properties

The Details view properties listed below are a comprehensive look at the child objects for the Imported
Load folder. Based on the type of load you have imported, and the system from which it is imported,
the display of the properties can vary.

Category Properties/Descriptions
Scope Scoping Method
Specify as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.

Geometry
Displayed when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection (default). Dis
the number of geometric entities to which the object has been applied using the
filter to pick geometry, click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection
Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection. This field provide
user-defined Named Selections.

Definition Type
A read-only property that describes the object: [Imported Load Type].

Tabular Loading
Options include Program Controlled (default), Ramped, Stepped, and Off.

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 Imported Material Fields (Group)

Category Properties/Descriptions
Suppressed
Include or exclude the object in your analysis (Yes or No).

Source Environment
This is a read-only property that displays the linked upstream system.

Source File
Options in Worksheet (default), All, and Range.

Overrides Constraints
Options include No (default) and Yes.

Source Bodies
Options include All (default) and Manual. When you set the property to Manual,
displays. This property enables you to specify one or more source bodies using th

Submodeling Type
Read-only indicating 3D to 3D or 2D to 3D.

Transfer Key
See the Submodeling (p. 578) section of the Special Analysis documentation, base
linked.

Source Time
See the Imported Boundary Conditions (p. 1417) section of the Mechanical User's

For properties associated with data transfer, such as Mapping Controls, Rigid Transformation properties,
Graphics and Legend Controls and Named Selection Creation, see the Data Transfer Mesh Map-
ping (p. 2283) for details about the associated properties.

Imported Material Fields (Group)

The Imported Material Fields group folder contains all of the Imported Material Field objects used
to import the initial user-defined field variable values from External Data and map to the mesh. These
user-defined Field Variable, are created in the Engineering Data workspace.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Materi-

als (p. 2117) object.

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046), Imported
Material Field (p. 2085) objects.

Insertion Method: This object appears

automatically when you have a properly
specified Material Field Data in an
External Data system linked to the
Mechanical Model cell on the
Workbench Project page.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Material Fields

Application (p. 758)

• Imported Material Field (p. 2085)

• External Data

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Material Field

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for the Imported Material Fields object folder include the following.

Category Properties
Defini- Type
tion A read-only description of the object type: Imported Data.

Interpolation Type
A read-only description of the Interpolation Type property.

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 Imported Material Field

Category Properties
Suppressed
Include or exclude the object in your analysis (Yes or No).

Source
Read-only display of the External Data source system.

Imported Material Field

The Imported Material Field object enables you to import the initial user-defined field variable values
from External Data and map to the mesh. These user-defined Field Variable, are created in the Engin-
eering Data workspace.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Imported Ma-

terial Fields group.

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), and Image (p. 2046) objects.

Insertion Method : This object appears

automatically as a child object of the
Imported Material Field (p. 2085) group
when you have a properly specified
Material Field Data in an External Data
system linked to the Mechanical Model
cell on the Workbench Project page. To
add additional Imported Material Field
objects after highlighting the Imported
Material Fields group object:

• Select the Imported Material Field

option on the Imported Material
Fields Context tab.

• Right-click on the Imported Material

Fields folder and then select
Insert>Material Field.

• Click on the Imported Material Fields

folder and then in the Geometry
window, select geometry, then
right-click and select Insert > Material
Field.

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Material Fields (p. 758)

• Imported Material Fields Group (p. 2083)

object

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• External Data

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Export (p. 159)>Export Text File

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include but are not limited to the following. See
Appendix B. Data Transfer Mesh Mapping (p. 2283) for additional information about other categories and
settings for the Imported Material Field object.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method
Specify as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.

Geometry
Displayed when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection (default). Displays
the type of geometry and the number of geometric entities to which the object has
been applied using the selection tools. Use the selection filter to pick geometry, click
in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection
Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection. This field provides a
drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

Defini- Type
tion A read-only property that describes the object: Imported Material Field.

Apply To
This property enables you to specify whether the external values are mapped to the
elements or corner nodes of your mesh. The options for this property include: Elements
(default) and Corner Nodes.

Suppressed
Suppress the object as desired.

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 Imported Material Field

Category Properties
Graphics Display Material Field
Controls When you have more than one material field variable specified in the worksheet, this
option enables you to select the variable you wish to display.

Display Source Points

Toggle display of source point data. Options include Off (default) and On.

Display Source Point Ids

Toggle display of source point data identifiers. Options include Off (default) and On.

Display Interior Source Point

Toggle display of internal source point data. Options include Off (default) and On.

Settings Mapping Control

Options include Program Controlled (default) and Manual.

Mapping
A read-only property that describes the setting: Profile Preserving.

Weighting
Select the type of weighting to be performed. This option can be changed only if the
Mapping Control property is set to Manual. The default setting is Triangulation.

Transfer Type
A read-only property that describes the setting: Volumetric.

Legend Legend Range

Controls Options include Program Controlled (default) and Manual.

Minimum
This property displays when the Legend Range property is set to Manual. The default
setting is Program Controlled. Select the field to make a manual entry.

Maximum
This property displays when the Legend Range property is set to Manual. The default
setting is Program Controlled. Select the field to make a manual entry.

Minimum Source
A read-only property that describes the setting: Program Controlled.

Maximum Source
A read-only property that describes the setting: Program Controlled.

Named The following properties enable you to create Named Selections for Mapped, Unmapped,
Selection and Outside elements identified during the mapping process.
Creation
Unmapped Nodes
Options include Off (default) and On. Selecting the On option displays the Name
property. Rename the default as desired.

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Category Properties
Mapped Nodes
Options include Off (default) and On. Selecting the On option displays the Name
property. Rename the default as desired.

Outside Nodes
Options include Off (default) and On. Selecting the On option displays the Name
property. Rename the default as desired.

Imported Remote Loads

The Imported Remote Loads object includes the Force and Moment boundary conditions provided
by an upstream Maxwell analysis to perform a coupled simulation. These loading conditions are used
during a Harmonic Response analysis.

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 Imported Remote Loads

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Environment

(Group) (p. 2017)

• Valid Child Tree Object: the

automatically generated groups of remote
forces and moments.

Insertion Method: Appears by default

for specific analyses with data
transfer. (p. 1417)

Additional Related Information:

• Importing Data into a Harmonic

Analysis (p. 530)

• Electromagnetics (EM) - Mechanical Data

Transfer (p. 526)

Note:

As illustrated, an Imported Remote Loads object is automatically generated and it contains

Remote Point objects that are automatically named and associated with an appropriate
group for the Force and Moment loading objects.

Object Properties
The Details view properties for the Imported Remote Loads object folder include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method: options include:

• Geometry Selection: this is the default setting, indicating that the boundary
condition is applied to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using
graphical selection tools.

Geometry: visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selec-

tion. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and the number of

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Objects Reference

Category Properties
geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges) to which the boundary
has been applied using the selection tools.

• Named Selection: indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named

Selection.

Named Selection - Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user-defined
Named Selections.

Definition Ansoft Solution: this property provides a drop-down list of the available
solutions that were generated in the upstream application. When multiple
solutions are available, your selection defines which solution data is applied
to the imported load.

Remote Points: this property provides the options Internal and Globally
Available.

On Data Refresh: this option is available only when the Remote Points
property is set to Globally Available. Its options include:

• Reuse Remote Points: this is the default setting. This option reuses the previously
added remote points and only updates the scoping and location, if necessary.

• Regenerate Remote Points: this option deletes the remote points that were
created during the previous import and adds new remote points when the data
is imported.

Import Status: this read-only property displays the status of the import.
Status conditions include the following:

• Data Unavailable: no data is available to perform the import.

• Obsolete: the data is available to be imported, but no data has been imported
or the data is obsolete and should be re-imported.

• Update: all data has been imported.

• Import Failed: an error occurred during the import process and no data was
imported

Suppressed (p. 63): the default value is No.

Imported Thickness
Use the Imported Thickness object to import thickness data generated in a previous analysis for ap-
plication in a current analysis. Imported Thickness objects are created in Mechanical by linking an
External Data system to an analysis’ Model cell in the Project Schematic by right-clicking
Setup>Transfer Data To New and selecting an analysis type for the External Data system in the Project
Schematic. You can also right-click the Model cell of your project on the Project Schematic and select
Transfer Data From New>External Data.

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 Imported Thickness

Solver Notes:

• For the Mechanical APDL solver, thickness on 3D shells is represented at the nodal level via the SEC-
FUNCTION command. For 2D plane stress, thicknesses are calculated as an average value from the
element's nodal thickness values and it is input as a real constant for the element.

• For the Explicit Dynamics solver the element's nodal thicknesses are converted to an average element
thickness.

• For the LS-DYNA solver, thicknesses are applied to the nodes. This is also true for 2D analyses.

Applies to: Imported Thickness object folder and all thickness child objects under the folder.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Imported

Thickness Group

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974),

Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Method:

• Appears by default for specific analyses

with data transfer (p. 1417)

• Right-click on the Imported Thickness

Group object (p. 2092)

• Click on Thickness (p. 19) in the Geo-

metry Context tab.

Additional Related Information:

• External Data Import (p. 552)

• Specifying Surface Body Thickness (p. 643)

• Variable Data (p. 23)

• Polyflow to Mechanical Data Transfer (p. 573)

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Search Faces with Multiple Thicknesses (p. 649)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include but are not limited to the following. See
Appendix B. Data Transfer Mesh Mapping (p. 2283) for additional information about other categories and
settings for Imported Thicknesses.

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Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method - Select the method of choosing objects to which
the thickness is applied: Geometry Selection or Named Selection.

Geometry – appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selec-

tion. In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170),
click in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection – appears if Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection.
Definition Type - appears as Imported Thickness and is a read-only field.

Suppressed (p. 63) - Select Yes to suppress Imported Thickness.

External Data Identifier - Choose the appropriate data identifier

which represents the thickness data from the file.

Scale - The amount by which the imported thickness values are

scaled before being used for display or solution.

Offset - An offset that is added to the imported thickness values

before being used for display or solution.

Shell Offset (p. 641) - Set the desired shell offset.

Advanced Unmapped Data Value - You can specify a thickness value for the
unmapped target nodes using the Unmapped Data Value property.
By default, a zero thickness value is assigned to the unmapped nodes.
For the ANSYS solver, the thickness value at each node must be
greater than zero. See External Data Import in the Mechanical User's
Guide (p. 552) for details.

Imported Thickness (Group)

The External Thickness group includes the thicknesses that you have imported from an earlier analysis
and want to apply in the present analysis. You can add valid thicknesses under the Geometry > Imported
Thickness object folder by right-clicking the Imported Thickness or the Thickness objects.

For a 3D analysis, imported data is specified as a shell thickness but for a 2D analysis, it is defined as a
plane element thickness. Plane element thicknesses are calculated as an average value from nodal
thickness values and it is input as a real constant for the element.

Applies to: Imported Thickness object folder and all external thickness child objects under the folder.

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 Imported Thickness (Group)

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Geometry object.

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974),

Image (p. 2046), imported thickness objects

Insertion Method:

• Appears by default when a Mechanical

Model cell is connected to an External
Data system.

• Create a link to an upstream Polyflow

system.

Additional Related Information:

• External Data Import (p. 552)

• Polyflow to Mechanical Data Transfer (p. 573)

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Thickness

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for the Imported Thickness object folder include the following.

Category Properties
Defini- Type
tion A read-only description of the Imported Thickness property.

Interpolation Type
A read-only description of the Interpolation Type property.

Suppressed
Enables you to control whether the Imported Thickness characteristics are considered in
the solving of the simulation.

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Imported Trace (Group)

The Imported Trace group includes the metal traces that you have imported from a Printed Circuit
Boards (PCBs) 3D Layout design, using the External Data system, to model the effects of metal traces
in PCBs. You can add valid traces under the Geometry>Imported Trace object folder by right-clicking
the Imported Trace objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Geometry object.

• Valid Child Tree Object:

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046), and Imported
Trace objects.

Insertion Method: appears by default

when a Mechanical Model cell is
connected to an External Data system.

Additional Related Information: see the

External Data Import (p. 552) section.

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Trace (p. 614)

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Import Trace (p. 614)

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

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 Imported Trace

• Group Similar Objects

Object Properties
The Details view properties for the Imported Trace group object include the following.

Category Properties
Defini- Type
tion A read-only property that describes the object - Imported Data.

Interpolation Type
A read-only description of the Interpolation Type property.

Suppressed
Suppress the object as desired.

Source
The source system.

Imported Trace
The Imported Trace object enables you to model Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) in a fast and efficient
manner which would otherwise require an inordinate amount of time to process the geometry and
mesh, due to the complexities in such models.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Imported Trace

folder object.

• Valid Child Tree Object:

• Valid Child Tree Object: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), and Image (p. 2046), objects.

Insertion Method:

• Appears by default when a Mechanical

Model cell is connected to an External
Data system.

• Right-click the Imported Trace group

object and select Insert>Trace.

• Select the Imported Trace option on

the Geometry (p. 19) Context tab.

Additional Related Information:

• ECAD Analysis using Trace Mapping (p. 611)

• Imported Trace Folder (p. 2094)

Context Menu Options

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Validation

• Export>Export Text File

• Suppress

• Create Material Plot (p. 2116)

• Duplicate

• Clear Generated Data

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

• Group Similar Objects (p. 133)

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 Imported Trace

Object Properties
The Details view properties for the Imported Trace object include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method
Specify as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.

Geometry
Displayed when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection (default). Displays
the type of geometry and the number of bodies to which the object has been applied
using the selection tools. Use the selection filter to pick geometry, click in the Geometry
field, then click Apply.

Named Selection
Displays when the Scoping Method is set to Named Selection. This field provides a
drop-down list of available user-defined Named Selections.

Defini- Type
tion A read-only property that describes the object - Imported Trace.

Suppressed
Suppress the object as desired.

External Data Identifier

This property provides a drop-down list of available ECAD files from the list of files specified
in the External Data system.

Shell Offset (Shells Only)

Set the desired shell offset (p. 641).

Graphics Component
Controls Options include Average (default), X Component, Z Component, and Z Component.

Display Source Points

Toggle display of source point data. Options include Off (default) and On.

Settings Mapping Control

Options include Program Controlled (default) and Manual.

Mapping
A read-only property that describes the setting - Profile Preserving

Weighting
A read-only property that describes the setting - Shape Function

Transfer Type
A read-only property that describes the setting - Volumetric

Legend Legend Range

Controls Options include Program Controlled (default) and Manual.

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Category Properties
Minimum
This property displays when the Legend Range property is set to Manual. The default
setting is Program Controlled. Select the field to make a manual entry.

Maximum
This property displays when the Legend Range property is set to Manual. The default
setting is Program Controlled. Select the field to make a manual entry.

Named The following properties enable you to create Named Selections for Mapped, Unmapped,
Selection and Outside elements identified during the mapping process.
Creation
Unmapped Elements
Options include Off (default) and On. Selecting the On option displays the Name
property. Rename the default as desired.

Mapped Elements
Options include Off (default) and On. Selecting the On option displays the Name
property. Rename the default as desired.

Outside Elements
Options include Off (default) and On. Selecting the On option displays the Name
property. Rename the default as desired.

Material Modeling
Options include Average (default) and Black/White. Black/White material modeling
assigns the Trace material to elements with Average Metal Fraction > 0.5 and Dielectric
Material to elements with Average Metal Fraction <= 0.5, whereas the Average option
calculates material properties as a function of Metal Fraction. See the Trace
Analysis (p. 611) section for additional details.

Discretiz- Use these properties to you specify the grid density count to create the trace metal
ation distribution of the board. The grid density count is 200 x 200 by default. Depending
on the trace resolution and the computational costs desired, you can change the values
for the rows and columns to receive optimum results.

• X-Discretization

• Y-Discretization

Initial Conditions
Houses initial condition objects for use in a Transient Structural analysis (p. 507) (Velocity (p. 2241) only)
or an Explicit Dynamics analysis (Velocity (p. 2241) and Angular Velocity and Drop Height (p. 2013)) (p. 1950).

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 Initial Physics Options

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Transient Structural

[for Velocity only], or Explicit Dynamics
environment (p. 2017) object [for either Velocity
or Angular Velocity].

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Angular Velocity

(p. 1950) (Explicit Dynamics object only), Com-
ment (p. 1974), Drop Height (p. 2013) (Explicit
Dynamics object only), Figure (p. 2027), Im-
age (p. 2046), Pre-Stress (p. 2172) (Explicit
Dynamics object only), Velocity (p. 2241)

Insertion Options: Appears by default for a

Transient Structural analysis or an explicit
dynamics analysis.

Additional Related Information:

• Define Initial Conditions (p. 233)

• Transient Structural Analysis (p. 507)

• Explicit Dynamics Analysis Guide

Initial Physics Options

You use the Initial Physics Options object to specify the initial temperature and reference temperature
of the parts/bodies specified as either Thermal or Structural (using the Physics Region object (p. 2162))
during a Coupled Field Static (p. 244) or Coupled Field Transient (p. 246) analysis. For the thermal field,
you specify an Initial Temperature as either Uniform or Non-Uniform (Transient only and currently a
beta option). For the structural field, you specify a Reference Temperature.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object Coupled Field

Static and Coupled Field Transient.

• Valid Child Tree Objects: This object

does not support any child objects.

Insertion Options: Appears by default

for Coupled Field Static and
Coupled Field Transient analyses.

Additional Related Information:

• Coupled Field Static (p. 244)

• Coupled Field Transient (p. 246)

• Coupled Field Analysis Types (p. 243)

Context Menu Options

The Rename option is the only available context (right-click) menu option for this object.

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following:

Category Properties/Description
Thermal Initial Temperature: For a Coupled Field Static analysis, this is a read-only property set
Set- to Uniform Temperature. For a Coupled Field Transient analysis, you can specify this
tings property as either a Uniform Temperature or a Non-Uniform Temperature (beta).

Initial Temperature Value: This is the Uniform Temperature value. The default value is
22° C (or 71.6° F).
Struc- Reference Temperature: This property specifies the Reference Temperature of the Static
tur- Structural portion of the analysis. The default value is 22° C (or 71.6° F).
al
Set-
tings

Initial Temperature
Defines an initial temperature or an initial temperature distribution for use in a Steady-State
Thermal (p. 439) or Transient Thermal (p. 521) analysis.

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 Initial Temperature

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Steady-State Thermal

or Transient Thermal analysis
environment (p. 2017).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Appears by default for a

steady-state thermal analysis or a transient
thermal analysis.

Additional Related Information:

• Define Initial Conditions (p. 233)

• Steady-State Thermal Analysis (p. 439)

• Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 521)

Object Properties
The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Initial Temperature (p. 233): For a Steady-State Thermal analysis, this property
is read-only and is set to Uniform Temperature. For a Transient Thermal analysis,
the options include Uniform Temperature (default) or Non-Uniform Temperature.

Initial Temperature Value (p. 233): This property displays when you set the Initial
Temperature property to Uniform Temperature. The default value is 22° C (or
71.6° F).

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Category Properties
Initial Temperature Environment: You use this property to specify the upstream
thermal analysis you wish to link to current analysis. The application uses the
temperature result from the selected thermal analysis in current analysis as the
initial temperature.

Time: This property displays when you set the Initial Temperature property to
Non-Uniform Temperature. Enter the time from the selected thermal analysis
that you want to use as the starting point to begin your current thermal analysis.
The default value is End Time.

Interface Delamination
The Interface Delamination object allows you to simulate the separation of two materials across an
interface.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Fracture (p. 2029)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting Fracture object:

• Click the Interface Delamination option on the

Fracture Context tab (p. 18).

• Right-click on the Fracture (p. 2029) object, Inter-

face Delamination object, or Contact Debond-
ing (p. 1993) object and select Insert>Interface
Delamination.

Additional Related Information:

• Interface Delamination and Contact

Debonding (p. 1101)

• Fracture Analysis (p. 1069)

• Crack (p. 1081)

• Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 1093)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Interface Delamination (p. 1102)

• Insert>Contact Debonding (p. 1105)

• Insert > SMART Crack Growth (p. 1095)

• Suppress

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 Interface Delamination

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition Type - read-only field that describes the object - Interface Delamination.

Method - this property specifies the formulation used to introduce the

fracture mechanism, either Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT - default)
or Cohesive Zone Material (CZM).

Failure Criteria Option - options include:

• Energy-Release rate - this property displays when VCCT is the specified

as Method. It requires you to specify a Critical Rate value. This value
determines the energy release rate in one direction.

• Material Data Table - - this property displays when VCCT is the specified
as Method. This property defines the energy release rate in all three
fracture modes. It provides a fly-out menu for Material selection or
specification. Material definitions are created in Engineering Data.

Material - this property displays when CZM is the specified as Method. It

provides a fly-out menu for Material selection or specification. Material
definitions are created in Engineering Data.

Suppressed - this property allows you to exclude the object in the analysis.
Scope Initial Crack - this property displays when VCCT is specified as Method.
Select a user-defined Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 2171).

Generation Method - specify as either Matched Meshing or Node

Matching. If interface layers imported from ANSYS Composite PrepPost
(ACP) application are available, a third option, Pre-Generated Interface is
also available. This property is automatically set to Pre-Generated Interface
for Interface Delamination objects automatically generated during the
import process for the interface layers.

Scoping Method - displayed when Node Matching is specified as the

Generation Method. Options include Geometry Selection (default) and
Named Selection. Specifies that the Source and Target properties are
defined using the graphical selection tools or that the geometry is defined
by from a drop-down list of available user–defined Named Selections (p. 761).
This option assumes that the existing mesh is already matched.

Source - displayed when Node Matching is specified as the Generation

Method. Specify the face on the model that will be the source.

Target - displayed when Node Matching is specified as the Generation

Method. Specify the face on the model that will be the target.

Match Control - displayed when Matched Meshing is specified as the

Generation Method. The Match Control property references a pre-defined

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Category Properties
Mesh Match Control. The pre-defined Match Control requires two
independent parts that have the same (brick) element/node pattern.

Interface (ACPOnly) - This property is only available when you create your
composite geometry in the ACP application. Select the appropriate Interface
Layer from the provided drop-down menu.
Step Controls for This category displays when VCCT is specified as Method. It provides the
Crack Growth following properties. If Auto Time Stepping is set to Manual the time
step properties can be modified, otherwise they are read-only.

Auto Time Stepping - options include Program Controlled (default)

or Manual.
Initial Time Step - initial time step when crack growth initiates.
Minimum Time Step - minimum time step for subsequent crack growth.
Maximum Time Step - maximum time step for subsequent crack
growth.
Node Matching This category displays when Node Matching is specified as Generation
Tolerance Method. It provides the following properties.

Tolerance Type - options include Program Controlled (default) or

Manual.
Distance Tolerance - this property may be modified when the Toler-
ance Type is set to Manual, otherwise it is read-only - that is, the value
is defined by the application. Node matching requires that each node
has a corresponding mate (Source and Target). This tolerance value
defines the search radius for determining the matching between Source
and Target nodes.

Joint
Defines conditions for reference and mobile pairs that make up a joint (p. 962). Several Joint objects
can appear as child objects under a Connection Group (p. 1990) object. The Connection Group object
name automatically changes to Joints.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Connection Group (p. 1990)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Coordinate System (p. 2002),
Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods after highlighting

Connections (p. 1988) object:

• Inserted automatically if joints are defined in the CAD model and you choose
Create Automatic Connections through a right-click click the Connections
(or Joints) object.

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 Layered Section

• Click Body-Ground> {type of joint} or Body-Body> {type of joint} on

Connections Context tab (p. 16).

• Right-click on Connections (p. 1988) (or Joints ) object in the Geometry

window> Insert> Joint.

Additional Related Information:

• Joints (p. 958)

• Joint Load (p. 1245)

• Connections Context (p. 16)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Enable/Disable Transparency (p. 1034)

• Hide All Other Bodies (p. 1035)

• Flip Reference/Mobile (p. 1035)

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs (p. 895)

• Go To Connections for Duplicate Pairs (p. 895) - available if connection object shares the same geometries
with other connection objects.

• Promote to Remote Point (p. 798) (Remote Attachment Only)

• Promote to Named Selection (p. 776)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 1033)

Object Properties
For more information on this object's properties, see the Joint Properties (p. 978) section for specific
details.

Layered Section
This object enables you to create layers (one or more) on a surface body to create a composite. And,
for a surface body that includes multiple faces, you can create layers on each/any face.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Geometry (p. 2040)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the

following methods after highlighting
Geometry (p. 2040) object:

• Select the Layered Section option on Geo-

metry Context tab (p. 19).

• Right-click on Geometry (p. 2040) object and

select Insert > Layered Section.

Additional Related Information:

• Specifying Surface Body Layered

Sections (p. 645)

• Geometry Context (p. 19)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Search Faces with Multiple Thicknesses (p. 649)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method

Geometry: Appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click
in the Geometry field, then click Apply.

Named Selection: Appears if Scoping Method is set to Named Se-

lection.
Definition Coordinate System

Offset Type (p. 641) (this field is not supported for an Explicit
Dynamics analysis)

Membrane Offset: Displays when you set the Offset Type property
to User Defined. Enter an offset value.

Layers: Worksheet is the default and selectable option for this

property that opens the Worksheet for data entry.

Suppressed (p. 63)

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 Loads, Supports, and Conditions (Group)

Material Nonlinear Effects (p. 227): Select yes to include the nonlinear effects
from the material properties. The reference temperature specified
for the body on which a layered section is defined is used as the
reference temperature for the layers.

Thermal Strain Effects (p. 227): Select yes to send the coefficient of
thermal expansion to the solver.

Note:

These fields are not supported for an Explicit Dynamics

analysis.

Graphic Properties Layer to Display: This property provides a slider that enables you
to select the Layer of the model you wish to display in the Geometry
window. The default is setting is All Layers (numerical value = 0).
Properties Total Thickness: Read-only property that displays a total of the
Thickness values defined in the Worksheet.

Total Mass: Read-only property of the calculated total mass of all of

the layers in the Layered Section.

Loads, Supports, and Conditions (Group)

Defines the individual loads (p. 1191), supports (p. 1346), and conditions (p. 1376) used as boundary conditions
in the environment for a model.

Applies to the following objects: Absorption Element (p. 1328), Absorption Surface (p. 1324), Acceler-
ation (p. 1175), Bearing Load (p. 1222), Bolt Pretension (p. 1226), Compression Only Support (p. 1364),
Conductor (p. 1280), Constraint Equation (p. 1378), Contact Step Control (p. 1395), Convection (p. 1253),
Coupling (p. 1376), Current (p. 1274), Cylindrical Support (p. 1368), Detonation Point, Diffuse Sound
Field (p. 1306), Displacement (p. 1348), Elastic Support (p. 1374), Far-field Radiation Surface (p. 1340),
Nodal Displacement (p. 1409), Nodal Rotation (p. 1411), Free Surface (p. 1330), Fixed Rotation (p. 1371),
Fixed Support (p. 1346), Fluid Solid Interface (p. 1290), Force (p. 1210), Frictionless Support (p. 1362), Gen-
eralized Plane Strain (p. 1237), Heat Flow (p. 1262), Heat Flux (p. 1265), Hydrostatic Pressure (p. 1204), Im-
pedance Boundary (Explicit Dynamics), Impedance Boundary (Acoustic) (p. 1321), Impedance Sheet (p. 1315),
Incident Wave Source (p. 1308), Internal Heat Generation (p. 1267), Mass Flow Rate (p. 1270), Joint
Load (p. 1245), Line Pressure (p. 1239), Low Reduced Frequency Model (p. 1344), Magnetic Flux Paral-
lel (p. 1278), Mass Source (p. 1301), Moment (p. 1232), Nodal Orientation (p. 1403), Nodal Force (p. 1404),
Nodal Pressure (p. 1406), Nonlinear Adaptive Region (p. 1383), Element Birth and Death (p. 1391), Perfectly
Insulated (p. 1263), Pipe Idealization (p. 1380), Pipe Pressure (p. 1199), Pipe Temperature (p. 1202), Plastic
Heating (p. 1399), Port (p. 1337), Pressure (p. 1193), Pressure (Acoustic) (p. 1319), Port In Duct (p. 1311), PSD
Base Excitation (p. 1243), Radiation (p. 1258), Radiation Boundary (p. 1326), Remote Displacement (p. 1356),
Remote Force (p. 1215), Rigid Wall (p. 1334), Rotating Force (p. 1296), Rotational Acceleration (p. 1187),
Rotational Velocity (p. 1183), RS Base Excitation (p. 1244), Simply Supported (p. 1370), Standard Earth
Gravity (p. 1181), Static Pressure (p. 1317), Surface Velocity (p. 1303), Symmetry Plane (p. 1336), System
Coupling Region (p. 1293), Temperature (Acoustic) (p. 1313), Temperature (p. 1250), Thermal Condi-
tion (p. 1247), Thermo-Viscous BLI Boundary (p. 1332), Transfer Admittance Matrix (p. 1342), Velo-
city (p. 1360), Viscoelastic Heating (p. 1400), Voltage (p. 1272)

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object:

– For Magnetostatic Analysis only: Source Conductor (p. 1280) when specifying
a Current (p. 1283) or Voltage (p. 1282)

– For all other objects: an analysis environment (p. 2017) object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects:

– For Magnetostatic Analysis Source Conductor (p. 1280): Comment (p. 1974),
Current (p. 1283), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046), Voltage (p. 1282) (Solid Source
Conductor only)

– For all other objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

• For Current (p. 1283) or Voltage (p. 1282), scope (p. 1171) to a body, then use any
of the following methods:

– Choose Conductor or Current on the Environment Context tab (p. 23),

then choose Current or Voltage.

– Right-click on Magnetostatic object, or in the Geometry window> Insert>

Conductor then > Insert> Current or Voltage

• For all other objects, use any of the following methods after highlighting
Environment (p. 2017) object:

– Choose Inertial, or Load, or Supports, or Conditions> {load, support, or

condition name} on Environment Context tab (p. 23).

– Right-click on Environment (p. 2017) object, any load, support, or condition

object, or in the Geometry window> Insert> {load, support, or condition
name}

Additional Related Information:

• Apply Loads and Supports (p. 238)

• Types of Boundary Conditions (p. 1174)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>[various boundary condition options (p. 1174)]

• Promote to Named Selection (p. 776): available for most boundary condition objects.

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Duplicate

• Cut/Copy

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 Manufacturing Constraint

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

• Group Similar Objects (p. 133)

The right-click context menu option Promote to Named Selection (p. 776) is available for most
boundary condition objects.

Object Properties
See the Applying Boundary Conditions (p. 1171) section for more information about Loads, Supports, and
Conditions.

Manufacturing Constraint
The Manufacturing Constraint object is an optional object for a Topology Optimization (p. 447) analysis.
The analysis supports only one Manufacturing Constraint object in the tree. See the Manufacturing
Constraint (p. 472) section for additional information.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Topology

Optimization Environment (p. 2017).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: No supported child

objects.

Insertion Options : To add a Manufactur-

ing Constraint object, highlight the
Topology Optimization environment and
either:

• Select Manufacturing Constraint>

[desired Manufacturing Constraint]
from the Environment Context
tab (p. 23).

• Right-click and select Insert>Member

Size.

Additional Related Information : See

Topology Optimization (p. 447).

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Objective (p. 2151)

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• Insert > Mass Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert > Volume Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert > Criterion Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert > Global von-Mises Stress Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Local von-Mises Stress Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Displacement Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Reaction Force Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Temperature Constraint (p. 2180) (Steady-State Thermal Analysis)

• Insert > Natural Frequency Constraint (p. 2180) (Modal Analysis)

• Insert > Member Size (p. 472)

• Insert > Pull out Direction (p. 472)

• Insert > Extrusion (p. 472)

• Insert > Cyclic (p. 472)

• Insert > Symmetry (p. 472)

• Insert > AM Overhang Constraint (p. 477)

• Grouping/Ungrouping (p. 133) options

• Commands Objects (p. 1823)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object are examined in the Manufacturing Constraint (p. 472)
section.

Material
The material object represents a material which is contained in your Project. Individual materials (e.g.,
Structural Steel) are contained in the Materials folder object. The Materials folder object holds all of
the materials that you have added to the Engineering Data workspace or your CAD application, for your
analysis. When you select a material, the Engineering Data Material Window (p. 92) displays. This window
enables you to import materials, view material data properties, and/or open the Engineering Data
workspace to make changes to material properties and data. Refer to that help section for more inform-
ation.

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 Material

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Materials (p. 2117)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Material objects do not have

any associated child objects.

Insertion Method : A material is automatically

inserted or removed, if present or not in the
Engineering Data workspace, when you refresh of
the Model is made.

Additional Related Information:

• Materials Group (p. 2117)

• Engineering Data Workspace

• Material Assignment (p. 753)

• CAD Materials

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Create Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Create Material Combination (p. 755)

• Group/Group Similar Objects (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object are read-only and display statistical-based information
about the object's contents. The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Common Material This category provides a list of common material property values,
Properties such as Density and Young's Modulus. If a material property is
based on tabular data, it is indicated by the value “table” with a
parenthetical of the associated field variable. For example, a
temperature dependent Thermal Conductivity value could have a
value of “table(T) = 148.62 W/m · °C.” Field variable nomenclature is
described in the supported properties section. The displayed value
is computed using the default value at each of the material field
variable. Also note that table data can include multiple variables
(e.g.,T,C,U).

In addition, the following properties are included in this category:

Nonlinear Behavior: This read-only property displays the value

True or False based upon whether the material has nonlinear
material models.

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Full Details: Selecting this property opens the Engineering Data

Workspace so that you can view all of the data for the material.
Statistics Assigned Bodies: This property displays the number of bodies to
which the selected material is assigned.

Material Assignment
The Material Assignment object provides a convenient way to assign a material to multiple bodies
and control its behavior, like nonlinear effects, thermal strain calculation, reference temperature etc. It
also allows for a convenient way for users to edit material properties through a Commands (p. 1972) object.

Important:

The Material Assignment feature is not supported by Workbench LS-DYNA.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Materials (p. 2117)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Fig-

ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options

• Select the Materials (p. 2117) object and either

the bodies in the Outline or the graphics
window, right-click the mouse button, select
Create Material Assignment.

• Select the Materials (p. 2117) object and then

select the Material Assignment option on
Material Context tab.

• Right-click the mouse button on the Materi-

als (p. 2117) object or in the Geometry window
and select Insert > Material Assignment.

Additional Related Information:

• Specifying Materials (p. 753)

• Setting Up Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Material Assignment

• Insert>Commands

• Suppress

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 Material Assignment

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that you apply the

feature to one or more bodies, which are chosen using graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping property is set to Geometry

Selection. Geometry scoping supports Body selection only. Displays
the type of geometry and the number of geometric entities (for
example: 3 Bodies) to which you have scoped the geometry.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by

a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping property is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of the available
geometry-based Named Selections.

Definition Material Name: You use the fly-out menu of this property to specify
your desired material. Structural Steel is the application's default
material. The availability and definition of the materials displayed in the
menu is based on the materials that you have included in the analysis
using the Engineering Data workspace or a CAD application. The menu
includes the options New Material and Import. Both of these options
open the Engineering Data workspace and enable you to create, edit,
or import materials.

Nonlinear Effects (p. 227): Options include Yes (default) and No. This
property instructs the application to include the nonlinear effects from
the material properties.

Thermal Strain Effects (p. 227): Options include Yes (default) and No.
This property instructs the application to send the coefficient of thermal
expansion to the solver.

Reference Temperature (p. 225): The reference temperature specified

for the body is used as the reference temperature.

Field Coordinate System: When the selected material includes one or

more properties that includes one or more of the coordinate field
variables (Coordinate X, Coordinate Y, or Coordinate Z) the selection
indicates the origin for the material field. The default (Default

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Coordinate System) makes use of a body's Coordinate System. Options

include Default Coordinate System (default), Global Coordinate
System, and if available, user-defined coordinate systems.

Suppressed (p. 63)

Common Material This category provides a list of common material property values, such
Properties as Density and Young's Modulus. If a material property is based on
tabular data, it is indicated by the value “table” with a parenthetical of
the associated field variable. For example, a temperature dependent
Thermal Conductivity value could have a value of “table(T) = 148.62
W/m · °C.” Field variable nomenclature is described in the supported
properties section. The displayed value is computed using the default
value at each of the material field variable. Also note that table data can
include multiple variables (e.g.,T,C,U).

In addition, the following properties are included in this category:

Nonlinear Behavior: This read-only property displays the value True

or False based upon whether the material has nonlinear material
models.
Full Details: Selecting this property opens the Engineering Data
Workspace so that you can view all of the data for the material.

Material Combination
Using the materials available in the Engineering Data workspace, the Material Combination object
enables you to assign a combination of different materials, specifically their material properties, to a
body or part.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Materials (p. 2117)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Fig-

ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options

• Right-click the Materials (p. 2117) object and

select Insert > Material Combination.

• Select the Materials (p. 2117) object and then

select the Material Combination option on
Materials Context tab.

• Select multiple materials from the group

folder and then either right-click and select
Create Material Combination or select the
Material Combination option on Materials
Context tab.

Additional Related Information:

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• Material Combination Application (p. 755)

• Engineering Data Materials pane (p. 92)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Create Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Create Material Combination (p. 755)

• Suppress

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Materials Add Material: You use the flyout menu of this property to display the
Engineering Data Materials pane (p. 92) and select materials for
combination.
Common Material This category provides a list of common material property values, such
Properties as Density and Young's Modulus. If a material property is based on
tabular data, it is indicated by the value “table” with a parenthetical of
the associated field variable. For example, a temperature dependent
Thermal Conductivity value could have a value of “table(T) = 148.62
W/m · °C.” Field variable nomenclature is described in the Supported
Properties section. The displayed value is computed using the default
value at each of the material field variable. Also note that table data can
include multiple variables (e.g.,T,C,U).

In addition, the following properties are included in this category:

Nonlinear Behavior: This read-only property displays the value True

or False based upon whether the material has nonlinear material
models.
Full Details: Selecting this property opens the Engineering Data
Workspace so that you can view all of the data for the material.
Statistics Assigned Bodies: This property displays the number of bodies to which
the selected material combination is assigned.

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Material Plot
The Material Plot object enables you to plot a material's property values on your model as contours.
You scope the object using geometry selections or by specifying Named Selections. Once your Material
Plot object is defined and generated, the Geometry window displays the contours associated with the
material properties on the specified geometry/geometries.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Materials (p. 2117)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Fig-

ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Materi-
als (p. 2117) object:

• Click Material Plot option on the Materials

Context tab (p. 20).

• Right-click on the Materials (p. 2117) object

and select Insert > Material Plot.

• In the Geometry window, select geometry,

and then right-click and select Insert >
Material Plot.

Additional Related Information:

• Material Plot Application (p. 754)

• Materials Context tab (p. 20)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Generate Material Plot

• Suppress

• Duplicate

• Clear Generated Data

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Group Similar Objects (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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 Materials (Group)

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping, options include:

• Geometry Selection: Default setting, indicating that you apply the

feature to one or more geometric entities that you select using graphical
selection tools.

– Geometry: Visible when the Scoping property is set to Geometry

Selection. Geometry scoping supports Body, Face, Edge, and Element
selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, etc.) and the number
of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Bodies) to which you
have scoped the geometry.

• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by

a Named Selection.

– Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping property is set to

Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of the available
geometry-based Named Selections. Named selections must be
defined by supported scoping: Body, Face, Edge, and Element.

Definition Material Property: This property displays a list of supported material

properties based on the materials of your model.

Material Property Component: The options listed for this property

include dependent variables associated with the selected material
property. Examples include Bulk Modulus, Poisson's Ratio, Shear
Modulus, and Young's Modulus.

Suppressed (p. 63)

Materials (Group)
The Materials folder object holds all material related objects for a given Model object. By default, when
you select this object, the Engineering Data: Material View pane displays (not supported on Linux). From
here, you can search for and add materials to your analysis, making them available for assignment. Se-
lecting a material in this pane also displays the data sheet for the material.

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Materials Folder Display

When you have the Materials folder selected, you can display the geometry by selecting the Geometry
tab at the bottom of the window, as illustrated below. From this view, parts with different material as-
signments display with a unique color for each different material.

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 Materials (Group)

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Material (p. 2110),

Imported Material Fields (p. 758), Material
Assignment (p. 753), and Material
Plot (p. 754) objects.

Insertion Method: : The Materials folder

is automatically inserted.

Additional Related Information:

• Imported Material Fields (p. 758)

• Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Material Plot (p. 754)

• Material Combination (p. 755)

• Engineering Data Workspace

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Insert > Material Plot (p. 754)

• Insert > Material Combination (p. 755)

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• Rename

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938): This option renames each Material Assignment object based
on its definition.

• Group All Similar Children (p. 133)

• Refresh Materials

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object are read-only and display statistical-based information
about the object's contents. The Details view properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Descriptions
Statist- Materials: This property displays the number of material objects contained in the folder.
ics
Material Assignment: This property displays the number of Material Assignment objects
contained in the folder.

Mesh
Manages all meshing functions and tools for a model; includes global controls that govern the entire
mesh.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: all mesh control tool

objects (p. 2131), Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027),
Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Appears by default when

geometry is attached (p. 627).

Additional Related Information:

• Meshing Capabilities in Workbench

• Mesh Context (p. 21)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Method

• Insert > Sizing

• Insert > Contact Sizing

• Insert > Refinement

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 Mesh

• Insert > Face Meshing

• Insert > Mesh Copy

• Insert > Match Control

• Insert > Pinch

• Insert > Inflation

• Insert > Gasket (p. 2034)

• Insert > Mesh Connection Group (p. 2125)

• Insert > Manual Mesh Connection (p. 2129)

• Insert > Contact Match Group (p. 2125)

• Insert > Contact Match (p. 2129)

• Insert > Node Merge Group (p. 2145)

• Insert > Node Merge (p. 2147)

• Insert > Node Move (p. 2149)

• Update

• Generate Mesh

• Preview> Surface Mesh

• Preview> Inflation

• Show> Removable Loops

• Show> Sweepable Bodies

• Show> Mappable Faces

• Show> Geometry in Overlapping Named Selections

• Show> Program Controlled Inflation Surfaces

• Create Pinch Controls

• Export (p. 159)>STL File (Binary (p. 143) is the default format setting).

• Export (p. 159)>ANSYS Viewer File (AVZ): export mesh data as a ANSYS Viewer File (.avz)

• Clear Generated Data

• Start Recording

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Objects Reference

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Display Display Style: This property enables you to change the display of the
mesh in the graphical display window based on different criteria. The
Display Style options include the following:

• Use Geometry Setting (default): The display of the mesh in the Geo-
metry window is based on the setting of the Display Style property
of the Geometry object (p. 2040).

• Mesh Metric information, which includes:

Shell Thickness (visible for surface/shell bodies only)

Element Quality
Aspect Ratio, based on either Triangle elements or
Quadrilateral elements
Jacobian Ratio (MAPDL, Corner Nodes, or Gauss Points)
Warping Factor
Parallel Deviation
Maximum Corner Angle
Skewness
Orthogonal Quality
Characteristic Length

• Knockdown Factors: This option is visible only when your analysis

includes an STL Support (p. 2223) object and only once the STL Support
object’s mesh has been generated. The option enables you to view the
STL Support's elements with color-coded knockdown factors while you
have the Mesh object selected.

Note:

The use of Display Style to color mesh according to quality

and the use of Mesh Metrics to view quality statistics are
mutually exclusive. For example, when you are viewing Mesh
Metrics, you cannot also view the mesh quality by color.

Defaults Physics Preference

Solver Preference (appears if Physics Preference is CFD)

Export Format (appears if Physics Preference is CFD and Solver

Preference is Fluent)

Export Preview Surface Mesh (appears if Physics Preference is CFD,

Solver Preference is Fluent, and Export Format is Standard)

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 Mesh

Category Property/Description
Export Unit (appears if Physics Preference is CFD and Solver Prefer-
ence is Polyflow)

Note:

Solver Preference also appears in the Mechanical application

if the Physics Preference is Mechanical in a Transient
Structural or Rigid Dynamics system during the initial
geometry attach. See Solver Preference for more
information.

Element Order

Element Size
Sizing Use Adaptive Sizing

Resolution

Initial Size Seed

Transition

Span Angle Center

Capture Curvature

Capture Proximity

Curvature Min Size

Curvature Normal Angle

Num Cells Across Gap

Proximity Size Function Sources

Proximity Min Size

Use Uniform Size Function for Sheets

Growth Rate

Max Size

Enable Washers

Mesh Defeaturing

Defeature Size

Bounding Box Diagonal

Average Surface Area

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
Minimum Edge Length
Quality Check Mesh Quality

Error Limits

Target Quality

Target Skewness

Target Jacobian Ratio (Corner Nodes)

Smoothing

Mesh Metric
Inflation Use Automatic Inflation

Inflation Option

Transition Ratio

Maximum Layers

Growth Rate

Number of Layers

Maximum Thickness

First Layer Height

First Aspect Ratio

Aspect Ratio (Base/Height)

Inflation Algorithm

View Advanced Options

Collision Avoidance

Fix First Layer

Maximum Height over Base

Gap Factor

Growth Rate Type

Maximum Angle

Fillet Ratio

Use Post Smoothing

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 Mesh Connection Group/Contact Match Group

Category Property/Description
Smoothing Iterations
Assembly Mesh- Method
ing
Feature Capture

Tessellation Refinement

Intersection Feature Creation

Morphing Frequency (available for CutCell meshes with inflation)

Keep Solid Mesh

Advanced Number of CPUs for Parallel Part Meshing

Straight Sided Element - appears if the model includes an enclosure

from DesignModeler.

Rigid Body Behavior

Triangle Surface Mesher

Topology Checking

Use Sheet Thickness for Pinch

Pinch Tolerance

Generate Pinch on Refresh

Sheet Loop Removal

Loop Removal Tolerance

Statistics Nodes - Read-only indication.

Elements - Read-only indication.

Model Assembly Read Only: Yes (default) or No. This category and property are only
visible when you are Assembling External Models and Mechanical
Models (p. 721).

Mesh Connection Group/Contact Match Group

Defines mesh connections/contact matches between selected topologies. Includes global settings in
Details view that apply to all Mesh Connection or Contact Match child objects.

Note:

See the object reference pages for Mesh Edit (p. 2133) and Node Merge Group (p. 2145) for
information about other objects related to Mesh Connections, Contact Matches, and Mesh
Editing.

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Objects Reference

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh Edit (p. 2133)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Mesh Connection

or Contact Match, Comment (p. 1974), Fig-
ure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Mesh Edit
object or another Mesh Connection Group
or Contact Match Group object:

• Click Mesh Connection Group or Contact

Match Group on the Mesh Context tab (p. 14).

• Right-click on Mesh Edit object or on another

Mesh Connection Group/Contact Match
Group object or in the Geometry window; then
Insert > Mesh Connection Group or Insert >
Contact Match Group.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Editing

• Mesh Connection

• Contact Match

• Mesh Edit (p. 2133)

• Mesh Connection/Contact Match object

(p. 2129)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Mesh Connection Group (p. 2125)

• Insert > Manual Mesh Connection (p. 2129)

• Insert > Contact Match Group (p. 2125)

• Insert > Contact Match (p. 2129)

• Detect Connections

• Generate

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Enable/Disable Transparency

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs

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 Mesh Connection Group/Contact Match Group

• Create Named Selection

• Delete

• Delete Children

• Rename (F2)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.

Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.

Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection.
Auto Detection Tolerance Type: options include Slider, Value, and Use Sheet Thickness.
Bodies in an assembly that were created in a CAD system may not have
been placed precisely, resulting in small overlaps or gaps along the
connections between bodies. You can account for any imprecision by
specifying detection tolerance. This tolerance can be specified by a value
when this property is set to Slider or Value, or sheet thickness of surface
bodies when the type is set to Use Sheet Thickness.

Tolerance Slider: this property appears when the Tolerance Type property
is set to Slider. To tighten the mesh connection or contact match detection,
move the slider bar closer to +100 and to loosen the detection, move the
slider bar closer to -100. A tighter tolerance means that the bodies have
to be within a smaller region (of either gap or overlap) to be considered;
a looser tolerance will have the opposite effect. Be aware that as you adjust
the tolerance, the number of mesh connection pairs or contact matches
could increase or decrease.

Tolerance Value: this property appears when the Tolerance Type is set
to Slider or Value. It is a read-only property if the Tolerance Type is set
to Slider and displays the tolerance value based on the slider setting. When
the Tolerance Type is set to Value, you can enter an exact distance for
the detection tolerance.

Thickness Scale Factor: this property displays when the Tolerance Type
property is set to Use Sheet Thickness. The default value is 1. For
Edge/Edge pairing (see below), the largest thickness among the surface
bodies involved is used; however, if the pairing is Face/Edge, the thickness
of the surface body with the face geometry is used.

Use Range: appears if the Tolerance Type property is set to Slider or

Value. Options include Yes and No (default). If set to Yes, mesh connection

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
detection searches within a range from Tolerance Value to Min Distance
Value inclusive and the following additional properties display:

• Min Distance Percent: appears if Use Range is set to Yes. This is the
percentage of the Tolerance Value to determine the Min Distance Value.
The default is 10 percent. You can move the slider to adjust the percentage
between 0 and 100.

• Min Distance Value: appears if Use Range is set to Yes. This is a read-only
field that displays the value derived from: Min Distance Value = Min
Distance Percentage * Tolerance Value/100.

Group By: For mesh connections, options include None and Faces (default).
For contact matches, options include None, Bodies (default), Parts, and
Faces. This property allows you to group the automatically generated mesh
connection or contact match objects. For example, setting Group By to
Faces for a mesh connection group means that mesh connection faces
and edges that lie on the same parts will be included into a single mesh
connection object.

Search Across: This property enables automatic detection through the

following options:

• Bodies (default): Between bodies.

• Parts: Between bodies of different parts, that is, not between bodies within
the same multibody part.

• Anywhere: Detects any mesh connections/contact matches regardless

of where the geometry lies, including different parts. However, if a mesh
connection is within the same body, this option finds only Face/Face mesh
connections, even if the Face/Edge setting is turned On.

Face Angle Tolerance: for faces that will be excluded from the proximity
detection pair, this property defines the minimum angle between the
master face and slave edge entity above which the two face pairs will be
ignored from proximity detection. The default value is 70°.

Edge Overlap Tolerance: this tolerance value is the minimum percentage

that an edge may overlap the face and is included as a valid proximity
detection pair. The default value is 25%.
Statistics Connections: displays the number of connections associated with this
parent object.

Active Connections: displays the number of connections that are currently

active for this parent object (i.e., not Suppressed).

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 Mesh Connection/Contact Match

Mesh Connection/Contact Match

Defines mesh connection/contact match conditions for individual topology pairs. Multiple Mesh Con-
nection or Contact Match objects can appear as child objects under a Mesh Connection Group or
Contact Match Group object.

Note:

See the object reference pages for Mesh Edit (p. 2133) and Node Merge Group (p. 2145) for
information about other objects related to Mesh Connections, Contact Matches, and Mesh
Editing.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh Connection

Group (p. 2125) (for mesh connections) or
Contact Match Group (p. 2125) (for contact
matches)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Mesh
Edit (p. 2133) object or a Mesh Connection
Group/Contact Match Group object:

• Assuming that you have accurately defined

the required properties, Mesh Connection and
Contact Match objects can be inserted
automatically if you select Detect Connections
from the right mouse click context menu via
the Mesh Edit object or a Mesh Connection
Group/Contact Match Group object.

• Click Manual Mesh Connection or Contact

Match on the Mesh Context tab (p. 19).

• Right-click on Mesh Edit object or the Mesh

Connection Group/Contact Match Group
object or in the Geometry window; then Insert
> Manual Mesh Connection or
Insert>Contact Match.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Connections

• Contact Matches

• Mesh Edit (p. 2133)

• Mesh Connection Group (p. 2125)

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Objects Reference

• Contact Match Group (p. 2125)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Generate - update the mesh for the selected contact match or mesh connection

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Enable/Disable Transparency

• Hide All Other Bodies (p. 938)

• Flip Master/Slave (valid for Edge-to-Edge Mesh Connection only)

• Merge Selected Mesh Connections

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs

• Go To Connections for Duplicate Pairs (p. 895) - available if connection object shares the same geometries
with other connection objects.

• Create Named Selection

• Duplicate

• Copy

• Cut

• Delete

• Rename (F2)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope (p. 903) Scoping Method: Geometry Selection or Named Selection.
Master Geometry
Slave Geometry
Master Bodies: read-only indication.
Slave Bodies: read-only indication.
Definition (p. 903) Scope Mode : read-only indication of Manual or Automatic.
Tolerance Type
Tolerance Slider: appears if Tolerance Type = Tolerance Slider.
Tolerance Value: appears if Tolerance Type = Tolerance Slider
(read-only) or Tolerance Value.

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 Mesh Control Tools (Group)

Category Property/Description
Thickness Scale Factor: appears if Tolerance Type = Use Sheet
Thickness.
Suppressed (p. 63)
Snap to Boundary (valid for mesh connections only)
Snap Type (valid for mesh connections only): appears if Snap to
Boundary = Yes.
Snap Tolerance (valid for mesh connections only): appears if Snap
Type = Manual Tolerance.
Master Element Size Factor (valid for mesh connections only): appears
if Snap Type = Element Size Factor.

Mesh Control Tools (Group)

Objects available for fine tuning the mesh.

Applies to the following objects: Method , Mesh Grouping, Sizing, Contact Sizing, Refinement,
Face Meshing, Match Control, Pinch, Inflation, Sharp Angle, Gasket (p. 2034)

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

Use any of the following methods after

highlighting Mesh object:

• Choose Mesh Control> {Mesh control tool

name} on the Mesh Context tab (p. 21).

• Right-click on Mesh object, any mesh control tool

object, or in the Geometry window> Insert>
{Mesh control tool name}.

Additional Related Information:

• Meshing Capabilities in Workbench

• Mesh Context (p. 21)

• Convergence (p. 1752) - applicable to Refinement

• Error (Structural) (p. 1523) - applicable to Refine-

ment

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Objects Reference

The following right-click context menu options are available. Availability is dependent on the selected
object.

• Inflate This Method - available only for Method control where Method is set to anything other than Hex
Dominant, MultiZone Quad/Tri, or Sweep (unless a source has been specified).

• Update

• Generate Mesh

• Preview> Surface Mesh

• Preview> Source and Target Mesh

• Preview> Inflation

• Show> Sweepable Bodies

• Show> Mappable Faces

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Rename Based on Definition

• Start Recording

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method (p. 784) - specify either Geometry Selection or
Named Selection. Not applicable to Contact Sizing, Pinch, or Match
Control.
Geometry - appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selec-
tion. In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170),
click in the Geometry field, then click Apply. Not applicable to
Contact Sizing, Pinch, or Match Control.
Named Selection (p. 784) - appears if Scoping Method is set to
Named Selection. Not applicable to Contact Sizing, Pinch, or Match
Control.
Contact Region - applicable only to Contact Sizing.
Definition Suppressed (p. 63)

Note:

Additional Definition settings may be available, depending

on the specific mesh control tool.

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 Mesh Edit

Mesh Edit
The Mesh Edit feature allows you to create Mesh Connections and Contact Matches as well as merge
and/or move individual nodes on the mesh (once generated). Mesh Connections define conditions for
joining meshes of topologically disconnected surface bodies. This object includes global settings in
Details view that apply to all Mesh Connection Group, Contact Match Group, Node Merge group,
Mesh Connection, Contact Match, Node Merge, and Node Move child objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Mesh Connec-

tion Group (p. 2125), Contact Match
Group (p. 2125)Node Merge Group (p. 2145),
Node Move (p. 2149), Comment (p. 1974),
Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the

following methods after highlighting
Model object:

• Click the Mesh Edit option on the Model

Context tab (p. 14).

• Right-click on the Model object or in the

Geometry window; then select Insert >
Mesh Edit.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Editing

• Mesh Connections

• Mesh Connection Group (p. 2125)

• Mesh Connection (p. 2129)

• Contact Matches

• Contact Match Group (p. 2125)

• Contact Match (p. 2129)

• Node Move

• Node Merge Group

• Node Merge

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Mesh Connection Group

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Objects Reference

• Insert > Manual Mesh Connection

• Insert > Contact Match Group

• Insert > Contact Match

• Insert > Node Merge Group

• Insert > Node Merge

• Insert > Node Move

• Generate

• Clear Generated Data (This option is not available if the object has only Node Move objects as children.)

• Enable/Disable Transparency

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs

• Create Named Selection for Shared Nodes

• Rename (F2)

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Auto Detection Generate Automatic Mesh Connections On Refresh: Yes or No.
Transparency Enabled: Yes or No.

Mesh Group (Group)

Mesh Group objects allow you to identify bodies that should be grouped together for assembly
meshing.

Also see the description of the Fluid Surface (p. 2028) object (applicable to assembly meshing algorithms
only).

Note:

Virtual Body and Fluid Surface objects are fluids concepts, and as such they are not sup-
ported by Mechanical solvers.

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 Mesh Group (Group)

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Mesh Grouping

(p. 2136)

Insertion Options: Highlight the Mesh (p. 2120)

object (or its Mesh Grouping (p. 2136) or Mesh
Group (p. 2134) child object if any exist), and
then:

• Select Mesh Control> Mesh Group on the Mesh

Context (p. 21).

• Click the right-click on the object you highlighted

and select Insert> Mesh Group from the context
menu.

These methods insert a Mesh Group object

beneath the Mesh Grouping object. The
Mesh Grouping object is inserted
automatically when the first Mesh Group
object is inserted.

Additional Related Information:

• Meshing Capabilities in Workbench

• Mesh Context (p. 21)

• Defining Mesh Groups

• Assembly Meshing

The following right-click context menu options are available.

• Insert> Mesh Group

• Suppress/Unsuppress

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Bodies To Group - Set of bodies that should be members
of the group. All bodies within a group, including the Master
Body, should be of the same type (i.e., Fluid or Solid, as
defined by the Fluid/Solid material property). Otherwise,
unexpected results may occur. Surface bodies cannot be
selected for grouping.
Master Body - Body that should act as the master of the
group. The master body is the body to which all mesh of the

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
group members will be associated. By default, the first body
that is selected for Bodies To Group is the Master Body.
Priority - Determines which group will claim cells in cases
where groups overlap. The priority is initially based on the
rule: the smaller the volume, the higher the priority.
Definition Suppressed - Toggles suppression of the selected group.
The default is No. If set to Yes, the group will be suppressed.

Mesh Grouping
Represents all definitions of mesh groups within a model. Each definition is represented in a Mesh
Group (p. 2134) object. May contain any number of Mesh Group objects, which are used for assembly
meshing.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh (p. 2120)

• Valid Child Tree Object: Mesh Group (p. 2134)

Insertion Options: Automatically inserted in

the tree when the first Mesh Group (p. 2134)
object is inserted.

Additional Related Information:

• Meshing Capabilities in Workbench

• Mesh Context (p. 21)

• Defining Mesh Groups

• Assembly Meshing

Mesh Numbering
Folder object that includes any number of Numbering Control (p. 2149) objects, used for mesh number-
ing (p. 853), which allows you to renumber the node and element numbers of a generated meshed
model consisting of flexible parts.

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 Modal

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after selecting Model object:

• Click Mesh Numbering option on the Model

Context tab.

• Right-click on Model object or in the Geometry

window> Insert>Mesh Numbering.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Numbering (p. 853)

• Model Context (p. 14)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Renumber Mesh (p. 853)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties
Definition (p. 853) Node Offset
Element Offset
Suppressed (p. 63): suppressing this object returns the mesh
numbering to their original values.
Compress Node Numbers

Modal
Defines the modal analysis whose mode shapes are to be used in a random vibration (p. 291), response
spectrum (p. 298), or harmonic (MSUP) linked (p. 279) analysis (not shown below).

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Objects Reference

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Random Vibration,

Response Spectrum, or Harmonic Response
(linked) environment (p. 2017) object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Appears by default for a

random vibration analysis, response spectrum
analysis, or harmonic (MSUP) linked analysis.

Additional Related Information:

• Random Vibration Analysis (p. 291)

• Response Spectrum Analysis (p. 298)

• Harmonic Response Analysis Using Linked

Modal Analysis System (p. 279)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Modal Environment (p. 233): Specify the Modal analysis you wish to
link to current analysis. The application uses the mode shapes from the
selected Modal analysis in current analysis.

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 Model

Model
Defines the geometry for the particular branch of the tree. The sub-levels provide additional information
about the Model object, including loads, supports and results, but do not replace the geometry.
Graphic settings applied to the Model object apply to lower level objects in the tree. The Model object
groups geometry, material assignments, connections, and mesh settings. The Geometry (p. 2040), Con-
nections (p. 1988) and Mesh (p. 2120) objects are not created until geometry is successfully attached.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Project (p. 2175)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Chart (p. 1971), Com-

ment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046), Con-
struction Geometry (p. 867), Geometry (p. 2040),
Virtual Topology (p. 2249), Symmetry (p. 2232), Re-
mote Point (p. 789), Connections (p. 1988), Frac-
ture (p. 1069), Condensed Geometry (p. 1057), Mesh
Edit (p. 2133) (p. 2120), Mesh Numbering (p. 2136),
Solution Combination (p. 2215), Fatigue Combin-
ation (p. 2021), Named Selection (p. 2141), AM Pro-
cess (p. 1946), Part Transform (p. 857)

Insertion Options : This object appears by

default.

Additional Related Information:

• Model Context (p. 14)

• Attaching Geometry (p. 220)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert: The following insertion menu options are available.

– Named Selection (p. 2141)

– Part Transform (p. 857)

– Construction Geometry (p. 867)

– Virtual Topology (p. 2249)

– Symmetry (p. 2232)

– Remote Point (p. 789)

– Fracture (p. 1069)

– Mesh Edit (p. 2133)

– Mesh Numbering (p. 2136)

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Objects Reference

– Solution Combination (p. 2215)

– Fatigue Combination (p. 2021)

– AM Process (p. 1946)

• Solve (p. 1711)

• Show All Bodies

• Invert Visibility

• Clear Generated Data (p. 1488)

• Rename

• Disable Filter/Auto Filter (p. 137)

• Refresh Materials

• Update Geometry from Source

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Model Alignment (p. 727)
As-
sembly
Filter Control: Read-only property specified as Enabled.
Op-
tions (p. 137)
Light- Ambient Light: This property represents a non-spatial, omni-directional, and
ing (p. 210) fixed-intensity lighting that affects all objects in the scene equally. This factor varies
between 0 and 1.

Diffuse Light: This property simulates the directional impact lighting has on the model.
The more a part of the model faces the light source, the brighter it becomes. This
factor varies between 0 and 1.

Specular Light: This property dictates the bright spots of light that appear on shiny
objects when illuminated. This factor varies between 0 and 1.

Light Color: This property enables you to specify the color of the light projected onto
the model. The default lighting color is white.

Note:

The application saves Lighting property settings with your analysis. Lighting
changes propagate throughout the features of the application and are used
when you export images.

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 Named Selections

Named Selections
This section describes both the Named Selections object (parent object) and the Named Selection
object (user-defined child objects). When you create a Named Selection (p. 761) for your model or if you
have imported one or more Named Selection objects, the application automatically creates the parent
object, Named Selections. Once created, it houses all imported and/or user-defined Named Selection
objects. See the Object Properties for the Named Selection Child Objects (p. 2143) topic for descriptions
of the properties of your defined Named Selection objects.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model (p. 2139) (for

Named Selections)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Individual named

selection objects, Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027),
Image (p. 2046)

Note:

Comment (p. 1974), Figure, and

Image (p. 2046) (p. 2027) are also
child objects of individual named
selection objects.

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods:

• Click Named Selection option from the In-

sert (p. 10) group in the Home tab.

• Select geometric entities for grouping in the

Geometry window, or select Body (p. 1960) objects
in the Outline, then select the Named Selection
option from the Insert (p. 10) group in the Home
tab.
As illustrated above, the icon used for a Named
• Select geometric entities in the Geometry window Selection corresponds to the geometry or mesh
or select Body (p. 1960) objects in the Outline and type (Face, Element, etc.).
then right-click and select Create Named
Selection.

• Import named selections from a CAD system or

from DesignModeler.

• Automatically inserted in the event of a mesher

failure so that problem surface bodies can be
identified.

Additional Related Information:

• Specifying Named Selections (p. 761)

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• Named Selection group (p. 42)

• Repairing Geometry in Overlapping Named

Selections

• Geometry Preferences

• Named Selection (DesignModeler Help)

• Enclosure (DesignModeler Help)

The following right-click context menu options are available for the Named Selectionsparent object.

• Insert>Named Selection

• Generate Named Selections: this option updates all named selection child objects that were specified
using the Worksheet (p. 764). It is a substitute for the Worksheet Generate option to ensure that all
worksheet-based named selection updates are captured.

• Repair Overlapping Named Selections: this option corrects overlap conditions in order to property
export Named Selections.

• Import Selections from CDB File: this option, available from the Named Selections folder as well as
the Geometry window when the folder is selected, enables you to import element- and node-based
named selections from a Mechanical APDL common database (.cdb) file.

Upon import, the application automatically removes any spaces or special characters from the
file name and replaces them with an underscore.

• Export Selections to CDB File: this option, available from the Named Selections folder as well as the
Geometry window when the folder is selected, enables you to export all of the Named Selections in
the folder in .cdb file format. Note that the application ignores geometry-based Named Selections.

The following right-click context menu options are available for the specified Named Selectionschild
objects.

• Insert>Named Selection

• Export Selections to CDB File: export Named Selections in .cdb file format.

You can export multiple Named Selections objects but the application supports only element-
and/or node-based named selections in .cdb file format. The application ignores geometry-
based Named Selections.

• Select Items in Group (p. 782)

• Add to Current Selection (p. 782)

• Remove from Current Selection (p. 782)

• Create Nodal Named Selection (p. 782)

• Merge Selected Named Selections: this option is available when you select more than one Named
Selections in the tree. It creates a new Worksheet-based Named Selection (p. 764) for the selected Named

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 Named Selections

Selections objects. The Worksheet displays automatically below the Geometry window when you use
this option (as well as when you select the merge-based Named Selection during subsequent operations).

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties for the Named Selections Parent

The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

The following applies only to the Named Selections object folder:

Category Property/Description
Display Show Annotation (p. 777)
Worksheet Based Named Generate on Refresh: Updates Named Selection criteria
Selections automatically following a geometry update.

Generate on Remesh: Updates the Node ids and locations

based on the new mesh.
Statistics Named Selections: This property list the number of Named
Selection objects contained in the folder.

Object Properties for the Named Selection Child Objects

The following properties are available when you select a Named Selection child object:

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method: Options include:

• Geometry Selection (p. 764)

• Worksheet (p. 764)

Definition Send to Solver: This property controls whether the named

selection is passed to the solver. Also see Passing Named
Selections to the Solver in the Meshing User's Guide.

Note:

The solvers (p. 239) supported by Mechanical

are the only solvers that recognize node- and
element-based Named Selections. Therefore,
the Send to Solver feature supports
Mechanical solvers only for node- and
element-based Named Selections.

Protected: If your Named Selection includes

geometry-contact, this property specifies if the corresponding
contact entities (faces, edges, or vertices) are protected while
meshing. Options include Program Controlled (default), Yes,
and No. Select Program Controlled to protect the scoped

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
object(s) when the named selection is used for boundary
conditions, symmetry, other types of loads for the solver, as
well as match controls and hard sizing controls for meshing.
The objects will not receive any additional protection by the
mesher if the named selection is not used for one of these
controls. Select Yes to give higher priority to the geometry
features the contact is scoped to and ensure the boundaries
are better captured in order to get a better association
between the geometry and mesh. Select No to indicate that
the topology does not need any additional protection.

Send As (Element Face-based Named Selections only): Options

include Nodes (default) and Mesh200. If your Named
Selection is scoped to element faces, the Mesh200 option
converts the scoped element faces to MESH200 elements and
sends those elements as components to the solver.

Visible (p. 777): For a named selection that you have selected
in the tree, this property displays the geometry, elements, or
nodes defining the name selection in the Geometry window.
The default setting is Yes. Setting this property to No removes
the associated geometry from view in the Geometry window.

Program Controlled Inflation: The options are Include and

Exclude (default). This property enables you to specify the
faces of your Named Selection as inflation boundaries (p. 785).
This setting requires that the Mesh object (p. 2120) property,
Use Automatic Inflation, is set to Program Controlled. Also
see the Program Controlled topic in the Use Automatic Inflation
section of the Meshing help.
Statistics Type: Manual if named selection was created in the
Mechanical application or generated due to a meshing failure;
Read-only status Imported if named selection was imported.
indications
Total Selection

Surface Area: this property is available for Face-based Named

Selection only and displays the surface area of the specified
face(s).

Length: this property is available for Edge-based Named

Selection only and displays the length of the specified edge(s).

Suppressed

Used by Mesh Worksheet: Yes if named selection is being

used by the Mesh worksheet. Also see the description of the
Mesh worksheet in the Meshing help.
Tolerance Tolerance Type:

(Worksheet-based Named • Program Controlled: Assigns application default values.

Selections only)

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 Node Merge Group

Category Property/Description
• Manual: Makes Zero Tolerance, Relative Tolerance, and
Angular Tolerance properties available for input. Otherwise,
these properties are read-only.

Zero Tolerance: The default value is 1.e-008.

Relative Tolerance: Specified the multiplying factor applied

to the values in the entire Worksheet. The default value is
1.e-003.

Angular Tolerance: This property determines when two axes

(vectors) are the same. For example, the normal direction of
an element face and the direction of the selected coordinate
systems axes are equal if they fall within the angular tolerance.
The default value is 1°.
Transfer Properties Source: this read-only property displays the source system
for the imported Named Selection.
(displays for Named
Selections imported
through the External Model
Component only)

Node Merge Group

This object defines nodes that have been merged on a generated mesh. Multiple Node Merge Group
options can be added as child objects to a Mesh Edit object. Requires mesh generation.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh (p. 2120), Mesh

Edit (p. 2133)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Node Merge (p. 2147),

Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after highlighting the Node Merge
Group object:

• Click Node Merge Group or Node Merge on the

Mesh EditContext tab.

• Right-click on Mesh Edit object and select

Insert>Node Merge Group or Insert>Node
Merge.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Editing

• MeshEdit Context (p. 19)

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• Node Merge

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Node Merge Group

• Insert>Node Merge

• Generate

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Enable/Disable Transparency

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs

• Delete

• Delete Children

• Rename

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Method: Automatic Node Merge or Manual Node Merge
Scope Scoping Method

Geometry: appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection. In this case,

use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry field, then
click Apply.

Named Selection: appears if Scoping Method is set to Named Selection.

Source Assembly: appears if Scoping Method is set to Source Assembly (Only

applicable for Assembled External and Mechanical Models (p. 721)).
Auto Detec- Tolerance Type (p. 891)
tion (p. 895)
Tolerance Slider (p. 891)

Tolerance Value (p. 891)

Use Range (p. 891)

Min Distance Percentage (p. 891)

Min Distance Value (p. 891)

Face/Face (p. 892)

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 Node Merge

Category Property/Description
Face/Edge (p. 892)

Edge/Edge (p. 892)

Group By (p. 894): None, Parts, Bodies, and Faces.

Search Across (p. 895)

Face Angle Tolerance: available only when Face/Edge is set to Yes. For faces that
will be excluded from the proximity detection pair, this property defines the minimum
angle between the faces above which the two face pairs will be ignored from proximity
detection. The default value is 70°.

Edge Overlap Tolerance: available only when Face/Edge is set to Yes. This tolerance
value is the minimum percentage that an edge may overlap the face and is included
as a valid proximity detection pair. The default value is 25%.

Suppressed : Toggles suppression of the selected group. The default is No. If set to
Yes, the group will be suppressed.
Statistics Connections: displays the number of connections associated with this parent object.

Active Connections: displays the number of connections that are currently active for
this parent object (i.e., not Suppressed).

Node Merge
The Node Merge feature enables you to merge pairs of nodes on the mesh. You can choose to merge
nodes automatically or manually. This feature requires mesh generation.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh (p. 2120),Mesh

Edit (p. 2133)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods:

• Click Node Merge on Mesh Edit Context tab.

• Right-click on Mesh Edit object and select

Insert>Node Merge.

• Right-click on Node Merge object and select

Insert>Node Merge.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Editing

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Objects Reference

• Node Merge

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Node Merge

• Generate

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Enable/Disable Transparency

• Hide All Other Bodies

• Flip Master/Slave

• Search Connections for Duplicate Pairs

• Duplicate

• Copy

• Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Rename Based on Definition (p. 938)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method
Master Geometry– is enabled if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.
In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the
Master Geometry field, then click Apply.
Slave Geometry– is enabled if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.
In this case, use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click in the Slave
Geometry field, then click Apply.
Master Bodies – is enabled if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.
Slave Bodies – is enabled if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selection.
Definition Scope Mode : read-only indication of Manual or Automatic.
Tolerance Type
Tolerance Slider: appears if Tolerance Type = Tolerance Slider.
Tolerance Value: appears if Tolerance Type = Tolerance Slider (read-only) or
Tolerance Value.

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 Numbering Control

Category Property/Description
Thickness Scale Factor: appears if Tolerance Type = Use Sheet Thickness.
Suppressed (p. 63)

Node Move
The Node Move feature enables you to select and move individual nodes on the mesh. Requires mesh
generation.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh (p. 2120), Mesh

Edit (p. 2133)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after selecting the Mesh Edit object:

• Click Node Move option on Mesh Edit Context

tab (p. 19).

• Right-click on Mesh Edit object or in the Geo-

metry window and select Insert>Move Node.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Editing

• Model Context (p. 14)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Number of Moves

Number of Nodes

Numbering Control
Represents a part, vertex, or Remote Point whose nodes/elements can be renumbered (p. 853). Any
number of these objects can exist within a Mesh Numbering (p. 2136) folder.

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Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Mesh Numbering

(p. 2136)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974),

Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following

methods after selecting Mesh Numbering
object:

• Click Numbering Control option on the Mesh

Numbering Context tab.

• Right-click on Mesh Numbering object or in the

Geometry window and select Insert> Numbering
Control.

Additional Related Information:

• Mesh Numbering (p. 853)

• Model Context (p. 14)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Renumber Mesh (p. 853)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping Method - specify either Geometry Selection or Remote
Point.
Geometry - appears if Scoping Method is set to Geometry Selec-
tion.
Remote Points - appears if Scoping Method is set to Remote Point.
Definition Begin Node Number (p. 853) - appears if Geometry is set to a part.
End Node Number (p. 853) - appears if Geometry is set to a part.
Begin Element Number (p. 853) - appears if Geometry is set to a
part.
End Element Number (p. 853) - appears if Geometry is set to a part.
Node Number (p. 853) - appears if Geometry is set to a vertex or
if Remote Points is set to a specific Remote Point.
Suppressed (p. 63)

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Objective
The Objective object specifies the topology optimization goal. A Topology Optimization (p. 447) analysis
can have only one Objective object in the tree. The application inserts this object automatically when
you create a Topology Optimization analysis. See the Objective (p. 460) section for additional information.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Topology

Optimization Environment (p. 2017).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: no

supported child objects.

Insertion Options : The application

automatically inserts this object. To
add additional Objective objects,
highlight the Topology
Optimization environment and:

• Select Objective from the

Environment (p. 23) Context .

• Right-click and select

Insert>Objective.

Additional Related Information :

Topology Optimization (p. 447).

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Objective

• Insert>Mass Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert>Volume Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert>Criterion Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert>Global von-Mises Stress Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert>Local von-Mises Stress Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Displacement Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Reaction Force Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Temperature Constraint (p. 2180) (Steady-State Thermal Analysis)

• Insert > Natural Frequency Constraint (p. 2180) (Modal Analysis)

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• Insert>Member Size (p. 2109)

• Insert > Pull out Direction (p. 2109)

• Insert > Extrusion (p. 2109)

• Insert > Cyclic (p. 2109)

• Insert > Symmetry (p. 2109)

• Insert > AM Overhang Constraint (p. 2109)

• Grouping/Ungrouping (p. 133) options

• Commands Objects (p. 1823)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object are examined in the Objective (p. 460) section.

Optimization Region
The Optimization Region object specifies the geometric entity on a model that will be optimized using
a Topology Optimization (p. 447) analysis. The application inserts this object automatically when you
create a Topology Optimization analysis. See the Optimization Region (p. 457) section for additional in-
formation.

Exclusion Region

The Exclusion Region object is an insertable child object of the Optimization Region object. The Ex-
clusion Region object enables you to specify additional geometric entities (body, face, edge, and ele-
ments) and/or geometry- or element-based Named Selections to the scoping of the Exclusion Region
of the Optimization Region object.

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 Optimization Region

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Topology

Optimization Environment (p. 2017).

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Exclusion Region.

Insertion Options : The application

automatically inserts this object. Only one
Optimization Region is supported for a
Topology Optimization analysis.

Additional Related Information : See

Topology Optimization (p. 447).

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert>Exclusion Region

• Insert > Objective (p. 2151)

• Insert>Mass Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert>Volume Constraint (p. 2180)

• Insert>Criterion Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert>Global von-Mises Stress Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert>Local von-Mises Stress Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Displacement Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Reaction Force Constraint (p. 2180) (Static Structural Analysis)

• Insert > Temperature Constraint (p. 2180) (Steady-State Thermal Analysis)

• Insert > Natural Frequency Constraint (p. 2180) (Modal Analysis)

• Insert>Member Size (p. 2109)

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• Insert > Pull out Direction (p. 2109)

• Insert > Extrusion (p. 2109)

• Insert > Cyclic (p. 2109)

• Insert > Symmetry (p. 2109)

• Insert > AM Overhang Constraint (p. 2109)

• Insert > Commands Objects (p. 1823)

• Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Rename Based on Definition

• Grouping/Ungrouping (p. 133)

• Group Similar Objects

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object are examined in the Optimization Region (p. 457)
section.

Part
Defines a component of the attached geometry included under a Geometry (p. 2040) object. The Part
object is assumed to be a multibody part (p. 627) with Body objects beneath it as depicted in the figure
below. The Part object label in your Project tree inherits the name from the CAD application you use
to create the part and may differ based on the CAD application. Refer to the Body (p. 1960) objects refer-
ence page if the Geometry object does not include a multibody part, but instead only includes indi-
vidual bodies.

Also see the description of the Virtual Body Group (p. 2245) object (applicable to assembly meshing al-
gorithms only).

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Geometry (p. 2040)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Body (p. 1960), Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027),
Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Appears by default when geometry is attached (p. 220)

that includes a multibody part.

Additional Related Information:

• Attaching Geometry (p. 220)

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 Part

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Element Orientation (p. 739)

• Update

• Generate Mesh

• Preview > Surface Mesh

• Preview > Inflation

• Export (p. 159)>Geometry

• Show/Hide Body

• Show/Hide All Other Bodies

• Hide or Show > Solid Bodies/Surface Bodies/Line Bodies (option availability based on body type)

• Suppress Body

• Suppress All Other Bodies

• Unsuppress All Bodies

• Invert Suppressed Body Set

• Update Selected Parts>Update: Use Geometry Parameter Values (p. 223)

• Create Material Assignment (p. 753)

• Create Material Plot (p. 2116)

• Create Part Transform (p. 857)

• Clear Generated Data

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Graphics Properties The following properties enable you to change the graphical display
of a part.

Visible: toggles the display of the part On or Off in the Geometry

window.
Transparency
Color

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Definition Suppressed (p. 63)

Assignment (p. 226)
Brick Integration Scheme (p. 636): appears only if Element
Control is set to Manual in the Details view of the Geo-
metry (p. 2040) object.
Coordinate System (p. 2002): assign a local coordinate system to
specify the alignment of the elements of the part if previously
defined using one or more Coordinate System (p. 2002) objects;
not available if Stiffness Behavior is set to Rigid.
Bounding Box Length X
(p. 227)
Length Y
Length Z
Properties - Volume
Read-only
indication of the Mass: appears only in the Mechanical application.
properties originally
assigned to the Note:
part.
• If the material density is temperature dependent, the Mass
is computed at the body temperature, or at 22° C (default
temperature for an environment).

Centroid X
Centroid Y
Centroid Z
Moment of Inertia Ip1
Moment of Inertia Ip2
Moment of Inertia Ip3
Surface Area (approx.): appears only for a surface body.
Statistics - Nodes
Read-only
indication of the Elements
entities that Mesh Metric
comprise the part.

Part Transform
You use the Part Transform object to change the position and/or orientation of parts on your model.

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 Part Transform

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Transforms (p. 2238)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974)

Insertion Options :

• With either the Transforms or an existing

Part Transform object selected, select Part
Transform option on Transforms Context
.

• Right-click on the Transforms object, on

an existing Part Transform object, or in
the Geometry window and select Insert >
Part Transform.

• Select the parts/bodies you wish to

transform from the Geometry object or on
your model in the Geometry window,
right-click, and then select Transform Part.

Additional Related Information : Specifying

Part Transformations (p. 857).

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Part Transform

• Show All Bodies

• Invert Visibility

• Transform

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Duplicate/Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Parts: Select the entry field of this property, select the desired part or parts child objects
from the Geometry object in the Outline, and then select the Apply button that displays

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Category Property/Description
automatically. Once specified, this field displays the number of part objects you have
selected (e.g., 1 Part, 2 Parts, etc.).
Defin- Define By: Options include Rotation and Translation (default) and Coordinate System.
ition
Rotation and Translation
For the Rotation and Translation setting, the following properties are available:

• Coordinate System

• Translate X/Translate Y/Translate Z

• Rotate X/Rotate Y/Rotate Z

Coordinate System
For the Coordinate System setting, the following properties are available:

• Coordinate System

• Target Coordinate System

Path
Represents a spatial curve to which you can scope results. The results are evaluated at discrete points
along this curve.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Construction Geometry (p. 1992)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046).

Insertion Options:

• Select the Path option from the Construction Geometry drop-down menu on
the Model Context tab (p. 14).

• Select the Path option from the Create group on the Construction Geometry
Context tab.

• Right-click on the Construction Geometry (p. 1988) object and select Insert >
Path.

• Select the Construction Geometry (p. 1988) object, right-click in the Geometry
window, and select Insert > Path.

• Right-click on an existing Path object and select Insert > Path.

Additional Related Information:

• Specifying a Path (p. 867)

• Specifying Construction Geometry (p. 867)

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 Path

• Construction Geometry Object Reference (p. 1992)

• Surface Object Reference (p. 2228)

• Solid Object Reference (p. 2210)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Snap to mesh nodes (p. 870)

• Flip Path Orientation

• Export (p. 867)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition Path Type: the display of the various other Details view properties change based
(p. 867) on the selection for this property. The options include: Two Points (default), Edge,
and X Axis Intersection.

Path Coordinate System

Number of Sampling Points

Suppressed
Start (p. 867) Coordinate System

Start X Coordinate

Start Y Coordinate

Start Z Coordinate

Location
End (p. 867) Coordinate System

End X Coordinate

End Y Coordinate

End Z Coordinate

Location
Scope Scoping Method. The options for this property include:
(Path
Type = • Geometry Selection (default): this option indicates that design region is applied
Edge to a geometry or geometries, which are chosen using a graphical selection tools.
Only)
When you specify Geometry Selection for the Scoping Method, the Geo-
metry property also displays.

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
• Named Selection: Indicates that the geometry selection is defined by a Named
Selection.

When you specify Named Selection for the Scoping Method, the Named
Selection property also displays. This property provides a drop-down list of
available user-defined Named Selections (p. 761).

Periodic/Cyclic Region/Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region

The Periodic Region, Cyclic Region, and Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region objects enable you to define in-
dividual planes for periodic conditions, anti-periodic conditions (p. 805), cyclic conditions (p. 808), or pre-
meshed cyclic conditions (p. 808). The Periodic Region/Cyclic Region/Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region objects
are child objects of the Symmetry (p. 2232) object.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Symmetry

(p. 2232)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment

(p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the

following methods after highlighting
the Symmetry (p. 2232) object:

• Select Periodic Region/Cyclic

Region/Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region on
Symmetry Context tab (p. 16).

• Right-click on the Symmetry (p. 2232) object,

or on an existing Periodic Region/Cyclic
Region or Symmetry Region object, or in
the Geometry window and select

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 Periodic/Cyclic Region/Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region

Insert>Periodic Region/Cyclic
Region/Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region.

Additional Related Information:

• Symmetry (p. 801)

• Symmetry in the Mechanical

Application (p. 844)

• Symmetry Context (p. 16)

The following right-click context menu option is available for this object.

• Insert>Symmetry Region

• Insert>Linear Periodic

• Insert>Cyclic Region

• Flip High/Low (p. 849)

• Group (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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Objects Reference

Category Properties/Descriptions
Scope Scoping Method (p. 844)

Low Boundary (p. 844): appears if Scoping Method is set to Geo-

metry Selection.

High Boundary (p. 844): appears if Scoping Method is set to Geo-

metry Selection.

Low Selection (p. 844): appears if Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection.

High Selection (p. 844): appears if Scoping Method is set to Named

Selection.
Definition Scope Mode (p. 844)

Type (p. 844): not supported for Cyclic Region.

Number of Sectors (Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region only): The entry

range is any real number greater than 2.

Coordinate System (p. 844)

Suppressed (p. 63)

Boundary DOF Orientation (Pre-Meshed Cyclic Region only):

Options include Chosen by Solver (default) and Manual. The Chosen
by Solver option instructs the solver to automatically assign nodal
DOFs at the sector boundary and the Manual option requires you
to specify the orientations using Nodal Orientations (p. 1403). See the
direct FE example (p. 813) in the Pre-Meshed Cyclic Symmetry (p. 811)
section for a discussion on the solver's DOF requirements and how
to apply them in Mechanical APDL Solver with Nodal Orientation
objects.
Tolerance - Pre- Relative Distance Tolerance: The default setting is Program
Meshed Cyclic Re- Controlled and this setting uses a value of -0.0001.
gion only.

Physics Region
Acoustic Analyses

During an acoustic analysis (p. 303), an Acoustics Region and/or a Structural Region object are auto-
matically included in the Outline. Both of these objects are Physics Region objects. You use them to
specify the geometry bodies that belong to the Structural or Acoustics physics type. All of the bodies
must have a physics type associated via Physics Region objects. For more information on acoustic
domain definition and FSI definition properties, refer to Elements for Acoustic Analysis section in the
Mechanical APDL Element Reference.

Coupled Field Analyses

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 Physics Region

During a Coupled Field analysis (p. 243), a Physics Region object is automatically included in the Outline.
You use this object to specify the geometry bodies that belong to the Structural, Thermal, or both
physics types. All of the bodies must have a physics type specified by a Physics Region object.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: The

Environment (p. 2017) object is the only valid parent
object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects: No current child objects

are supported for this object.

Insertion Options : This object is automatically

inserted into the Outline when you open the
analysis type in Mechanical. Additional objects
can be inserted. Select the analysis's
environment object, and:

• Right-mouse click and select Insert>Physics

Region.

Or...

• Select the Physics Region option on the

Environment Context (p. 23).

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object:

• Insert>Physics Region

• Insert> [Various loads and supports. See Load Type Boundary Conditions (p. 1191)]

• Insert>Commands (p. 1972)

• Suppress (p. 63)/Unsuppress

• Duplicate

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Objects Reference

• Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Group Similar Objects (p. 133)

• Rename Based On Definition: Renames the selected physics region based on the physics type definitions
on the Physics Region object.

Note:

See the associated analysis type (p. 243) section for the supported loads for each analysis
type.

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Properties/Options
Scope Scoping method: Specify as Geometry Selection (default) or Named Selection.

Geometry (Body selection only): Visible when the Scoping Method property is
set to Geometry Selection. You use this property to specify the body or bodies
belonging to structural or acoustic physics (using the properties below). Use the
Body selection filter (p. 172) to pick your geometry (p. 170), click in the Geometry
field, and then click the Apply button that displays. After you select the
geometry, this property displays the geometric entities (1 Body, 3 Bodies, etc.).
Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method property is set to Named
Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available user–defined (and
body-based) Named Selections.
Defini- Structural: Specify the selected geometry or geometries as Structural. The default
tion setting depends upon the analysis type.

Acoustics: Specify the selected geometry or geometries (solid bodies only) as

Acoustic. The default setting depends upon the analysis type.

Thermal: Specify the selected geometry or geometries (solid bodies only) as Thermal
for a coupled field analysis. The default setting is Yes.

Suppressed (p. 63): Toggles suppression of the object. The default setting is No.
Coupling Thermal Strain: This property is visible when the Thermal and Structural properties
Options above are set to Yes. You use this property to specify the coupling method for a
(Coupled structural-thermal physics problem. Options include Program Controlled (default),
Field Strong, and Weak. By default, the Program Controlled option uses the Strong
Analyses (p. 243) setting.
Only)
Thermoelastic Damping: This property is visible for a Coupled Field Transient
analysis when the Thermal and Structural properties above are set to Yes. Options
include On and Off (default).

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 Physics Region

Acoustic Artificially Matched Layers: Options include Off (default), PML, and Irregular PML.
Domain When you select PML or Irregular PML, a new PML Options category displays in
Defini- the details view that enable you to define the PML options, as described below.
tion
(Visible Important:
for
Acoustic For a Static Acoustics analysis, if you activate this property,
Definition downstream Modal systems become invalid.
Only)
For additional information, see the Artificially Matched Layers section in the
Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.

Element Morphing: This property enables you to specify that the mesh for the
bodies selected by the Acoustics Region can be updated, i.e., morphed, due to any
deflection of the Structural Region. Options include Program Controlled (default),
Off, and On. The Yes setting specifies the mesh of the selected bodies is morphed
and when Program Controlled, the setting considers the following:

• If the Large Deflection (p. 1122) property is set to Off, the KEYOPT for the MORPH
command is deactivated.

• If the Large Deflection (p. 1122) property is set to On, the KEYOPT for the MORPH
command is activated for acoustic bodies connected to structural bodies. This also
requires that (1) the Artificially Matched Layers property is not active, (2) the
body is not connected to absorbing elements or contact conditions.

Note:

Acoustic elements do not affect a Static Acoustics analysis other

than for a morphed mesh.

PML Op- PML Element Coordinate System: The Global Coordinate System is the default
tions setting.
(Visible
for PML Options: Options for this property include 3D PML (default) and 1D PML.
Acoustic
analyses Reflection Coefficients: Options for this property include Program Controlled
when Ar- (default) and Manual. When this property is set to Manual, the following additional
tificially properties display based upon the setting of the PML Options property, either:
Matched
Layers 3D PML Setting 1D PML
property Setting
set to --Value in -X -- Value
PML) Direction
--Value in +X
Direction
-- Value in -Y
Direction
-- Value in +Y
Direction

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Objects Reference

-- Value in -Z
Direction
-- Value in +Z
Direction

Evanescent Wave Attenuation: Options include No (default) and Yes.

For additional information, see the Perfectly Matched Layers (PML) section in the
Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.
Irregular Reflection Coefficients
PML
(Visible Evanescent Wave Attenuation: Options include No (default) and Yes.
for
Acoustic For additional information, see the Irregular Perfectly Matched Layers (IPML) section
analyses in the Mechanical APDL Acoustic Analysis Guide.
when Ar-
tificially
Matched
Layers
property
set to
Irregular
PML)
Ad- Reference Pressure: Enter a Reference Pressure value. The default value is 2e-5
vanced Pa.
(Visible
for Reference Static Pressure: Enter a Reference Static Pressure value. The default
Acoustic value is 101325 Pa.
Definition
Only) Fluid Behavior: Specify the compressibility of the fluid. Available options are
Compressible (default) or Incompressible.

Note:

For more detailed information about setting the Acoustic Domain Definition and Acoustic
FSI Definition, see the Elements for Acoustic Analysis section of the Mechanical APDL Element
Reference.

Point Mass
Represents the inertial effects from a body.

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 Point Mass

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Geometry (p. 2040)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options: Use any of the following methods after selecting the
Geometry (p. 2040) object or a Body object:

• Select the Point option from the Mass group on the Geometry Context
tab (p. 19).

• Right-click and select Insert > Point Mass.

Additional Related Information:

• Point Mass (p. 658) Application

• Coordinate Systems (p. 877)

• Geometry Context (p. 19)

The following right-click (context) menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Element Orientation/Point Mass/Distributed Mass/Surface Coating.

• Duplicate

• Copy/Cut

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

• Suppress

• Promote Remote Point (p. 798) (Remote Attachment Only)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Scoping method: Specify as Geometry Selection (default) or
Named Selection or Remote Point (only available when a
user-defined Remote Point exists in the tree).
Geometry: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Geometry
Selection. Displays the type of geometry (Body, Face, etc.) and
the number of geometric entities (for example: 1 Body, 2 Edges)
to which the boundary has been applied using the selection
tools. Use selection filters (p. 172) to pick geometry (p. 170), click

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Objects Reference

in the Geometry field, then click Apply. The Remote Attachment

option is the required Applied By property (see below) setting
if the geometry scoping is to a single face or multiple faces, a
single edge or multiple edges, or multiple vertices.
Named Selection: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to
Named Selection. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Named Selections.
Remote Points: Visible when the Scoping Method is set to Re-
mote Point. This field provides a drop-down list of available
user–defined Remote Point.
Applied By: Specify as Remote Attachment (default) or Direct
Attachment.
Coordinate System: Aligns the inertial axes of the Point Mass
with a local coordinate system. The local system must have been
previously defined by one or more Coordinate System objects.
For the Rigid Dynamics and Explicit Dynamics solvers, the Mass
Moment of Inertia axes also align to this coordinate system. For
the Mechanical APDL Solver, by default, the Mass Moment of
Inertia axes align to the Global Coordinate System.
X Coordinate: Define X coordinate location; can be designated
as a parameter (p. 76).
Y Coordinate: Define Y coordinate location; can be designated
as a parameter (p. 76).
Z Coordinate: Define Z coordinate location; can be designated
as a parameter (p. 76).
Location: Change location of the load. Pick new location, click
in the Location field, then click Apply.
Definition Mass: Define mass; can be designated as a parameter (p. 76).
Mass Moment of Inertia X: Available for 3D models only.
Mass Moment of Inertia Y: Available for 3D models only.
Mass Moment of Inertia Z: Available for 2D and 3D models.
Suppressed (p. 63)
Behavior (p. 795)
Material: This property is available when the Behavior property
is set to Beam. Select a material to define material properties for
the beams used in the connection. Density is excluded from the
material definition.
Radius: This property is available when the Behavior property
is set to Beam. Specify a radius to define the cross section
dimension of the circular beam used for the connection.
Pinball Region (p. 923)

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 Predefined Support

Predefined Support
This object is used during Additive Manufacturing simulations and enables you to specify a support
structure that you have created in a CAD application. Supports are modelled as elements between the
Build Geometry and the Base Plate Geometry.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Objects: Support

Group (p. 2227).

• Valid Child Tree Object: This object does not

support any child objects.

Insertion Method: :

• Select the Support Group object and then

select the Predefined option from the
Supports group of the AM Process Context
tab (p. 18).

• Right-click on the Support Group object

and then select the Insert > Predefined
Support.

Additional Related Information:

• Workbench Additive Manufacturing

Analysis Guide

• Identify and/or Generate Supports

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert > Predefined Support

• Insert > Generated Support

• Insert > STL Support

• Insert > Commands

• Suppress/Unsuppress

• Delete

• Rename

• Group/Ungroup (p. 133)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

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Objects Reference

Category Properties
Scope Scoping Method: The options for this property include Geometry
Selection (default) and Named Selections.

Geometry: This property displays when the Scoping Method is set

to Geometry Selection.

Named Selection: This property displays when the Scoping Method

is set to Named Selection. Select a desired Named Selection from
the drop-down menu.
Support Material Support Type: The options for this property include User Defined
Settings (default) and Block. When you select the Block option, the following
properties become the only visible properties.

• Wall Thickness: Enter a thickness value (illustrated by T length

below).

• Wall Spacing: Enter a spacing value (illustrated by L length below).

Multiplier Entry: The options for this property include All (default)
and Manual.

Material Multiplier

All Setting
When the Multiplier Entry property is set to All, the Material
Multiplier property displays. The Material Multiplier property
applies the same value to all of the material multipliers listed
below. The multiplication factors are homogenization factors and,
in each direction, reflect the ratio of the support area projected
onto the area of a fully solid support.

Manual Setting
When the Multiplier Entry property is set to Manual, the following
multiplier properties display:

• Elastic Modulus Multiple in X/Y/Z

• Shear Modulus Multiple in XY/YZ/XZ

• Density Multiple

• Thermal Conductivity Multiple in X/Y/Z

Statistics Volume: Read-only property that displays the volume of the added
finite element body.

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 Pre-Meshed Crack

Pre-Meshed Crack
Defines a crack that is based on a previously generated mesh and used to analyze crack fronts based
on a Named Selection.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Fracture (p. 2029)

Insertion Options :

• Select the Fracture (p. 2029) object and select the

Pre-Meshed Crack option from the Crack group
on the Fracture Context Tab (p. 18).

• Right-click (context) menus for the Arbitrary

Crack (p. 1951), Pre-Meshed Crack, and Semi-El-
liptical Crack (p. 2203) objects include an Insert
menu option for Pre-Meshed Crack.

Additional Related Information:

• Defining a Pre-Meshed Crack (p. 1093)

The following right-click context menu options are available for this object.

• Insert> Arbitrary Crack

• Insert> Semi-Elliptical Crack

• Insert>Pre-Meshed Crack

• Generate All Crack Meshes

• Suppress

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Scope Source: Read-only field indicating the type of crack definition.

Scoping Method: Read-only and always set to Named Selection when

defining pre-meshed cracks.

Crack Tip (Named Selection): Assign the scoping of the Pre-Meshed Crack
to a valid Named Selection. Click in the Named Selection field and select
a node-based named selection. This option is only applicable to 2D analysis.

Crack Front (Named Selection): Assign the scoping of the Pre-Meshed

Crack to a valid Named Selection. Click in the Named Selection field and

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Objects Reference

Category Property/Description
select a named selection consisting of nodes. This option is only applicable
to 3D analysis.

Crack Faces Nodes: Turn this property On to specify the crack top face
and bottom face node-based Named Selections. The default setting is Off.
This option is only applicable to 3D analysis. When set to On, the following
additional properties display:

• Top Face Nodes: Specify the top face (nodes) of the crack by selecting a
valid node-based named selection from the drop-down list.

• Bottom Face Nodes: Specify the bottom face (nodes) of the crack by
selecting a valid node-based named selection from the drop-down list.

Definition Coordinate System: Specifies the coordinate system that defines the
position and orientation of the crack. The Y axis of the specified
coordinate system defines the crack surface normal. The origin of the
coordinate system represents the open side of the crack. You can select
the default coordinate system or a local coordinate system that you
have defined. The default is the Global Coordinate System. The valid
coordinate system must be of type Cartesian.
Solution Contours: Specifies the number of contours for which you
want to compute the fracture result parameters.
Symmetry: Specifies the crack symmetry about a line (in 2D analysis)
or about a plane (in 3D analysis). The default is No.
Suppressed (p. 1069): Toggles suppression of the Pre-Meshed Crack
object. The default is No. The Pre-Meshed Crack object is suppressed
automatically if the scoped named selection is suppressed.

Pre-Stress
You use this object to define the structural analysis whose stress results are to be used in a Harmonic
Acoustics (p. 313), Harmonic Response (p. 266), Modal (p. 283), or Modal Acoustics (p. 304), whose stress-
stiffening effects are to be used in a Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis (p. 257), or whose stresses, strains,
and/or displacements, or velocities are to be used in an Explicit Dynamics Analysis.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Harmonic Acoustics, Harmonic Response, Modal, Modal Acoustics, Eigenvalue
Buckling , or Explicit Dynamics environment (p. 2017) object.

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Commands (p. 1972), Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

Appears by default for a Harmonic Acoustics, Modal Acoustics, Harmonic Response, Modal, Eigenvalue
Buckling, or an Explicit Dynamics analysis.

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 Pre-Stress

Additional Related Information:

• Harmonic Response (p. 266)

• Modal Analysis (p. 283)

• Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis (p. 257)

• Explicit Dynamics Analysis Guide

• Define Initial Conditions (p. 233)

Object Properties
The Details view (p. 67) properties for this object include the following.

Category Property/Description
Definition (p. 233) Pre-Stress Environment: Using this property, you specify the
upstream structural analysis you wish to link to the current analysis.
The application uses the stress results from the specified structural
analysis in the current analysis.

Harmonic Response, Modal, or Eigenvalue Buckling environments

only:

Pre-Stress Define By (p. 237): Specify this property as Pro-

gram Controlled (default), Load Step, or Time.

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Pre-Stress Loadstep (p. 237): Displays when Pre-Stress

Define By is specified as Load Step. Enter the load step of
Static Structural analysis that you’ll use as the starting point
to begin your Harmonic Response, Modal, or Eigenvalue
Buckling analysis. The default value is Last.
Pre-Stress Time (p. 237): Displays when Pre-Stress Define
By is specified as Time. Enter the time from the Static
Structural analysis that you want to use as the starting point
to begin your Harmonic Response, Modal, or Eigenvalue
Buckling analysis. The default value is End Time.
Reported Loadstep (p. 237): Read-only field.
Reported Substep (p. 237): Read-only field.
Reported Time (p. 237): Read-only field.
Contact Status (p. 237): Options include Use True Status,
Force Sticking, Force Bonded.
Newton-Raphson Option: Read-only field for Pre-Stressed
Modal Analyses. Indicates whether the property was selected
in the prestressed environment. Options include Program
Controlled, Full, Modified, Unsymmetric.

Explicit Dynamics environments only:

Mode: Specify this property as Displacement or Material State.

Time Step Factor - Displays when Mode is specified as
Displacement.
Pressure Initialization: Displays when Mode is specified as
Material State. Specify this property as From Deformed State
(default) or From Stress Trace.
Time: The time at which results are extracted from the
implicit analysis.

Probe
Determines results at a point on a model or finds minimum or maximum results on a body, face, vertex,
or edge.

Tree Dependencies:

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Solution (p. 2211)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Comment (p. 1974), Figure (p. 2027), Image (p. 2046)

Insertion Options:

• Use any of the following methods after highlighting Solution (p. 2211) object
or an exis